THE DEAD THING Review – Fantasia International Film Festival 2024

Elric Kane’s debut feature “The Dead Thing” is an erotic horror film with an intriguing B-movie premise but flawed, messy execution unfortunately proves to be the film’s downfall.

Synopsis

A young woman lost in a series of meaningless connections falls in love with a charismatic and sensitive man, who hides a dark secret that turns her affair into a dangerous obsession.

Review
Sexuality, or sex rather, is a delicate thing to put into a narrative. There are films that do it well (“Poor Things, “Crash”) and there are films that do it not so well (“Fifty Shades of Grey”). Elric Kane uses sexuality well in his debut feature “The Dead Thing”, an erotic horror film about connection with otherworldly things, but there are other things used not so well with this film. “The Dead Thing”, fitting right at home within the Fantasia International Film Festival, centers around Alex (Blu Hunt), a woman who finds herself caught in an endless hole of meaningless hookups and weak personal connections. When she meets Kyle (played by stuntman Ben Smith-Petersen), she finally meets someone that makes her feel alive. When she tries to hunt down the enigmatic stranger who swept her off her feet, she makes a terrifying discovery that leads her down a path with deadly consequences. “The Dead Thing” is a promising B-movie with an intriguing premise that unfortunately has messy execution.

For a film about connections, whether it be physical or otherwise, Alex herself being written as a listless character is ingenious. Having a depressed character like Alex fall in love and feel alive with someone who may not be…is also ingenious. The first 30 minutes or so of “The Dead Thing” has a nice pace with which the film shrewedly reveals its hand. For those that know nothing about the film going in, the supernatural part of the film almost creeps up on you. Being able to keep the main plotline close to the chest for only so long, Kane lets the audience in on what’s going on after a key revelatory moment. It’s from here that the film….spins its wheels. Witnessing the dynamic between Alex and Kyle is sexy, mysterious and intriguing but there’s a lot of scenes that are just pillow talk, sprawling orgasmic sequences and…not much else until the tail end of Act II. Blu Hunt does what she can with the role of Alex, delivering a vulnerable, emotional performance of a woman that is lost and not finding anyone to belong to. Smith-Petersen does passable work in the role of Kyle, not leaving as much of an impression as Hunt but getting the job done as the handsome love-interest/ possible antagonist. A standout in the cast however, is John Karna as a potential new man in Alex’s life. He does the best he can with his supporting turn, his charisma and hilarious delivery of dialogue making him memorable.

While there is much lacking in “The Dead Thing”, that’s not to say writer-director Elric Kane doesn’t at least try to stick to his B-movie premise (or promise). Kane himself being the host of the “Pure Cinema” podcast (the official podcast of Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema) and “Colors of the Dark” podcast (the official podcast for FANGORIA) means that the man knows his stuff when it comes to horror. He proves that he can build tension – a standout sequence to note is when a character stalks another and we, the audience, follow them. The camera moves in lyrical step, almost a jarring change from the simmering score of Michael Krassner playing at the moment. The juxtaposition in this scene’s composition highlights how Kane knows how to build suspense when necessary. An area where he and this film lack however is the writing. For a film that is 94 minutes, there is a sluggish flow to the film’s inevitable rushed conclusion – a conundrum, I know. With a great first act, a wheel-turning second act and a forced third act, “The Dead Thing” feels rushed and in need of a better edit. When the murderous urges appear and heads start to roll, it feels unearned; it feels as if while writing, the director noticed that the third act is quickly approaching and he has to let the blood flow. The motive behind a character’s evil urges is unclear. What’s the purpose for the killing – man was not meant to be awaken or messed with so now people must die? I know it’s a horror film and people are supposed to die but at least have the deaths be justified, at least from the killer’s perspective. Anything else feels like cheating or just ratcheting up the kill count just because.

Closing Thoughts
“The Dead Thing” is a messy debut from Elric Kane with an original B-movie premise. With tighter writing, there could be a promising future for Elric Kane in horror. The man obviously knows where the genre has been and with tighter focus, could be a factor of where the genre is going. Led by a solid vulnerable performance from Blu Hunt, the film is not a total wash but there was seriously quite a bit lacking here. For lovers of erotic thrillers such as “Crash” or “9 ½ Weeks”, this film may be a new favorite as adding a horror element to the erotic thriller narrative is still intriguing by design.