A Simple Favor Fools the Horror Narrative

Those thoughts quickly become heightened once Emily is found drowned, which Stephanie announces to other moms on her now-successful vlog. Sean goes to identify her, and we see what appears to be Emily pale and soaked from the bottom of a random lake in Michigan. We’re left wondering if Stephanie is really the culprit or if Sean had something to do with his wife’s murder. And this gradually becomes apparent when Stephanie starts seeing signs of a haunting. 

After moving in with Sean once Emily is found dead (or was she?), Stephanie starts feeling the guilt creep up on her that she’s sleeping with the husband of her dead best friend, who could have been murdered for all she knows. The closet scene is arguably the most jump-scare-worthy moment in the entire flick because of how quickly it happens. Stephanie is rocking out to dead Emily’s fancy French playlist while taking out all of Emily’s wardrobe and putting her own in the closet. Then suddenly, all of Emily’s clothes are put back in their original places, and Stephanie is completely freaked out. 

Next, Stephanie gets a call from the familiar voice who calls her “brotherf–ker,” since Emily is the only one in the world who knows about Stephanie’s dirty little secret. Emily and Sean’s son even tells his dad and Stephanie that he “saw mom” and she gave him a message for Stephanie. 

Now that we’ve all been yanked into this ever-changing storyline, the audience is thinking that they’re about to see Emily’s ghost, or worse, her dead corpse, even though that’s the furthest from the truth of what this film really is. 

Complications

Aside from the apparent apparition we think Stephanie is experiencing, there’s even more to the story, starting with Sean. 

The ultimate complication in any murder mystery is a spouse finding solace in sleeping with the total opposite of their dead partner, offering emotional support. Stephanie is this figure. 

After we’ve questioned whether she is the villain or not, viewers are left to wonder about Sean’s motives. How could you just sleep with your wife’s best friend right after burying her? How could you be so placid following the death of your child’s mother? Is he about to snap? 

We soon get to know Sean’s daily life. He goes to work at the university, he comes home to his son and Stephanie (in place of his dead wife) and seemingly sleeps soundly at night. He seems to have no cares in the world after telling his new girlfriend he loves her.

Although we learn the true point of A Simple Favor by the end, we’re already racing to catch up to the two incredible leads who really threw us into a whirlwind. There are points when we think, “Are they both in on this?” But, ultimately, the movie plays a neat hat trick on its audience by pulling us into something that emulates the typical horror film — a murder mystery ghost story. 

While we find out that we’re completely incorrect with this, we leave this film rejuvenated. Its witty comedy and sleek sarcasm underlies its overall manipulation, between both the characters with each other and the audience with the plot. Even though it’s not a horror thriller, A Simple Favor cleverly treats its viewers like a yo-yo; it knows exactly how to control itself while letting us experience the ups and downs of this extreme drop ride.