Review Detail

Cade Webster is a talented football star at his private high school but lives on the other side of town. He hates that some around him fear his presence. After avoiding an encounter with the police, he stumbles into a pawnshop. But this is no regular shop. He purchases a ring and makes an unspoken wish. That's when everything goes topsy-turvy. It seems no one has any fear around him. At first, he brushes off these encounters until they go over the top. He later finds there is a malevolent presence behind the pawnshop. One that has ties to slum lord Skinner and his creepy white convertible. Now it's up to Cade to figure out how to stop what is happening before it becomes too late.

What works: Thrilling ride where an innocent request turns terribly wrong. There's psychological horror with a touch of the paranormal. At first Cade brushes off people, including his wealthy white classmates who fear him. The incident on the bus where a woman accuses Cade and then the police that pursues him are both shown in realistic detail. When Cade enters the pawnshop and mutters a wish, that's when everything around him changes. And not in a good way.

The contrast between Cade's home life and being a star athlete at a pricey private school grows the longer he has the pawnshop ring. I really liked the relationship between his father and how they tried to piece together how Skinner might be involved.

As people around him lose their fear, the tension increases. The football game is one example of over-the-top aggression that has the other team not afraid to act on their blatant racism. Also, the convertible is creepy in a Stephen King's kind of way. Let's just that whoever is close enough to the car is in for one ghostly ride.

The climax of the story is fast-paced with a final reveal that shows the true presence behind the pawnshop.

Intense horror story where a simple request opens a Pandora's box with unwelcomed consequences. But also it's the story of a teen and his family that pull together and fight against a nefarious presence.