DEAR DAVID (2023)
New in select theaters, On Digital and On Demand from Lionsgate!
Directed by John McPhail.
Written by Adam Ellis, Evan Turner, Mike Van Waes.
Starring Augustus Prew, Justin Long, Andrea Bang, Rachel Wilson, Tricia Black, René Escobar Jr., Cameron Nicoll, Jarrett Siddall, Deshay Padayachey, David Tompa, Masini McDermott, Seth Murchison
Loosely based on what might be a true story, Adam Ellis (Agustus Prew) is a cartoonist for Buzzfeed, looking for inspiration for his next strip and dealing with the daily inundation of online trolls. When Adam gives in and decides to post a negative comment back to the trolls, the ghost of a boy calling himself Dear David begins appearing at night and threatening to kill him.
I stumbled upon the story that inspired the movie DEAR DAVID a while back and was blown away. Ghost stories don’t often scare me. But this one not only was told in a compelling way through a series of Twitter posts, but it had also astounding pictures and film to prove it. Now, yes, one can fake just about anything, and I try not to be completely naïve, but man this was a story that chilled me to the bone. When I heard there was going to be a movie based on Adam Ellis’ experiences, I was jazzed, hoping that the film would be able to capture the terrifying story well.
There are a few moments in DEAR DAVID that convey some of the strange phenomenon Ellis encountered. The thing that works so well with the original story was that it was filled with a bunch of subtle things leading up to some absolutely crazy phenomenon. The strange photos that don’t develop when taken in a particular area. The way the cats react to something hanging out outside of the doorway. These little things, that are from the original story, actually work in DEAR DAVID. I also really liked the lead, Agustus Prew, who does a good job of staying likable and relatable while his life is falling to pieces.
Unfortunately, that’s all of the good I can muster for DEAR DAVID. While the original story unfolded online for all to see, this film chooses to wrap itself around a message against online bullying for some reason. David becomes some kind of guardian of comments sections, ready to lash out against anyone who dare make mean comments online. There is also a sort of commentary about online addiction as David’s origin is tied to the early days of the internet and David’s growing obsession with the internet. None of these themes are present in the original story, which is simply a ghost story that unfolds online. I don’t know why the filmmakers decided to twist and warp the Dear David story around this message for online decency, but none of it works and all it succeeds in doing is making everything that was scary about the story limp and ineffective.
There is a story inside of this mess about how a lack of sleep can affect a person in their waking hours. I guess the movie does a decent job of depicting that and yes, this was something that seems to have been a carryover from the original tale. But the film escalates to such ridiculous levels of online morality lessons that it overpowers even that theme. Things get nuts in the climax in an over-the-top inferno where Adam must take on David in his true form, unnecessarily amplifying what was a subtle ghost story that gets under your skin to a loud and cluttered mess.
I have no idea where things went wrong in the process of taking an online and possibly true creepypasta and making it into a film, but something went screwy big-time. It’s sad because a simple ghost story simply bringing the actual tale to life would have worked so well. Unfortunately, they mucked it up by assigning a weird backstory and some kind of half-cocked moral message about being kind online to the whole thing. Such an odd decision, but it cuts the entire story off at the knees and leave irreparable damage. Ignore this off-kilter movie and simply look up the original Dear David story, it’s a much more effective tale that will truly chill your bones. Whether it’s true or just made up to bring attention to Ellis’ career is debatable, but the story itself is a winner. The movie though is a total misfire.
MLMILLERWRITES / MLMillerFrights 