Michael Shanks’ debut movie, “Together,” stretches (literally) the limit of what the human body can do and displays how scary the combination of love and codependency can be, making love the horror story in this gripping body horror.
“Together” follows the story of long-term couple Millie and Tim, played by real-life married couple Dave Franco and Allison Brie. After Millie gets a job in rural New York, Tim chooses to move with her. The couple is already in an awkward phase after a failed proposal and overall stress in the relationship. Shortly after they arrive, an odd experience in a cave leaves them unable to leave each other alone. The attraction goes further than just sexual encounters; it is an inhuman pull towards each other in every way.
Body horror, a sub-genre of the larger horror umbrella, has created some of the best and hardest-to-watch movies the genre has to offer. Also known as biological horror, it revolves around the grotesque transformations the human body can, but probably should not, make.
Body horror was officially “born” in the late 70s- early 80s. Some of the most prolific movies from that time include “The Fly,” “Videodrome,” and “Rabid.” The genre has only continued to grow thanks to the widespread use and development of special and visual effects work. Modern takes on this genre are “The Substance”, “The Exorcist”, and “Titane”.
“Together” is immediately able to establish the characters of Millie and Tim, and the audience gets a sense of who they are quickly. Millie is the leader and planner. Tim relies on Millie for rides, and she even pops the question to him at one point, giving a sense that she is more committed than he is.
An accident early in the movie, though, contradicts this sense, as they have to work together and get out of a cave they stumble upon. After this event, odd things start happening between their bodies. The pull they feel becomes unavoidable, sticky, bloody, and bone-shattering and quickly intensifies as each episode happens.
The special effects that went into this movie were awe-inspiring and are what truly make this movie the epic body horror it is. The human body was bent, twisted and stretched in every which unimaginable way. From stuck lips to grotesque humanoids, the work of Alro Markantonatos on special effects and Genevieve Camilleri on visual effects and their teams truly made this movie the striking new age body horror it was. Special effects are the physical things made by movie sets to change the setting such as fake rain and body prosthetics. Visual effects are digital changes and imagery made to the film that are impossible to do in real life: computer-generated-imagery (CGI) and green screen/blue screen are the most common.
In May 2025, the movie and its crew was hit with a lawsuit alleging the idea from the movie was stolen from a small 2023 indie body horror “Better Half.” Shanks rebuked this claim in a statement saying, “To have this called into question is not only deeply upsetting but entirely untrue,” adding it was based on his own experience of love and loss. As of September 2025, there has been no resolution to this copyright infringement claim.
“Together” is available to rent or buy on platforms like Prime Video and it is expected to be released on Hulu within the next six months, according to Newsweek.
