ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH (2023)

New in select theaters and On Demand from XYZ Films!
Directed/Written by Paul Duane.
Starring Simone Collins, Charlie Maher, Olwen Fouéré, Barry McKiernan, Nigel O’Neill, Catherine Siggins, Sarah Burns, Barry Gleeson, David McDermott

Check out the trailer here!!

A young couple, Anna and Aleks (Simone Collins and Charlie Maher) are music geeks for ancient music, looking for forgotten and rare songs from long dead cultures. They attend a weekly group of like-minded music appreciators lead by afficionado Agnes (Catherine Siggins). When Anna and Aleks get wind of a truly unique forgotten song, they are steered toward the home of Rita (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE’s Olwen Fouéré). Stone cold drunk, Rita agrees to sing the long-forgotten song, which sets forth a series of strange events and affects Anna, Aleks, and Agnes is different and horrifying ways.

ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH is a film that feels like a puzzle that has a few pieces missing. All the way through, from the short hand, comfortable speak between Anna and Aleks to what is actually happening when the song is heard for the first time. It feels like writer/director Paul Duane has a cohesive and expansive story he wants to tell about the fragility of relationships, the exploitation of tradition, and horrors of the past that sometimes are buried and forgotten for a reason. But for some reason, it just doesn’t completely translate in the film that played out in front of me. Watching the movie occasionally felt as if it were being told in a foreign language, though it is clearly English these people are speaking.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t like what I was seeing with ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH. It is an extremely atmospheric film, filled from start to finish with a score and soundtrack made of tribal music and pained moans and groans. It makes every second feel heavy and aged. The film was made in Dublin and it soaks up much of the small town atmosphere of the Irish countryside. This is a dank and dark movie that feels like it is taking place only along dimly lit streets and inside homes and warehouses rotted from the inside. This definitely looks, sounds and feels like a good horror film.

And while I don’t exactly understand what exactly is going on, there is some imagery that is truly nightmarish. There are creeping shadows, gaunt monsters, ancient druids, and a final monster that…well, it just needs to be seen to be believed. There are so many well-paced scenes of dread and terror that it makes up for the ambiguity of it all.

The acting also helps. While I already mentioned the comfort the two leads convey and how that might have taken away from the story, it’s undeniable that this is a very talented cast. I could watch lead Simone Collins all day. The actress is enchanting, has a great singing voice, and really strikes a presence in this movie. The other standout is Olwen Fouéré who is always a unique factor in the cast. Though her role is small, the moments she was in the film standout as some of the most important and her powerful performance impacts the story immensely. I’m glad to see this actress get more roles as she is something special.

So yes, this film looks good. It’s got strange and terrifying imagery I haven’t seen before. It’s cast is immensely popular and there’s a strong look, feel, and especially sound to ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH. Still, throughout, I was left with burning questions as to what the hell was happening? Why the hell is that character talking that way? Who the hell is this guy who shows up and then disappears for the rest of the movie? Why the hell is that guy castrated? Why did that character do that thing? And what the hell is going on? There’s an amazing movie in ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH and if you don’t mind those questions, then you might want to take a chance with this truly perplexing, but thoroughly unique and fascinating movie.