‘Grafted’ Review: A “Good For Her” Body Horror Delight
Grafted balances genre thrills with smart direction and an emotional undercurrent.
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Table of Contents
What is Grafted About?
Grafted is a body-horror film that deals with themes of beauty, identity, acceptance, and even xenophobia.
Wei’s father was a brilliant scientist on the verge of a breakthrough skin-grafting technique. Sadly, he dies while testing his technique on himself. Years later, Wei moves from Hong Kong to New Zealand where she attends university with the intention of continuing and perfecting her father’s work. Quiet and self-conscious thanks to a prominent birthmark on her face, Wei is ostracized by her cousin Angela. The clash between cousins gets heated, leading to a turning point where Wei decides to take drastic action in order to fit in.
Grafted was directed by Sasha Rainbow in her feature-film directorial debut. The script was co-written by Sasha Rainbow, Lee Murray, Mia Maramara, and Hweiling Ow. Starring as Wei is Joyena Sun. Wei’s cousin Angela is played by Jess Hong, and Angela’s friends Eve and Jasmine are played by Eden Hart and Sepi Toa. Also appearing are Jared Turner as Wei’s exploitative college professor Paul, Xiao Hu as Aunty Ling, Mark Mitchinson as John, and Ginette McDonald as Sheryl.
Grafted Review
Grafted is incredibly engaging right from the start. Wei’s backstory in the opening scene gives us a taste of the body horror and blood that is to come, and then the movie sets about establishing Wei’s new life in New Zealand over the next 20 to 30 minutes. The pacing is brilliant, and I was actually a bit surprised by how quickly and effectively the movie reached a particular plot point that sets up the remainder of the film. It was a bit of a shock, which helped give the movie a superb sense of unpredictability in that moment.
That said, once you realize how Wei is going to use her skin-grafting expertise, it’s easy enough to see where the rest of the movie is headed. But even if the ending seems inevitable, it’s also clear that it’s going to be a fun ride while it lasts.
Grafted manages to balance tones of horror, dark comedy, and pathos very well. This is especially commendable given the fact that the actress playing Wei, Joyena Sun, isn’t shown on screen for large sections of the film (for reasons that I’ll remain vague about). Sasha Rainbow’s smart direction makes the entire film cohesive even when Wei herself is going through some drastic changes.
Visually, Grafted excels. Mood is repeatedly established through color and framing, effectively conveying Wei’s loneliness and, later, her madness. It’s stylized to a point, but it never goes overboard into being particularly cartoonish. Whenever the visual style pushes beyond reality, it’s always in the direction of horror rather than camp. Which is wonderful.
Wei does go full “mad scientist” at a certain point, thanks to a multitude of factors both internal and external. But even when it seems that Wei is completely losing herself (and potentially our sympathies), there are moments late in the film that hit like an emotional gut punch. Well, maybe not quite that strongly, but it does remind us that Grafted is essentially a tragedy. It’s a tragedy covered in body horror and gore, but a tragedy nonetheless.
Grafted Rating and Recommendation
Star Rating: 4 out of 5
Grafted is highly recommended for fans of body-horror films supported by interesting visuals and a strong lead character. This is strong genre filmmaking with heart.
Further Reading
- Bloody Axe Wound Review: A Cute and Gory Coming-of-Age Slasher Comedy
- The Yorkie Werewolf Review: A Surprisingly Funny and Completely Ridiculous Horror Comedy
- ‘Good For Her’ Horror Movies
- Best Sci-Fi Horror Movies
- New/Upcoming Horror Movies
- Best and Worst Horror Movies of 2025
