PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I’m a big fan of Westerns and Revenge films so a film like They Call Her Death, which expertly combines the two, seems like a film that should be right up my alley. I checked it out on Shudder recently.
Read on for my thoughts.
Synopsis
Molly Pray is on a bloody crusade against the criminal forces who have wronged her. Her mission strikes at the myth of manifest destiny, but for Molly, with the embodied specter of Death on her side, this isn’t political. This is personal.
They Call Her Death was written and directed by Austin Snell (Exposure). The film stars Sheri Rippel (Blackstone-Hand of God), Jeff Boyer (Blackstone-Hand of God), Dané Shobe (Zombie Beauty Pageant: Drop Dead Gorgeous), Patrick Poe, Jason Puff, Dylan B. Hart, and Carmen Anello (Exposure).
They Call Her Death is a gritty grindhouse extravaganza. The film looks excellent and stylish, having been shot on 16mm film. The film has an wonderful lead in Sheri Rippel’s Molly Pray. In the opening of the film, Molly’s husband Thomas is shot dead in front of her over a bounty on his head for the crime of murder. Molly knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Thomas didn’t commit this murder and sets out to find the men who did it and bring them to justice. What follows is a gritty and gory supernatural tinged revenge western highly influenced by the European Westerns of the 60s and 70s.
One of the best parts of the film is Sheri Rippel’s portrayal of Molly. Molly is a force of nature. She’s brash and ballsy and has no problem holding her own in a bare knuckle brawl against an male opponent twice her size. She also more than knows her way around a gun or a knife.
I was highly impressed with how spectacularly violent They Call Her Death is. The film really pulls no punches and leaves one hell of a body count in its wake. There is one scene in involving a part of the male anatomy that made me cringe so bad. One of most important parts of a revenge film is the ending. Is the revenge sweet and satisfying? I’m happy to report that They Call Her Death sticks the landing and finds a fitting end for all the carnage that has come before it.
Final Thoughts
They Call Her Death is a down and dirty grindhouse western with a hell of a body count. Highly recommended. The film is currently streaming on Shudder.
