Hank Boyd Is Dead

My movie this morning is a pretty well written Indy called Hank Boyd is dead. Sean Melia writer/ Director gives us a thrill ride. Stefanie Frame is a caterer at a post funeral gathering. It's is for a killer who hangs himself! The dialogue is well written and the scenarios of the crazy family is insane. The cast does well with the situation that unfolds. I did not go into this movie knowing what it was about. But when finished was amazed how incredible this little Indy was. A mix of horror/ black comedy. It makes me mad when I see a movie like this and pretty much goes unnoticed! Do yourself a favor and take a look.

Well, obviously if you watch any film with certain preconceived expectations, you often tend to be disappointed. This film cannot be taken at face value.

First of all, the film was never about the main protagonist visiting her father. That's just background. The film is a construct, designed to take the Mickey out of detective films and show just how absurd they can be. I'm a murder mystery lover, so I can totally sync with this extraordinary piece of fiction.

Of course the characters are deliberately presented as shallow - it was never about them. The plot is designed to be confusing - mimicking that of so many wannabe police thrillers. The music cleverly loops in and out of comedy-horror moments, and the foreshadowing is made fundamentally clear, almost as soon as Sarah walks into the house carrying the food. The flashbacks are, again a parody of what you see in films that want to be taken seriously.

As the plot progresses, the film delves into the ever-increasing circles of now-way-can-this-happen actions: exactly as in so many ridiculous murder films there's a killing spree, and you wonder if anyone's going to be left alive at the end.

It's a brilliant psycho analysis of everything that can and does go wrong in ambitious but rottenly written detective films, and consequently a joy to watch. Just bear in mind that you cannot take this film seriously. If you don't you'll be fine.

Started out okay but the story really fell apart and the plot became nonexistent. Production and acting fell apart too and weird locked up family member, why?! There was no point to this 'story'. Definite skip.

The small cast in a single home is so much fun. It has Serling and Hitchcock elements and a great dark comedy edge that's never overplayed. No, this isn't a straight up comedy, but it has some moments that made me giggle and grin for sure. The acting is super solid as well, which really helped pull this "bottle episode" style film together nicely. This is Sean Melia's first feature film and I can't wait to see more from him!

Do yourself a favor - avoid the trailer and just dive into this film head first. It's a fun watch that's well worth a viddy! I really dug it.

I'm a huge fan of horror and since there isn't an endless wealth of genre blockbusters I dive right into the sea of indie, low budget, micro budget movies. It's sometimes difficult to get a good handle on their quality based on reviews. That means watching the good, the bad and the ugly in pursuit of those hidden gems. I watched this years ago and decided I wanted to revisit it. It can be pretty tricky to find titles of low budget movies based on brief detail. Thankfully I was able to find after 10 minutes of digging. I haven't rewatched it yet but I did want to add my two cents for anyone curious about whether it's worth a watch bc it is.

It starts with a few minutes of getting to know the lead, why she's there and her connection to the bereaved family. Once she gets to the home she's setting up catering for things go sideways pretty quickly. She ends up trapped by a deranged family whose secrets continuously unfold with twists and turns and utter depravity right in the middle of an unassuming suburban neighborhood.

The acting was great. The story is bonkers but in a good way. The direction, editing, camera work and sound were all better than anticipated. Though it popped up in the horror genre it isn't quite that. There is blood and some unsettling aspects but it has elements of suspense, thrills and dark comedy. Just take a deep breath, don't take it too seriously and you'll enjoy it.