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Review: ‘She Dies Tomorrow’ is Quirky Existential Horror at its Best

Published

4 years ago

September 9, 2020

Any film that uses Lacrimosa from Mozart’s Requiem has my heart, so She Dies Tomorrow started on a high note for me. Mozart wrote his Requiem from his deathbed, and he actually died in the process of writing the Lacrimosa movement; it’s a pitch-perfect piece for a film focused on the acceptance of death.

In She Dies Tomorrow, Amy (Kate Lyn Shiel, The Sacrament) is convinced that she’s going to die tomorrow, and it’s contagious. It’s not a question of thinking she’s going to die, it’s knowing. She’s being forced with the finality of her own mortality. So what would you do with your last night?

With that in mind, the costume choices are very telling. Amy opts for a chic sequin dress, choosing to go out in style. It says a lot about the acceptance of her looming death; she’s not questioning it, she’s not fighting it, she’s just going to let it happen. If you have a sequin dress, when’s a better time to wear it?

Photo by Jay Keitel

Sheil is excellent as Amy; she has a stoic vulnerability as she comes to terms with the inevitability of her death. Everyone who comes to this conclusion reacts differently, moving through the stages of grief with different levels of intensity. Micro expressions and reactions carry so much weight. They communicate the stage at which they’re confronting their own impermanence.

The supporting cast is just as impressive, particularly Jane Adams (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) as Jane. Jane flurries from place to place, caught in a tizzy of anxiety about her own impending death. She’s shaken to her core and searching for answers, for meaning, for a connection… anything, really. If Amy’s sequin dress speaks to her acceptance, Jane’s run-out-of-the-house outfit of floral flannel pajamas is just as revealing.

Photo by Jay Keitel

Writer/Director Amy Seimetz (perhaps better known from her roles in Pet Sematary, Upstream Color and You’re Next) knows her way around a genre film. Her vision is stunning, with beautiful slow-motion moments that act as a kind of character vigil. Moments that grab your attention and cradle it gently, followed by sobering pace switches that snap you back to reality.

The use of color is impeccable. When Amy (and company) come face-to-face with the undisputed fact of their death, a kaleidoscopic wave of neon washes over them. Staring directly into the camera, we see the moment they come to terms with their fate. It’s gripping and gorgeous.

Photo by Jay Keitel

She Dies Tomorrow is a somber yet quirky meditation on our own mortality. It’s dripping with existential dread and rich with affirmations of our own anxieties. Each character is faced with the reality of their own existence and what exactly that means — for those that live, we all must die. But it’s the ambiguity of this death that’s perhaps the most challenging element of the film.

The film has a slow burn that dies out (pardon the pun) on its own. If you’re looking for a final violent confrontation or even some sort of concrete explanation or ending, you might want to adjust your expectations. She Dies Tomorrow ends not with a bang, but with a small, scared whisper.

Photo by Jay Keitel

It feels like a very personal film (perhaps because the main character shares the name of the writer/director, and the film itself stars many of her personal friends — including a fun little cameo from You’re Next director Adam Wingard). You get the sense that this rather hefty theme is something that she’s mulled over quite a bit. And I don’t think she’s alone in that; one of the reasons that She Dies Tomorrow is so successful is that death is an unavoidable eventuality.

We’ve all thought about it some time or another — what would you do if you found out you have one week to live, we so often ask — and the idea of being faced with such an immediate end is enough to make anyone uneasy. To keep it manageable, Seimetz pops in some quick jolts of humor — like a tonal defibrillator — to keep the film from getting too bogged down by its own weight.

With a rather large and completely universal theme matched with Jay Keitel’s impeccable cinematography and Seimetz’s deft directorial hand, She Dies Tomorrow is a moody, quirky, thought-provoking, and beautiful film. If you’re looking for something a little different, give it a try. It wouldn’t kill you.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

5 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

7 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

8 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.