Addicted to Media

Sunday, 13 April 2025

Horror Film Review: Dead Mail (2024)

Have you ever wondered what happens to letters that can't be delivered? Probably not, snail mail is a relic of the 80s along with other horrifying concepts such as fax machines, shoulder pads and permanent waves. The producers of Shudder's Late Night With the Devil deliver Dead Mail, a chilling study of obsession, possession, and captivity. What begins as a desperate letter dropped into a USPS mailbox soon spirals into a nightmare, with the Dead Letters team battling to locate a kidnap victim.

Written and directed by Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy, Dead Mail stars Sterling Macer Jr (Where the Crowdads Sing) as keyboard technician Josh; Tomas Boykin, Susan Priver and Micki Jackson as postal workers Jasper, Bess and Ann; and John Fleck as Trent.

For the love of horror

Dead Mail is one of those films that reminds me why I love horror and just how rich and varied the genre can be. It brims with retro 80s detail and is clever and well-crafted. It's an immersive experience, right down to the oversized wire-rimmed specs, keyboard synthesisers and touch-tone phones.

Writers and directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy make a genuine effort to flesh out both the plot and characters in Dead Mail. From street maps and encyclopaedias to shady Nordic data brokers, it captures the analogue limitations of pre-internet detective work perfectly. The atmosphere is pitch-perfect too, shot in a grainy, installation-style aesthetic that feels like it’s been dug out of a lost archive reel from 1980.

I always appreciate it when horror films feature an actual plot and motive. In Dead Mail, the antagonist isn’t just a shadowy menace; there’s a fully realised motive here, and an intriguing exploration of insecurity, rejection, and how obsession twists perception.

No cheap jump scares

The scares in Dead Mail are subtle yet potent; no cheap jump scares, just the slow, creeping dread of a story that feels as terrifyingly plausible today as it might have 45 years ago. This is balanced by an unexpectedly emotional arc as you piece together why Jasper lives in a men's home.

Dead Mail is buoyed by great performances throughout. Relative newcomer Micki Jackson shines in her role as the determined and observant Ann. But it’s John Fleck as Trent who truly lingers. Creepy, obsequious, and unnervingly genial, it's difficult not to truly hate him.

The best part about Dead Mail is the extremely satisfying ending and the faux-true-stories in the credits sequence. (If you're still wondering if Dead Mailis based on a true story, it's not. It's entirely a work of fiction, but the "where are they now" sequence was a lot of fun).

Minor historical nitpicks aside (the fax should’ve used thermal paper, and those phones are a bit too 1985), Dead Mail is a triumph of atmosphere, character, and storytelling.

Micki Jackson is Ann in Shudder's Dead Mail (2024)

I give Dead Mail an excellent four out of five stars. Directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy continue with the retro vibe they established in BAB (2020), and I hope to see them collaborate on more retro horror.

★★★★☆

A Shudder Original, Dead Mail premieres Shudder and AMC+ Friday 18 April 2025.

Trailer: Dead Mail, Directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy

Horror Film Review: The Dead Thing (2024)

In a deliciously atmospheric nod to Dario Argento, director Elric Kane’s Shudder Original, The Dead Thing, plunges us into the bleak world of internet dating, with a twist of horror that’s equal parts stylish and sinister.

Night after night, Alex drifts through a parade of fleeting internet dates, each encounter as transient and hollow as the last. These ephemeral moments of contact are the only sparks in a relentless routine: a slow, almost ritualistic waltz from dimly lit bars to the antiseptic hum of her nightshift as an office document scanner, before she retreats into the cold glow of her SAD lamp and finally, into sleep.

But everything shifts when Kyle enters the scene - a spark that cuts through the monotony and ignites a connection on a profoundly unexpected level. Almost instinctively, they find themselves tangled in a web of raw emotion, baring their souls before the night even draws to a close.

And then the inevitable happens. Kyle ghosts her.

The insidious thing about ghosting is this: you might not even particularly like somebody, but the moment they ghost you, the power shifts, control slips through your fingers, and obsession takes the wheel, accelerating into overdrive.

As Alex’s obsession tightens its grip, she starts crossing lines that should never be crossed. Then she makes a terrible discovery. Can she find her way back to Kyle? And more importantly, should she? For Kyle is harbouring a dark secret and will stop at nothing to reclaim his life.

The Dead Thing is a beautiful film. Elric Kane has captured Argento's visual aesthetic with lurid colours and deep shadows that accentuate a film set mostly at night. The signature violence takes its time to appear, but when it finally erupts, it’s as jarring as it is disorienting.

This isn’t your typical gore-fest or jump scare parade. Instead, it’s a slow-burning exploration of rejection, the loss of control when you let someone in, and the obsessive aftermath when it all unravels. The plot may appear deceptively simple at first, but a cleverly placed twist midway transforms the narrative into something both haunting and unexpectedly captivating.

Blu Hunt (The Originals) delivers a standout performance as Alex, perfectly matched by Ben Smith-Petersen’s enigmatic Kyle. The pair share undeniable chemistry, though in this film, they seem to spark with everyone they encounter.

I give The Dead Thing an excellent four out of five stars and recommend for fans of lurid and slow-burning horror. I'll be interested to see what Elric Kane delivers next and to see whether he continues his dedication to Argento.
★★★★☆

A Shudder Original, The Dead Thing premieres 14 February 2025.

Trailer: The Dead Thing, dir: Elric Kane

Horror Film Review: Street Trash (2024)

Cape Town, The Future: social problems, energy crises, daily curfews and rising instability. The rich are getting richer, the middle class is shrinking, and only those in bed with the government are getting anywhere. In Street Trash, Ryan Kruger's follow up to Fried Barry, a ragtag group of homeless misfits stumble upon a horrifying conspiracy: a ruthless plan to exterminate every homeless person in the city. Thrown into a desperate fight for survival, these outcasts must band together, outsmart their hunters, and live to party another day.

There's just one thing (and if you've seen Fried Barry, you will know this): things are going to get weird.

Based on the 1987 film by Roy Frumkes and J. Michael Muro, Street Trash is part horror, part damning indictment of the rich, and part psychedelic trip into Cape Town's seedy underground.

Street Trash is not for the faint of heart; in the opening scenes you will see some of the worst body horror ever seen on screen. It certainly not safe for people with emetophobia, or people with whatever the fear of skin-melting-off-bodies is called. If I’m honest, this isn’t my usual kind of horror. But with Ryan Kruger attached, I had to watch. His brand of irreverent, subversive chaos never fails to deliver a hallucinogenic trip through urban mayhem.

I say this because I suspect Street Trash isn't going to be everyone's cup of Klippies and rooibos tea. You're either going to love it or hate it and it definitely helps if you can speak street South African.

Ryan Kruger has a bold, anarchic vision for a dystopian South Africa, one that instantly earns its place alongside District 9 and Chappie as a new sci-fi cult classic. He doesn’t just craft a grimy, neon-soaked future; he fills it with unforgettable characters.

Fried Barry alumni Sean Cameron Michael and Gary Green return as Ronald and 2-Bit, bringing their signature weirdness to the mix. Donna Cormack-Thomson (Catch Me a Killer) is a standout as the fierce and compelling Alex, while Joe Vaz brings mystic hilarity as Chef. But it’s Shuraigh Meyer and Lloyd Martinez Newkirk as twins Pap and Wors who steal every scene with their comedic brilliance, injecting moments of twisted levity into the chaos.

Street Trash is an absolute blast. Sure, it’s not winning any awards for narrative complexity, but who needs a sophisticated plot when you’ve got over-the-top absurdity, gloriously grotesque set pieces, and enough belly laughs to keep you hooked?

Gary Green is 2-Bit in Street Trash (2024)
I give Street Trash an excellent four out of five stars and recommend to fans of trippy, psychedelic, comedy horror. Bonus points if you're a fan of body horror and red paint. Extra bonus points if you get South African humour. Ryan Kruger is definitely on my to-watch list now.
★★★★☆

Street Trash will be available on limited edition Blu-ray from 17th February. Pre order on HMV & Amazon here

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Trailer: Street Trash (1987), dir. Ryan Kruger

Horror Film Review: Companion (2025) ★★★★★

There was never any question that I’d be watching Companion. As a massive Yellowjackets fan, much of my love for the show comes from Sophie Thatcher’s incredible performance as Natalie. So when Showcase Cinema announced mystery horror screenings, I had a strong suspicion that Presence and Companion would be on the lineup, and I didn’t hesitate to book my tickets immediately.

In Drew Hancock’s feature directorial debut, Josh (Jack Quaid) and Iris (Sophie Thatcher) first cross paths in an ordinary grocery store encounter before heading off for a weekend retreat at a secluded lakeside cabin. Hosted by Sergey (Rupert Friend), the billionaire boyfriend of Josh’s friend Kat (Megan Suri), the getaway quickly takes a tense turn as it becomes clear that not all of Josh’s friends welcome Iris.

The situation escalates when Sergey is murdered, but this shocking event is only the beginning. As secrets unravel, each guest is forced to confront unsettling truths, turning the weekend into a nightmarish descent into chaos.

Companion is a visually striking film, with every detail meticulously crafted — from the stunning cinematography and breathtaking scenery to Iris’s impeccable costumes and the seamless special effects. I almost let my guard down, questioning whether this was truly a horror film, until the moment a certain characters was bathed in blood, in scenes that instantly evoked memories of Carrie.

The performances are top-tier across the board. Sophie Thatcher is phenomenal as Iris, but it’s Jack Quaid and Megan Suri who truly excel at making Josh and Kat almost unbearably loathsome.

More than anything, it was just great to watch a horror film with a solid, well-thought-out plot. I won’t lie, I spent most of the night after watching Companion running it over in my head, not just caught up in the twists but totally unsettled by the moral dilemmas it dredges up.

As always with horror films, I made sure to go in knowing as little as possible, and I firmly believe that this is the best way to experience Companion. The twists and revelations hit hardest when discovered in real time on the big screen, completely free of spoilers.

Sophie Thatcher is Iris in Companion
Blending elements of sci-fi, horror, and dark comedy, Companion explores themes of artificial intelligence, morality, and the darker aspects of human nature. An excellent five out of five stars. Director Drew Hancock already has another horror film in the works—here’s hoping it delivers the same thrilling originality and sheer entertainment as this debut.
★★★★★

Trailer: Companion (2025), dir. Drew Hancock

Horror Film Review: Steven Soderbergh's Presence (2024) ★★★★★

Steven Soderbergh famously talked about the three-shot rule in a 2017 interview with Amy Taubin. "After the first three shots, I know whether this person knows what they’re doing or they don't", he explained. I was reminded of this as I watched the opening scenes of Soderbergh's latest film, Presence; this film is masterful.

Presence kicks off in an eerily vacant house. The camera moves through its empty rooms, gliding from floor to floor, lingering at windows just long enough to hint at what’s going on outside. It took me a minute to catch on, but by the second scene, it hit me: these shots are long. Really long. Characters drift in and out of view, and conversations are captured almost by accident, like the camera’s just there, quietly eavesdropping.

An estate agent arrives, followed by a family of four who buy the house. Slowly, it transforms from a barren shell to a cozy, lived-in space. Everything seems perfectly normal... except for Chloe (Callina Liang, Tell Me Everything), the teenage daughter. She keeps staring directly into the camera, wide-eyed and visibly unsettled. There’s also a painter who refuses to step foot in one of the rooms.

A creeping unease settles in as it becomes unmistakably clear: the camera is no mere observer. It’s a silent participant, a character in the film with its own fears, its own motives. And as the story unfolds, you can’t help but feel that its gaze is anything but neutral - its intentions are rooted in a darker and more disturbing truth.

Presence taps into fear on multiple levels. It’s got the familiar ghost-story thrills - jumps, creaks, that creeping tension - but it’s also something deeper, the insidious sense of the true potential for evil that resides in ordinary human beings.

The cast is small, with a core cast of just five people, but it’s a powerhouse ensemble. Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan, as Rebecca and Chris Payne, bring a perfect contrast. Their characters are polar opposites: different personalities, opposite moral compasses, wildly conflicting parenting styles. It’s a subtle but brilliant dynamic that anchors the tension in the film.

Callina Liang owns the screen as Chloe, and it’s impossible to look away. The young actress commands every moment, effortlessly blending a haunting sense of innocence with the heavy weight of grief. It’s clear from the start that Chloe figures everything out long before anyone else does, and Liang nails that subtle shift perfectly. She doesn’t need to say much, her facial expressions say it all, capturing that eerie awareness that they are not alone in the house.

For a while, I thought I had the mystery figured out, but there was something oddly satisfying about getting it wrong. I was close but Soderbergh succeeded in concealing his final hand.

As the credits rolled, I realised one final thing, and I was totally fine with it. Fine with all the unanswered questions, the plotlines left to wither. I wouldn't call them 'red herrings', but there were many threads left up to the audience to answer on their own. It was a subtle message that much of what happens inside our homes is noise, that we need to focus on what truly matters, because life’s way too short to add more to our burden.

A young girl stands by a window, looking at the camera. The picture is framed by wardrobe doors
With impeccable direction (and some clever misdirection), stunning camerawork, strong performances, and enough scares to keep you on edge, Presence has it all. Consider this my enthusiastic five-star rating, along with a full mea culpa, because I genuinely didn’t think Steven Soderbergh had it in him to nail a ghostly horror film with this much finesse. I was wrong, and I’m here for it.
★★★★★

Trailer: Presence (2024), dir. Steven Soderbergh

Horror Film Review: Blackwater Lane (2025) ★★★☆☆ (Independent Film)

Driving home on a rural road one stormy evening, teacher Cass (Minka Kelly) passes an accident but decides not to stop. Her decision comes back to haunt her when it transpires that the victim was actually murdered and Cass might be next. Also starring Dermot Mulroney and Maggie Grace, Blackwater Lane is based on the BA Paris novel Breakdown.

Banner poster for the 2024 film Blackwater Lane showing an old house surrounded by mist

In the aftermath of the accident, Cass’s world starts to spiral into chaos. Strange accidents keep happening in her home, eerie visions of her deceased mother haunt her, and an unsettling feeling creeps in—someone else is in the house. As she grapples with these terrifying experiences, Cass slowly begins to doubt the people closest to her. Are these just hallucinations, or is there something much darker at play, threatening her every move? The line between paranoia and danger starts to blur, and Cass is left wondering if she can trust anyone, even herself.

Dermot Mulroney & Minka Kelly in Blackwater Lane (2024)

Blackwater Lane straddles the line between supernatural horror, psychological thriller, and crime drama. The twist and central premise are surprisingly clever, delivering a satisfying payoff that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Sadly, it seems that the film was directed by somebody who believes England is a tiny island where Yorkshire, Cambridge, Suffolk and London are all within a stone's throw from each other. Filmed on location in Suffolk, Blackwater Lane features sweeping aerial shots of the autumnal landscape and village scenes on the streets of Framlingham.

An old mansion lies on the over side of a pond. It is surrounded by trees and lies under a grey sky

It should have worked but then Cass goes for a psychiatrist's appointment in London and is later "rushed" to a hospital 90 minutes away in Cambridge. Coupled with the unusually electric storm in the opening scenes of the film (gale force winds are more Suffolk's style) and the fact that the murder is being investigated by a DC from Howden Moor (4 hours drive away), it's all a bit of a mess geographically.

The editing is slightly odd too. Camera angles switch mid-sentence, often leaving head and body positions out of sync. There are also several glaring mistakes, particularly when it comes to how emergency services operate in England, which definitely pulls you out of the experience.

Minka Kelly & Maggie Grace in Blackwater Lane (2024)
I give Blackwater Lane an okay three out of five stars. The film proved compelling enough to hold my attention to the end and I was satisfied by the core conceit. I enjoyed the blend of thriller and horror too, but feel that director Jeff Celentano should perhaps have moved the setting of the film to a location he is more familiar with.
★★★☆☆

Blackwater Lane will be available on Digital Download from 27th January

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Late one night a woman drives by a stranded motorist who is later revealed to have been murdered. After a series of terrifying events the woman believes she is the killer's next victim.

Trailer: Blackwater Lane (2025), dir. Jeff Celentano

Horror Film Review: The Damned (2024) ★★★★★ (Independent Film)

The inhabitants of a remote Icelandic fishing village are no strangers to hardship. Reeling from the loss of one of their own, they are cut off from the outside world during an especially hard winter, with temperatures plummeting and provisions scarce. As they gear up for a perilous journey out to sea, young widow Eva and the fishermen are faced with an impossible choice when they witness a shipwreck before their eyes: do they save the doomed sailors and risk depleting their meagre resources, or do they prioritise their own survival?

Sometimes there is no right answer and once the crew make their decision, they have to live with the consequences of what they have allowed in to their tiny community.

Set in the 19-century and starring Odessa Young (The Stand) and Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders), The Damned is a slow-burn folk horror that is as shocking as it is frightening. It is a keen character study as we witness how the morality of their actions weighs so deeply on the crew.

Rarely do we see the true cost of characters' decisions and actions on screen, be it the decision to save, to steal or to survive, or not to.

The cast handle this burden admirably. Siobhan Finneran is honestly a national treasure and shines in her role as cook and housekeeper Helga. Odessa Young steals the spotlight in a standout performance among an impressive cast featuring some of the finest British acting talent. She is spectacular and you absolutely believe Eva's mounting bewilderment and discomfort as the story progresses.

The Damned is a beautiful film featuring wintery scenes of the fishing village, the mountains and the unforgiving sea. Daytime scenes, some with blinding midwinter sun, are juxtaposed with the creeping and relentless darkness of the long winter nights.

I love that this is a dark film set in dark times and yet every scene is so well lit. Cinematographer Eli Arenson expertly uses light and shadow to highlight the bleakness of Icelandic midwinter, all while maintaining exceptional detail and clarity in every scene.

Director Thordur Palsson is masterful in his delivery of this film, skillfully keeping the true nature of the threat facing the fishermen just out of view. Never have I felt such a strong desire to shake a creature by its shoulders and demand that it show its face.

Perhaps I was looking in the wrong place.

"The only thing I know is that the living are always more dangerous than the dead" - Daniel (Joe Cole).

Drawing deeply on Icelandic folklore, The Damned is haunting and disturbing, right up to it's shocking and unpredictable end. I sat with my mouth open in disbelief for far longer than I anticipated, wondering how I'd been so deceived.

A silhouette of a woman in 19th century dress is visible through a sheer curtain in a darkened cabin
For achieving the perfect horror scorecard on plot, scares, atmosphere, acting and cinematography, I give The Damned a superb five out of five stars. I recommend to all fans of folk-horror and will absolutely be keeping an eye on director Thordur Palsson in future.
★★★★★

The Damned will be available in UK and Irish cinemas from 10th January 2025

Trailer: The Damned, Dir. Thordur Palsson

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