FilmHorror Movies

DARK NIGHTS FILM FEST: THE DEAD THING [USA]

HAUNTED HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMAN?

The first-ever DARK NIGHTS FILM FEST (Sydney Australia) is lucky to be screening Elric Kane’s THE DEAD THING, this Saturday, October 12 at 7pm EST. The film is a great fit for the festival’s wide spectrum of genre presentations, this one in particular, employing some of the most-loved aspects of Horror, and her sister genres.

When I heard that film critic and prolific genre cinephile, Elric Kane was making his debut feature, I did three backflips.
I’ve gotten to know Kane’s voice over the last few years (literally), as I obsessed over his horror podcast, Colors of the Dark, and I was fortunate enough to meet Elric at the LA premiere of Australia’s Talk to Me, and he was the loveliest guy.

Knowing first-hand that he has such good taste in film and an eclectic taste at that, I found The Dead Thing surprisingly tame… but maybe I’m past the point of no return.
I think he is making his presence known in the industry with a reasonably digestible yet thought-provoking piece focusing on the perils of internet dating (something many of us can relate to). A great jumping-off point for stability, giving us a taste of his vision without making any enemies, yet providing enough nuance for a good discussion.

While certainly not the first horror film to tackle ‘the apps’, recent films like Fresh, A Wounded Fawn and Run Sweetheart Run have more in common with each other than with The Dead Thing, aside from their shared claustrophobia: this film makes LA, with a population of almost 4 million, feel closer to 4, with unsettling results.

The Dead Thing shares much more DNA with Edgar Allan Poe and Anne Rice; this is not a comedy. This is a darkly romantic ghost story, steaming with gothic prowess, as highlighted by our heroin Alex, often seen in black sunglasses, listening to Rock ’N’ Roll with WIRED headphones (so you know she’s legit), and sometimes bathing in the glow of a green light, which I have to assume to be a method of moonlight tanning, akin to Morticia Addams; all in all, evoking a Corporate, Gen Z Lydia Deets.

After some stunning opening credits – that font is elegant as hell – we meet Alex (played with zeal by Blu Hunt from Marvel’s The New Mutants). She is amidst the throws of passion, or in her case, impassion. We see her go on a string of ‘I need a distraction’ type dates (something I can certainly relate to) before we get into the bulk of the piece. The dating field can feel like a minefield: covert red flags, undercover narcissists and the final boss: love-bombing. 

What I found so clever is that we don’t hear any dialogue from Alex until 8 minutes in, until her date with Kyle, (a mood-swinging Ben Smith-Petersen – Mad Max), who she meets along with the other men, on an in-world dating app called Friktion. I laughed so hard at the name – it’s perfect!

Having her be ‘voiceless’ for the opening conveyed that she doesn’t feel safe speaking her mind, or being her true self with any of the other suitors. It also gave us a chance to look on. The camera work beckons us as a welcome voyeur into her love life, with a ‘Can you believe my luck?’ wink. The opening scenes did plenty to capture Alex’s persona, without ever needing to speak to us directly.

Alex’s demeanour around men becomes clear when dealing with a coworker (Joey Millin), who manages to perfectly capture the air of a guy who thinks he has a winning personality, from reading too many books on Pick Up Artistry, and who finds any opportunity to bend their dialogue into flirting. She always diffuses the moment.

Things are looking up for Alex, not to say she wasn’t already a self-assured soul with her ducks mostly in a row, but a little healthy love can’t hurt, right? It isn’t until things with Kyle take a turn and she is ghosted.
Alex is no longer herself, and tensions rise between her and her housemate, (Kathrine Hughes) who has her battles with on-and-off again relationship with Paul (Brennan Meija).

There is some beautiful cinematography and a lovely grade to this piece that somehow manages to feel simultaneously cold and warm, amplified in either direction to heighten specific scenes.

The underscoring is pulsing and curious, instigating a nostalgic glimmer into psych-thrillers of the 70s and 80s, and nods to Italian Gialli.

There are also some wonderful effects employed to capture the haunting nature of the film’s more intense moments, with signals to films like Blumhouse’s Invisible Man, which prompts thoughts of Hollow Man. Two films I cherish.

I still don’t quite know if it has a happy ending, or not, and call me a hopeless romantic, but I want the best for our lovely Alex.

THE DEAD THING, screens on Saturday, October 12 at 7 pm EST,
preceded by the short film, GET AWAY by Michael Gabriele.
Randwick Ritz. Tickets here

4 tombstones out of 5,,,
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Jared Jekyll

Jared Jekyll

Jared Jekyll (they/them) is a writer and performer with over 20 years experience on the stage and screen who has now turned their interests almost exclusively to Horror (and Musical Theatre).

They like to indulge in the entire spectrum of Horror cinema, with a soft spot for the bizarre, and a guilty obsession with slashers, regardless of quality.

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