Dead Mail

This was an intriguing thriller. I feel like it plays better for people that like unique films that tell a story differently. Yes a case could be made that it is "slow" as in we get a story laid out for us. I know, crazy idea.

The way the editing works in this film, is truly one of the highlights, second only to the music that sets the whole world alight. It doesn't tell the story in a linear fashion, and you get the chance to meet some characters and the movie shifts. That's when some of the cool edits happen; my favorite example is to show the passage of time there is a nifty little cut that makes a great transition.

The story unfolds at its own pace. It is telling the story and it wants you to get cozy with the characters and the world. There is that nostalgia filter that plays very well and doesn't get annoying or otherwise feel like an annoying addition to make a film fit the whole nostalgic feel that you see so often in these newer movies and shows.

Like another person said, you really do feel like you are in the 80's. It doesn't feel like a gimmick, but more of a memory you are thinking back on, almost like you would remember your house from your childhood.

I am a big fan of music, and I have been very much in love with the lofi and ambient style 80's synth music. I was a new wave fan, I still am, but I was then too. It is unique and really acts almost like the flute that hypnotized all the villages children. It feels like the world from your past, and the music keeps you tucked in this trance as you follow the rabbit down a tale of loneliness and not smart choices. It is haunting in a way, but it isn't an intense horror movie by any means. It is more or less a character driven thriller.

If you want something that plays different from most attempts at film these days, while at the same time having somethings you've enjoyed before told in a different way. I get saying it is like the King story, and I see that, but at the same time I think it does it's own thing more than that.

I enjoy nontraditional story telling and having the suspension of disbelief being easier to maintain because you don't see stupid choices or hear stupid unoriginal dialogue constantly.

My one complaint is there was a choice made, and it was a stupid choice at that, and it does feel like that the sole purpose to propel the story in a certain direction. It feels a little cheap and dumb, but putting that aside, everything else was solid about the film. Then there is the whole part at the end where you find out it seems to have been based on a true story. Usually studio execs love to force it down your throat that "BASED ON TRUE EVENTS!!!!!!!!" type of thing. Nope. This movie let that stuff slip in there like a ninja so that the shock is a bit more true.

This 2024 Shudder original called Dead Mail, with a rather interesting-looking poster and a decently intriguing plot synopsis on IMDb, was shot in slightly faded color with grainy visuals, really giving it those 80s retro vibes. Sadly, that's about the only thing this movie does to make itself entertaining or stand out from most other releases nowadays. It's a style choice that can work and mostly does in this film but the narrative needs to be more than a rather dull kidnapping story like the one we get here.

We follow different characters after an ominous help note finds its way into a post office. The movie presents various perspectives; from the victim, the abuser, and other side characters while also incorporating a few time jumps, which are easy enough to follow. And even though the story has some interesting elements and brings a bit of uniqueness to the table, it's overall really dull. It reminded me a bit of 2021's Censor, which had similar problems in my opinion, though it featured stronger pacing and a more engaging narrative.

In this film, I kept finding myself bored and unable to immerse myself in the story or connect with the character arcs. The acting from the main cast is pretty solid, and there's definitely talent involved both in front of and behind the camera. The movie features several scenes that feel unnecessarily drawn out, seemingly only to show off some aesthetically pleasing visuals. That being said, this is definitely a slow burn, and people who don't enjoy that kind of horror should stay away from this one.

If you're a fan of slow-burn horror, this might be worth a watch. However, I personally didn't find anything particularly compelling here and will probably forget about this movie soon. [4.9/10]

I enjoyed this movie despite the absurdity of the plot. Some people have complained about the acting but I saw nothing wrong with it. The actors playing Trent and Jasper were especially strong. This is one of those plots where seemingly insignificant details come together at the climax, and no loose ends were left dangling. The cinematography and look of the film fit the vibe perfectly, giving it a retro 80's feel. I understand that a lot of people will find this movie slow and boring, but I was interested throughout. Give it a shot, you'll know in the first 20 minutes if you want to consider watching or not.

Pretty standard indie fare. Acting, cinematography, and dialogue all are hit-and-miss, hitting more than missing. There are some plot holes, but nothing that really degrades the movie. I have no idea why the type of epoxy would affect sound quality. Even from a heat dissipation aspect, there wouldn't be such a thing as "good epoxy", since modeling epoxy would be different from electronics epoxy. Normally only nerds like me would think about this, except that they bring it up like 10 times for whatever reason.

Around half the movie is spent on the actual kidnapping. While the kidnapping part IS actually creative, it's not creative in an interesting way. There's a few points where it seems the movie is going to pull a Saw, but then it just ends the scene. The rest of the movie is the post office stuff, which once again is creative but not all that interesting.

It's FAR from the worst indie movie I've seen, but it lacks the creativity and execution of say, a Benson & Moorhead movie. Overall it just feels like a good idea that suffers from inexperienced writers. DeBoer and McConaghy are probably worth keeping an eye on, but Dead Mail is something you'll watch mildly entertained, and forget the following day.

Slow-burn thriller. It reminds me a little bit of the movie Misery. Minus the Misery's whit and lively dialogue. It's just dark and gritty. I liked it.

It has a dark, gritty film like look, uses synth sounds to create a creepy atmosphere...I'm sure I'm not artsy enough to get all the nuances in a casual watch but all of it together kept me watching.

The cast is small, sparse dialogue but that's part of its charm. It was fun to see them show their work a little with how they obtained info. Whereas today we have hackers and the internet to get us what we need.

The villain is an odd duck and I can't quite figure out his why but this movie has a beginning, a middle, a complete and satisfying end.