PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I’m a huge fan of horror comedies. It’s one of my favorite subgenres. I’m always excited to check out a new horror comedy, even more so when it’s a horror comedy produced by one of my favorite horror directors Joe Lynch. That film is Dead Media, and it’s an absolute blast.
Read on to find out more about this wonderful horror comedy.
Synopsis
The story of a troubled young woman, her lonely Gen X uncle, a haunted DVD, and a movie night that won’t die.
Dead Media was written and directed by Joseph Scrimshaw. The film stars Sammi-Jack Martincak, Sam Landman, Jessica Fenton, Antonio Teodoro, Anna Sundberg, and James Urbaniak.
One of the things Dead Media does so well is its characters. In the opening scene we are introduced to the protagonist Maggie (played by Sammi-Jack Martincak) and her friends Brenda (played by Jessica Fenton) and Daniel (played by Antonio Teodoro). They very much feel like real friends just hanging out and having a movie night. They are soon joined by Maggie’s eccentric Uncle Heppy (played by Sam Landman).
I really enjoyed the relationships between the characters and how they interacted. I loved Maggie and Brenda together and how supportive Brenda was. I loved the romantic tension between them and I was definitely rooting for them. I found Daniel to be hilarious, especially when he gets too high on edibles and crashes out. I thought the relationship between Maggie and her uncle was very sweet. You can tell they really have a genuine bond.
One of my favorite characters was mysterious film director Rita Nast (played by Anna Sundberg). She’s a bit of a badass but she’s a bit too obsessed with her filmmaking and it’s unclear for a good chunk of the film where her loyalties lie, giving the film intriguing air of mystery.
I loved how the film balanced the horror and comedy elements. The comedy never comes at the expense of the horror. Of course it’s self referential and meta and tends to poke a little fun at horror tropes, but the films horror elements are handled pretty seriously and the Lurchers are a genuine threat and pretty damn creepy. Most of the comedy comes from the characters quirky interactions with each other and it’s just a lot of fun to see these characters thrown in this ridiculous yet scary situation.
There was one character death that I really hated, but that was only because I loved the character so much. I enjoyed how the environment was constantly changing. Any door could lead to somewhere completely different at any given time. Overall I had a ton of fun with Dead Media and it’s definitely a movie that I’ll be looking to pick up physically when it’s released.
Final Thoughts
Dead Media is a horror comedy that strikes a great balance between the horrific and the hilarious, backed by fun characters played by a game cast. Dead Media is an absolute blast from beginning to end and I can’t wait to see what writer/director Joseph Scrimshaw does next. Highly recommended.
