Darren Lynn Bousman cut his teeth in horror directing three sequels in the “Saw” franchise, and most fans appreciate his contribution to Jigsaw’s legacy, which explains why Bousman was tapped by Chris Rock to direct the series’ ninth (!) entry, which has now been delayed until 2021 due to the pandemic.
Cult cinema fans worship Bousman for his 2008 splatter-punk masterpiece, “Repo! The Genetic Opera.”
But when it comes to his other films, whether a remake of “Mother’s Day,” urban folklore thriller “The Barrens” or the high concept “Abattoir,” Bousman has had less success finding consistency or a breakout hit.
His latest, “Death of Me,” is not likely to swing the pendulum much in either direction. It’s good, but not great.
Death of Me
2 out of 5 stars.
Run Time: 94 minutes
Opens October 2 in limited release and to rent or buy on streaming platforms
“Death of Me” is another high concept thriller that benefits from its gorgeous setting in Thailand, and its casting of the luminous Maggie Q, but the film fails to capitalize on its premise, which is steeped in cultural rituals and dark magic.
Christine (Q) and Neil (Luke Hemsworth—yes, he’s Thor’s older brother) wake up in their cabana overlooking a tropical oasis with no memory of the night before, covered in dirt and bruises, and their passports are missing.
Unable to leave the island as a result, the couple tries to piece together what happened. Neil is a photographer, and on his camera, they discover a disturbing video that they don’t remember shooting. The video shows them both being given a special island concoction at a local bar before cutting to a chilling encounter outside their cabana that appears to show Neil strangling Christine to death.
How is she alive? What does it all mean? Why does Christine suddenly become violently ill whenever she removes a strange artifact around her neck that she doesn’t remember buying? And what about the typhoon churning toward the tiny island, which doesn’t seem to have locals concerned at all?
Bousman gamely moves his pawns across the chess board, but as a viewer, there are way too many opportunities to ask why and what’s the point.
Genre star Alex Essoe shows up as an unnamed expatriate, but even her charms are wasted because her character turns out not to be pivotal.
The script just meanders, instead of building momentum and ratcheting tension.
When all hell finally breaks loose late in the third act, there’s a massive plot dump that basically explains everything that’s happened. Why wasn’t some of that information parsed out earlier, to help keep viewers hooked?
Having met Bousman and talked to him at length before, I know how serious he takes the art of filmmaking and how much he loves horror, in particular.
That’s why it pains me to report that while “Death of Me” won’t kill his career, it’s not the big hit that he desperately needs to remain relevant outside of “Saw.”
John W. Allman has spent more than 25 years as a professional journalist and writer, but he’s loved movies his entire life. Good movies, awful movies, movies that are so gloriously bad you can’t help but champion them. Since 2009, he has cultivated a review column and now a website dedicated to the genre films that often get overlooked and interviews with cult cinema favorites like George A. Romero, Bruce Campbell and Dee Wallace. Contact him at Blood Violence and Babes.com, on Facebook @BloodViolenceBabes or on Twitter @BVB_reviews.
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This article appears in Best of the Bay 2020.
