The dating scene has always been rather bleak. This is not news. With the creation of “dating” apps, the odds of meeting someone this way and it working were always slim and bleak. I haven’t had to be out there in the wild in a long time, but the days of the past were awkward, uncomfortable, and uncertain. While this may be a wild way to create and craft a story of absolute horrifying proportions, Elric Kane (Murmurs) and co-writer Webb Wilcoxen (The Frontier) harnessed the fear, horror, and crisis that comes with online dating, which certainly gives the atmosphere for a pitch-perfect horror movie. And thus, The Dead Thing was born.
The Dead Thing focuses on Alex (Blu Hunt) who is on a road most people of her age (mid 20s early 30s) typically find themselves on in this world, the age of never-ending hookups and meet and greets that go nowhere. It is a dangerous toxic spiral that plagues society, and this is where Alex finds herself, endlessly swiping on her phone to find someone to connect with, and not just the right now. This is when things take off, though. She meets Kyle (Ben Smith-Peterson), and after an intense and lovely night, she starts to think things may start to turn around. That is until they have to part and he disappears into the night like he was never there — a story as old as time. However, this is not just another dude who wants to ghost and pretend he isn’t interested anymore. Alex digs deeper than she possibly should and discovers something that was most likely left better undiscovered. This creates a tense atmosphere for the audience to fall in and one that is as provocative as it is dangerous.
Blu Hunt as Alex in THE DEAD THING. Photo courtesy of Yellow Veil Pictures.
The Dead Thing features wonderful direction from Elric Kane, who manages to create this erotic thriller that redefines the genre by not focusing on the femme fatale or sexy nature of the genre itself, but thrusting it into a 21st century issue of online dating and instant gratification and almost entirely forgetting to focus on making a connection and finding someone to spend time with. His direction boasts an understanding of the craft and a way to create tension which completely engrosses the audience. As well with Kane, Wilcoxen submerges the audience in this overarching dread and familiarity that brings them to the edge of their seats and helps create the tense world to get lost in. There is so much familiarity, dread, and horrifying reality (minus the supernatural elements) that brings The Dead Thing out of the world of improbable reality to uncomfortable circumstance.
Atop the engaging script and masterful direction leaving the audience fully engaged and captured by the film, the performances from both Blu Hunt (The New Mutants) and Ben Smith-Peterson (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) bring the film full circle and add the humanity to the film that creates the perfect world. Smith-Peterson, who typically performs stunts and is, on occasion, a stunt coordinator, brings a humanity to the performance and to the supernatural elemental chaos that is explored within the film. However, the added performance from Hunt brings a sense of nuance to the character of Alex and creates a character that the audience fully gets behind and supports, even if the lengths she initially goes to are a little too far.
The Dead Thing may suggest something lifeless and voided of a pulse, but thanks to Wilcoxen and Kane, it manages to create the exact opposite of what the title suggests, lead by performances which resonate with the audience. While the premise of the film is certainly something that plagues modern dating, the supernatural elements and chaos that ensues is what breaks the complete reality and allows the audience to sulk in the chaotic unfolding’s that present themselves. The Dead Thing certainly presents a pulse and one that is more than lively.
Screening during Fantasia International Film Festival 2024.
Available on Shudder February 14th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Fantasia International Film Festival 2024 The Dead Thing webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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