The first solo directorial feature from Elric Kane, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Webb Wilcoxen, The Dead Thing is a decent little horror movie that I believe has something to say about some very old and constant problems, albeit ones given a modern twist.
Blu Hunt plays Alex, a young woman who is used to finding some male company for a while by swiping her way through multiple candidates until she matches with someone. This is how she meets Kyle (Ben Smith-Petersen). Kyle seems very nice, but there's also something about him that hints at, well, something not being quite right. That feeling grows stronger as Alex moves on with her life, and on to other random connections. Maybe she had something a bit more with Kyle, or maybe she just starts wanting more from that fleeting connection because it seems impossible to recapture.
The Dead Thing has some obvious points to make about dating in the modern age, where many sexual relationships can start with a simple swipe, but it's also very much about what people are willing to overlook as they consider the possibility of a real and meaningful chance at what might turn into love. This is shown in the problems that face Alex, but also the problems that face her friend, Cara (Katherine Hughes). And, aside from anything she is looking for, Alex has to spend a lot of time batting away unwanted attention, from co-workers and people she regrets hooking up with in the past. It's not a constant barrage, but you can certainly get the feeling of how difficult it is sometimes for a woman to be allowed to make decisions that don't always flatter the men who flutter around her like moths hitting against a bare lightbulb.
Hunt is decent in the lead role, and Smith-Petersen does well at being someone who is a bit of a blank slate until more details start to appear upon him, but I'd have to say that better performances come from Hughes, John Karna (as a co-worker who tries to shoot his shot, in increasingly uncomfortable moments), and others making up the rest of the small supporting cast.
While Kane stays focused and on point throughout the film, he doesn't always keep things consistent when it comes to the central characters and what they will or will not accept. There's no real sense of proper danger until it all needs to be there in time for the finale, and our two leads are irritatingly unbothered by a major revelation that is dropped in about a third of the way into the runtime. That means that viewers end up feeling just as unconcerned, which lessens any potential impact the film may have.
That's a minor quibble though, and the positive aspects of the film make up for the negatives. This is interesting and fairly intelligent in how it mixes the full-on horror movie elements with the commentary, although it reminded me of a few titles I would easily recommend ahead of it (one being an iconic classic, the other being Nina Forever). It's a shame that it didn't quite perfectly nail down the right tone, but I'll take a flawed and intriguing work ahead of something more polished and dull.
7/10
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