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TADFF Review: ‘I’ll Take your Dead’ is a Strong, Hearty Genre Stew

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I'll Take Your Dead

With the release of their newest film, I’ll Take Your Dead, director Chad Archibald (Bite, The Heretics) and Black Fawn Films have delivered their strongest work to date. The film mixes elements of a suspense thriller, tragic ghost story, intense home invasion, and coming-of-age drama into an emotional journey for both the characters and the audience. It’s a genre stew that’s flavored with bitter tension and complex warmth – a combination that is perfectly suited to the harsh rural winter setting.

From a script written by Jayme Laforest, the film follows William (Aidan Devine), a humble and quiet man with a simple job – he makes dead bodies disappear. This is not a job he takes pride in, but, through circumstances out of his control, his country farm house has become a dumping ground for the casualties of the gang related murders in the city. His daughter Gloria (Ava Preston) has become used to men dropping off corpses and is even convinced that some of them are haunting their house. After a woman’s body is dumped at the house, William begins his meticulous process when he realizes she’s not actually dead. As the gang activity increases, William patches the woman up and holds her against her will until he can figure out what to do with her. As they begin to develop a very unusual respect for each other, the woman’s murderers get word that she’s still alive and make plan to go finish what they started.

via Black Fawn Films

I’ll Take Your Dead is undeniably a character-driven film. The main action is not surrounding the disposal of bodies or the lost souls that haunt Gloria – it’s the shifts and balances between our three leads.

Jess Salgueiro as Jackie skillfully flips between the roles of panicked captive, wary heroine, and caring surrogate sister. The scenes between Salgueiro and Ava Preston as Gloria are rich with nuance; the audience can gain volumes of information from their physical movements and subtle reactions to one another.

via Black Fawn Films

Aidan Devine carries a stillness that William wields as a shield when acting as his efficient alter-ego. Where Devine really shines is the moments when William is caught off-guard; he slips the stony exterior and we see flashes of the worry and anger that he’s trying to hide. One particular scene – in which William mistakes puberty for injury – carries an avalanche of embarrassment and it’s incredibly endearing. As a single father who intentionally isolates his daughter for her safety, William finally recognizes that he’s far out of his depth.

Admittedly, I did find that the father-daughter bond was plagued by a repetitive, heavy-handed gesture for the sake of emotional connection. It’s meant to communicate the link between the two, but in the film’s 78-minute run time, we see this hand gesture a few times – and with increased frequency – in the third act.

It reads as a rushed attempt to remind the audience of their strong father-daughter relationship, trying to build emotional resonance, and it’s not really necessary. It’s a point that doesn’t need stressing – the actors do a wonderful job of expressing that connection on their own (or maybe it just reminded me too much of the “face waterfall” from Face/Off).

The ghost elements also feel a tad rushed, but with the brisk run time, that would be the logical place to trim the fat for a more robust development in the main plot.

via Black Fawn Films

Overall, I’ll Take Your Dead is strongest when it focuses on the themes of family, loss, and the cycle of violence. Everyone in the film is stuck in a lifestyle surrounded by violence – to the point that young Gloria has completely normalized the death that lives around her.

Every character just scrapes by, fighting to get closer to that dream of a better life. But the isolation that can be found in such a crowded lifestyle is so oppressive that any resistance seems futile, and sometimes, good people are pushed to bad things. I’ll Take Your Dead recognizes that family is more than just blood, and the family you surround yourself with will help to inform your future.

For more on I’ll Take Your Dead, click here to read my interview with the cast at Toronto After Dark Film Fest, and click here to view the first official trailer. The film is currently on the festival circuit, so keep your eye out for screenings near you.

Keep up to date on this film and where it’s playing by following their Facebook page.

via Black Fawn Films

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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