Sweetheart is a new creature feature from director J.D. Dillard and Blumhouse Productions, and was released on Netflix’s streaming platform on December 25, 2019. The movie boasts a rather spectacular, original creature that operates both on land and in the ocean.
Part of what makes a sci-fi/horror film so good is the elements of science fiction, the creatures that are developed, and the way they are carried out. Many franchises have built steady followings based on their creatures alone, such as Tremors and Gremlins. Other horror films tend to adopt more realistic creatures as the big threat, like was done in Crawl with alligators and as the killer shark movie has done for decades. Other directors, such as Guillermo del Toro, have created unique, fantasy-based creatures to carry their films, like he did with The Shape of Water and Pan’s Labyrinth.
Sweetheart has a small cast that heavily features lead actress Kiersey Clemons (Jenn), with a limited supporting cast. The monster takes a page from some of the most successful creature features by using an actor (Andrew Crawford) to deliver some of the film’s biggest thrills and frights.
Sweetheart’s Creature Abilities & Weaknesses Explained
Though the creature is veiled for a good portion of Sweetheart, its full form is eventually revealed. Physically, it is very tall and muscular: Jenn describes it as being “taller than any man” she’s seen; it also has easily double the strength of a human, and can bat around fully grown, athletic people like they are little more than obnoxious flies. The creature appears to have a nictitating membrane, which is an opaque third eyelid that helps some creatures, including some birds, reptiles, and sharks moisten their eyes and protect them. Physiologically, it appears reptilian, both in its scaled, armor-like flesh and through the way its hands and feet are clawed. It walks somewhat like a bi-pedal dinosaur would, with a staggered gait, and uses various clicking sounds to communicate similarly to bats or the creatures in Predator.
Jenn suspects the creature is nocturnal, as she only sees it hunting on the island at night. It also seems to be heat sensitive, as it reacts intensely to fire and seems to be drawn to light, as proven when it suddenly appears after Jenn fires a flare into the night sky. It is not completely nocturnal, which is proven by it attacking the raft Jenn and her boyfriend, Lucas, are using to attempt escape during the daytime. The creature also shows high intelligence by testing the bottom of the raft, then strategically cutting a hole with its claw to grab and pull them under. During the day, it seems to retreat into a massive hole on the bottom of the ocean floor. At one point, Jenn swims out far enough to see the hole without straying too far from the island. In some ways, the creature resembles a much smaller version of Godzilla.
The creature seems to take most of its prey back to the hole, likely to eat, then discards the remains. Jenn frequently finds items washed up on the shore. Whether it’s the only one of its kind is unknown, as is its age or how long it has been living near the island. Though not confirmed, one line in the film suggests that the currents have been pulling things toward that island, specifically, which could mean the creature can somehow change or control the ocean’s currents to keep a steady supply of victims. It can be killed, which Jenn manages to do by stabbing it repeatedly with sharpened sticks and a pocket knife; it bleeds black, sticky blood, and seems to have soft enough tissue under its scales that it can be easily punctured. If Sweetheart gets a sequel, exploring the creature further would be an interesting angle.
Next: Netflix’s Sweetheart Creature & Ending Explained
