DEAD MAIL (2024)

New streaming on Shudder!
Directed/Written by Joe DeBoer, Kyle McConaghy.
Check out the trailer here!!

DEAD MAIL tells the true story of a bloody letter that arrived at a post office in the mid 1980’s and the horrifying events leading up to and resulting in that letter ending up at the dead letter office and in the hands of postal employee Jasper (Tomas Boykin). It’s a sordid story unlike any other, involving a homeless facility, a visible man sculpture, a musical keyboard, a length of chain, a gallon of ice cream, and one bloody letter.

If you’re a fan of low budget crime stories with hints of horror, high suspense, and quirk, then DEAD MAIL is for you. One film that kept coming to mind while watching DEAD MAIL was the Cohen Brother’s BLOOD SIMPLE—a first film from some iconic directors, but also a film that feels ambitious, with big ideas that exceed the borders of the budgets. And yes, while DEAD MAIL may feel as if it were filmed in the era the true story occurred in, the 80’s, something that may have played in the drive-ins right alongside BLOOD SIMPLE, it actually is a brand spanking new film and one worth watching.

The true shock of DEAD MAIL is that this is a true story. The twists and turns DEAD MAIL takes are truly baffling, but because the film is so specifically quirky, revolving a plan to make the perfect musical keyboard in terms of tone, pitch, and other sound qualities I don’t know the word for. It’s one of those plots that is so specific, it has to be true. Still, the film brings to life some wonderfully elaborate, memorable, and strange characters. First and foremost, John Fleck plays one of the more diabolical villains as Trent, a strange man with an odd appreciation for musical keyboards. And the depths and lengths he will go to make the perfect one is downright disturbing. Fleck offers up a career changing performance in this role and be sure to be on the lookout to see him play more eccentric and evil characters in the future.

The key to the effectiveness of this story of crime, punishment, and keyboards, is the fact that everyone involved feels natural—as if these are not actors, but real characters you interact with every day, your next door neighbor, your mailman. Every performance, save for the diabolical Trent, is as natural as can be—from the intense determination of postal detective Jasper (Tomas Boykin), to the sincere heroism of postal admin Ann (Micki Jackson), to the desperation of the imprisoned keyboard technician Josh (Sterling Macer Jr.). This is a film full of actors who are not big names now, but soon will be. The only actor I recognized was Susan Priver, who is a regular in Chad Ferrin flicks, most recently UNSPEAKABLE: BEYOND THE WALLS OF SLEEP and does a solid job here. All in all, this is a film that feels like a touchstone for a lot of talent.

Now, DEAD MAIL might have a bit of a pacing issue. The middle matter goes on a bit long and might be a tad repetitive as it leads up to the very fast, yet oh so tense climax. Still, this is fantastic indie filmmaking that has that dangerous aura we saw come out of the grindhousey 70’s and the indie filled 90’s. Maybe this will spark a new renaissance of memorable low budget thrillers. I hope so. Whether it is a fluke or the harbinger of a new low fi era, DEAD MAIL is one suspenseful and unpredictable ride.