#grafted 2024

[navigoldie]

Wei having to kill the only girl who wanted to be her friend was tragic

I have like ten minutes left in this movie and I can't wait for it to get more insane

[mixedreviewsmedia]

Grafted (2024)

When I saw the trailer for this on Shudder I said out loud "I am so horny for this movie". It was advertised as "Reanimator meets Mean Girls". While I'm a little disappointed about the Mean Girls delivery, Reanimator is right on the money. The first scene is pretty gruesome and continues to deliver throughout the movie. This movie touches on identity, beauty standards, and cultural expectations among other things. It's worth a watch for the body horror and acting if nothing else.

SPOILERS BELOW

Grafted (2024) follows Wei, a Chinese student with a facial birth mark who moves to New Zealand to stay with extended family after her father passes away. Wei makes it her mission to complete and master her father's scientific research on skin grafting. This same research is the reason for his untimely end.

Wei experiences a culture clash when she reaches New Zealand. While her aunt attempts to make Wei feel welcome Wei's cousin, Angie, is disconnected from their Chinese culture and seems put off by Wei's failure to assimilate.

Wei excels in her college classes but struggles socially. She tries to get along with Angie's friends but is ill-received. Wei's shady professor uses her talents as an opportunity to steal her research and claim it as his own to secure grant funding. When they finally crack the code, Wei uses the resulting West-ian formula to steal Angie and her friend's face to hide her jealousy fueled murderous actions and steal back her father's research.

Disguised as Eve, a female student the professor is sleeping with, Wei is able to recover the perfected formula. Her father's notebook containing his life's work is translated for the professor revealing the shocking discovery that Wei's father was seen as little more than a mad scientist struck down by his own hubris.

In the end, Wei runs from the police and in doing so shatters the formula and ends up a gruesome fusion with a disfigured homeless man she earlier befriends.

The beginning transitions are pretty choppy and somewhat disorienting, however the movie touches on some interesting themes.

Cultural identity and the concept of assimilation are gently probed through Wei's difficulty fitting in with Angie's friends. Wei's alter for her deceased father and choice of food really seem to throw the kiwis off and establish fairly early on that Wei is not like them.

I found it most interesting when I was thinking back on the events when Wei is most target

The thing I liked the most about this was how Wei seemed most targeted or disdained by people when her behavior seemed to mirror their own.

It's a really interesting movie that's worth a watch some night but be aware of some uncomfortable sexual scenes.

[chao-mp3]

when I watched Grafted last night I was convinced Wei putting on faces of different people was a metaphor for masking as an autistic person

[horrortvfilmsource]

GRAFTED (2024)

[bloodsplatteredcinema]

BLOOD SPLATTERED VLOG: GRAFTED (2025)

New Blood Splattered Vlog!

This week The Horror Guru & Count Jackula review GRAFTED!

A body horror flick from New Zealand about a Chinese immigrant's horrific attempt to finish her father's research into skin grafting.

[herewithinthevoid]

Grafted (2024)

3.8/5

Streaming on Shudder as of 02/06/25

[tvfilmdaily]

I can make us beautiful! You already are beautiful.

GRAFTED (2024) Directed by Sasha Rainbow