Horror goes the unpredictable route in The Perfection, a twisty, windy thriller that lands more than a few surprises, even if the end result isn’t perfect.

Allison Williams, who has suddenly starred in back-to-back horror films (the last being Get Out), plays a former music prodigy who becomes romantically entangled with her predecessor (Alaina Huffman)—but unfortunately for her new girlfriend, she has ulterior motives.

Read: she is jealous as fuck and wants what she used to have.

But that’s only what is shown in the trailer, and director and co-writer Richard Shepard, who helmed 12 episodes of Williams’ Girls, has plenty of other disturbing developments up his sleeve. At a tight and efficient 90 minutes, Shepard gives us a brilliantly absorbing tale of envy and revenge that is as predictable as it is satisfying. For most of the movie it isn’t even clear who the protagonist is—or who the protagonist is at any given moment—a move that works surprisingly well.

The final act isn’t quite as engrossing as the rest of the movie—once the cards are placed on the table, the story becomes a little less interesting, a bit more traditional—but The Perfection works more often than not. Both Williams and Huffman are terrific, a great pairing if you’ve ever seen one.

The Perfection isn’t perfect, but that’s okay. Its unpredictability and constantly morphing story elevates it above your traditional horror fare.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.