PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I recently had the opportunity to attend the premiere for a great horror thriller at the LA Film Festival called The Dead Center. I can honestly say that this film is a thrilling horror film that continued to improve right up to its thrilling conclusion.
Official Synopsis:
When a mysterious “John Doe” wakes up in a morgue and wanders into a psychiatric ward, a devoted doctor and curious medical examiner must slowly uncover dark and sinister secrets about the man that reveal a more horrifying truth than they could have ever imagined.
Billy Senese’s The Dead Center is a slow burn horror thriller led by the captivating performance of Shane Carruth (Primer), Jeremy Childs (Preacher), Poorna Jagannathan (The Night Of), and Bill Feehely.
A mysterious John Doe (Childs) awakens in the morgue, rising from the dead and, in a catatonic state, wanders into a psychiatric ward. Daniel Forrester (Carruth) admits him under the 5150 hold allowing for temporary, involuntary psychiatric commitments for individuals who may be a danger to themselves and others. Shortly after admission, Forrester realizes John Doe is possessed by an entity that will endanger the lives of everyone around him.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about The Dead Center when the credits started rolling. I had to think back and process everything that happened to see how it got to where it ended up. I won’t lie… despite the creepy, enthralling opening scene, I felt the first act was slow. However, the performances of lead Shane Carruth and Jeremy Childs kept me intrigued and eager to see what happened next. As the tension built up, the plot became all the more interesting, and once the blood and gore hit the screen, I was in. The third act really picked up the momentum, and by the end, The Dead Center turned into an exciting cat and mouse game of Forrester trying to escape death.
After the film ended, there was a Q&A with Writer/Director Billy Senese, and he was asked his inspiration behind the screenplay. He stated that he’s had a lot of friends with mental health issues in the past, and one of them happened to overdose a few years ago. Afterwards, he looked at death differently, and writing the script was a healing process that helped him cope with his friend’s passing and the terror of that. He wanted the “entity” that encapsulated John Doe to represent an objective portrayal of death, something that doesn’t pick or chooses victims based on any merit, but at random… in the end, coming after everyone. I think it’s important to emphasize that mental illnesses of all sorts plague our society, so to have someone to put so much thought into that and portray that carefully is admirable.
I wished I could have heard that before watching The Dead Center so I could pay closer attention to the more subtle themes and nuances inside the film. I think a lot of us feel that way after leaving a movie that actually makes you think. This film definitely deserves a second watch to catch all of those elements and to gain a better understanding of Senese’s process throughout this project. This movie could be taken lightly as an entertaining ride, or the deeper, psychological thriller that was clearly the director’s objective.
Final Thoughts on The Dead Center:
Overall, I felt The Dead Center was a well made, captivating film. This one has a chance to hit the right audience and gain a good following in the years to come. The team behind it was great, and I hope they have success with the film, because it had a clear objective behind the exceptional directing of Billy Senese.
