THE DEAD THING (2024)

Streaming on Shudder!
Directed by Elric Kane.
Written by Elric Kane, Webb Wilcoxen.
Check out the trailer here!!

After a never-ending series of swiping through dating apps and going on meaningless dates with random guys, Alex (played by Blu Hunt) finally meets a keeper in Kyle (played by Ben Smith-Petersen). But after a night of soulful and physical connection, i.e. scrogging, Kyle disappears, leaving Alex crushed. But when Alex runs into Kyle at the same restaurant a week later on another date, Kyle doesn’t remember their encounter. Is Kyle just a flake or is there something…supernatural going on? Hint: there’s something supernatural going on.

There’s has been an awful lot of dating horror going on these days. I get it. Horror is often geared toward the young and dating is a major aspect of the youngsters. I’ve talked before about how I never used online apps and don’t think I ever will as I feel it’s pretty creepy and shallow to choose a date depending on one’s mood and doctored online pic. Still, I understand why people who are more compelled to live one’s life online would use that very outlet to find their significant other. And horror’s go to is taking something relatable and making it grotesque, and unsettling. So a horror film about a great date turning into being ghosted by a real ghost is a good enough premise for a movie.

THE DEAD THING centers around an Aubrey Plaza type that seems to be all the rage with gals today. The thing is, Aubrey Plaza is Aubrey Plaza and seeing a group of modern gals act all apathetic, disinterested, and “completely over” whatever topic the discussion leads in their both professional and personal lives really isn’t original or appealing. It only works for Aubrey Plaza and maybe a select few others. The rest are just assholes. Sorry, I’m getting a bit too worked up about this. Anyway, Blu Hunt is that type of gal as Alex in THE DEAD THING. She seems to be in a romantic rut as well as a professional standstill. Yet there is a perseverance to her as she keeps on going to work and yes, keeps on choosing guys to date on apps. This is quite the comment on how the dating scene has devolved into a series of rejections and hookups, as shown in the cliched montage that occurs at the beginning of THE DEAD THING, a scene used in relationship horrors and romance films so much that there needs to be a moratorium on it.

But things start looking up when Alex meets Kyle. Immediately, they spark and it is interesting seeing this girl who was so guarded and protected by her own apathy melt and we get to see the softer side of Alex as she really seems to want to get to know Kyle and take it to the next level. This change in attitude takes place over one glorious night, showing how right under the surface all of these feelings Alex felt she was above really were.

The thing is, what makes this film focusing on the horrors of dating so watchable is Blu Hunt herself. She is enchanting in THE DEAD THING. She really leans in to the goods and bads of her character. We later learn that Alex is not without sin herself and much of this steely, too cool for school exterior is a result of some horrible things she’s done. Still, the young actress really makes every moment of this movie worth watching. I’m looking forward to seeing her grow as an actress in future endeavors.

Hunt makes this ‘ghosted by a ghost’ story interesting as it seems Alex tosses herself towards this guy and hits a wall of enigmatic behavior from Kyle. When they were together they were close and seemed to have something special, but when she runs into him again at the same bar on a date with another woman, Alex is confused. The ironic thing is that she has probably left quite a few guys in the same way, but none of that matters as it’s happening to her right now.

This is a horror story, so of course, something spooky is going on. The film evolves into a comment on the minefield one must walk while dating. The horror does eventually come and of course, Kyle is not the perfect dude he says he is. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a horror movie.

It’s obvious filmmaker Elric Kane and his co-writer Webb Wilcoxen know about the rollercoaster ride modern dating is, and they chose a great cast to convey these complex emotions. Again, Blu Hunt is a true find and Ben Smith-Petersen makes it understandable why she would fall for him, though he does have kind of a dumb meathead sort of way to him that comes out in a very disturbing scene. THE DEAD THING has the patience though to really get into the complex minutia of forming a relationship, patience that few other films have to offer.

There are minimal but effective effects, both for Kyle as he transforms from Biff Hunkley to appear as he was when he died and during the sex scenes which seem to be otherworldly for Alex, and pretty nice to watch as well, hubba to the mother grabbin’ hubba. I ended up really warming to Blu Hunt’s distant Aubrey Plaza-ness and understanding both why she was that way and why she would fall so hard. It’s her performance that is probably 75% of my recommendation. THE DEAD THINGS tells a very human tale about that need for connectedness and how that need can make one do some horrible things. This is a slow film, taking its time to lay out a lot of character groundwork and relationship drama before really revealing it’s ghostly antagonist for what exactly he is. So those who are less patient and need a body count with their horror, will be disappointed with THE DEAD THING. But I stuck with this film and am glad I did.