Pins and Needles marks the feature debut of Canadian director James Villeneuve, following his work in commercials and co-writing Vicious Fun. It’s a lean cat-and-mouse thriller in the vein of Don’t Breathe or Fresh, where a diabetic biology student named Max (Chelsea Clark) must evade a deranged couple in a secluded mansion after a car accident leaves her stranded and her friends dead. Her goal: find the key and escape, while her insulin levels are running low. The setup is promising, and the film wastes no time diving into survival mode—but the tension never evolves beyond the basics.
While there are some early hints at deeper themes—like Max’s quiet resilience in a male-dominated world or how her struggle with chronic illness made her strong—the film is mostly focused on its thrills. At 88 minutes, it could have been tight and suspenseful, especially given how quickly it starts (the first 10 minutes move at a good pace). Unfortunately, once the thriller elements kick in, it never goes beyond familiar genre staples: background movement, tiptoeing from room to room, and a repetitive score that leans on the same unsettling theme. There are attempts at jump scares, and a lot of weight is placed on the villains’ motivations to create unease—assuming they’re disturbing or clever enough to sustain the stakes—but that tension never fully materializes. The villain performances—especially the male lead—lack presence, and the threat to Max never feels urgent.
With very little actual suspense or character dynamics (there are even odd visions thrown in to try and add some), the short runtime doesn’t result in a tight experience. Instead, it feels stretched, with few confrontations and recycled thrills. Pins and Needles plays like a cautious first effort from a filmmaker still figuring out how to balance tone and tension. There’s some promise here, but not enough to make it stand out.