'Self-Help' Review: Erik Bloomquist Delivers Thought-Provoking Cult Horror
- Becca Johnson
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
By Becca Johnson - August 23, 2025
Making quite a name for himself within the indie horror scene, filmmaker Erik Bloomquist (Founders Day) is back with his newest feature, Self-Help. Starring Amy Hargreaves (Shame) and Jake Weber (Meet Joe Black), the movie follows a young woman who infiltrates a dangerous self-actualization community after her mother becomes entangled with its enigmatic leader.
Fresh with ideas and thorough with themes, Self-Help may lack scares and spooks, but makes up for this with fine performances, a unique plot and fun imagery.
Horror films and cults have long married together well, and it may seem like every possible idea surrounding it has been explored. However, Self-Help proves there’s plenty of gas left in the tank where this theme is concerned, as in this exploration, Landry Bender (Looking for Alaska) plays a daughter who must save her own mother from its alluring nature. Seldom explored from this angle, putting a strained mother daughter relationship at the centre allows for some really intriguing commentary to take the limelight, adding an unexpected layer of depth to the film. Hargreaves is in the role of mother, and as much as she wants her daughter by her side, this may be harder to convince her of than expected. With strong emotional beats throughout and an interesting subplot of toxic maternal relationships, Self-Help becomes a thinker as well as an entertainer. Although we expect to explore the unsteady dynamic between cult leader and follower, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work well here. Putting mental health and vulnerability at the centre, the script ensures to tell us why this ominous, dangerous figure has garnered a following. The themes are explored particularly well.
Another commendable attribute Self-Help boasts is the acting. With decent performances across the board, the cast make the themes and events as believable as they can be. The aforementioned Landry Bender is great in the leading role, giving us a central character that consistently thinks rationally and tries her best to get herself and her family out of this bizarre situation. She has strength and courage, oozing with final girl-esque charm. Amy Hargreaves is also good as her on-screen mother, making her character as frustrating as she should be.
Jake Weber Shines as the Charismatic yet Ominous Cult Leader
Playing our cult leader is the very talented Jake Weber, who steals most scenes he is part of. Weber understands both the allure and eeriness his character requires to successfully instill both hope and fear into his followers, and it works a treat. Giving the impression that he’s letting his cronies take control of the situation, Weber is as nuanced as he is commanding, and it’s a really fun performance to watch.
Self-Help is pegged as a horror thriller, but is much more of the latter rather than the former. It does have a small handful of scary scenes that focus on body horror, but these are few and far between. Instead, it chooses to focus on the cult imagery and intense themes rather than scares. Although including plenty of Halloween imagery, particularly during the final act, out-and-out horror fans will likely leave the movie having wanted a bit more gore to sink their teeth into. This may have been forgiven if a strong ending was put forward, but the climax is overall quite underwhelming. All signs point to a third-act showdown, but rather than going out with an energetic, action-packed bang, it instead opts for a slow fade. Although it isn’t a negative that Self-Help focuses on its themes and storyline rather than providing scares and an entertaining climax, it certainly wouldn’t have gone amiss, and may render it unmemorable.
Final Verdict: Self-Help Engages the Mind More Than the Senses
Self-Help is a well written horror thriller with excellent performances, impressing much more than Bloomquist’s last effort Founder’s Day (2023). Weber, Bender and Hargreaves shine, whilst paving the way for intriguing, important themes to take the limelight. Whilst hitting low on the scare scale, the engaging plot provides plenty to chew on.
'Self-Help' premiered at Frightfest London 2025
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