Shudder Saturday: The Dead Thing (2024)

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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The New Mutants (2020)

It seems strange to start 2021 with my review of The New Mutants, a film that seemed destined, at one point, to never actually get itself a proper release. It was delayed time and again, and eventually appeared on VOD platforms last week here in the UK. There were already a lot of damning reviews, which I am sure have put people off from wanting to see it. Like many films that have become an easy target for critics, it's not as bad as it has been made out to be. It's not great, but the main premise is an interesting way to take characters like this and deliver something a bit different from the usual superhero outings.

Blu Hunt plays Dani Moonstar, a young woman who wakes up in a facility being run by Dr. Reyes (Alice Braga). The other youngsters in the facility are Rahne Sinclair (Maisie Williams), Illyana Rasputin (Anya Taylor-Joy), Sam Guthrie (Charlie Heaton), and Roberto da Costa (Henry Zaga). Each one of these people has a unique super-power, and Dr. Reyes says that she is helping them learn to control their powers before they can move to another facility. Nobody knows what Dani's power is, although it soon becomes clear when the others end up having encounters with their worst fears.

Directed by Josh Boone, who also co-wrote the script with Knate Lee, The New Mutants has some obvious flaws, but it cannot be faulted for the interesting angle, and the consistency of tone. This is a dark thriller, at its best when conjuring up images that wouldn't be out of place in a horror movie, and the fact that neither Boone nor Lee have had any previous experience with superhero movies is a big bonus. If you're looking for big, bombastic, set-pieces then this is not the film for you, although the third act delivers an impressive battle between the leads and a main villain, but it's definitely one to enjoy if you're wanting an origin tale with a very different flavour. And no real need to actually deliver any details of origins.

Most of the problems come from the acting, unfortunately. This isn't a bad cast, not on paper, but a number of key players aren't used well. Williams is given a Scottish accent, because that is the character as written for the comics (although I think diverging slightly would probably not have upset too many people). Taylor-Joy has to be a grumpy Russian. And Heaton plays his character like the abandoned son of Jordy Verrill. I wouldn't have been surprised if his origin story had involved him discovering some green goo and exclaiming "meteor shit!". Braga, Hunt, and Zaga don't seem to be putting on any accents, but, out of the three, it's only Hunt who gets to play a character as interesting as that played by Williams or Taylor-Joy.

The rest of the problems come from certain decisions made with the plotting, and who ends up being pitted against our "heroes" in the finale. Although it's all done well enough, everything would have been a bit more satisfying with a better villain. Even if they were just clearly working directly behind the scenes (there's a backstory teased out, which could have worked out well in the planned trilogy we're now never going to see, but it doesn't really factor into the grand finale). It's also a shame to know that this is a compromised vision, more so than any other films that have had fans shouting for any director's cuts. Unlike certain other titles I could mention, I'd very much like to see a version of this film without any interference, or limitations.

It's easy to see why this didn't really find an audience, and Boone and Lee don't always do themselves any favours, but I recommend at least giving this one viewing. It's something a bit different, and has some interesting ideas in the mix. Which isn't something you can say about most superhero movies, however good they otherwise are.

6/10

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