PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Helen’s Dead isn’t a typical horror film. Directed by K. Asher Levin with a screenplay by Amy Brown Carver, it’s more of a horror whodunit, a modern-day Clue. Packed with ‘cringe’ moments that satirize today’s social media culture, this film offers a fresh and nuanced peek into the modern zeitgeist via a snooty dinner party that isn’t like most dinners outside of Agatha Christie stories: during this one, there’s been a murder.
When Helen (Matilda Lutz: Revenge 2017) decides to crash her older, stuck-up sister Leila’s (Annabelle Dexter-Jones: Bad Things 2023) fancy dinner party (where she’s invited a couple of noteworthy influencers in order to restore her own tarnished reputation after a social faux pas), things take a pretty speedy turn towards disaster.
Leila, herself an influencer who was ‘canceled’ after an embarrassing situation at a restaurant, hopes an elegant dinner party and face time with a popular journalist (Beth Dover: Orange is the New Black 2015 in a hilarious, sharp performance – read our interview with Beth Dover here) will give her career the boost it needs to get her back on top of the influencing game.
Helen is trying to get away from a guy she made the mistake of having sex with one time, who also, unfortunately, happens to be her cousin Addie’s dysfunctional, somewhat emotionally abusive, and totally douchey boyfriend, Adam (Emile Hirsch: The Autopsy of Jane Doe 2016 – read our interview with Emile Hirsch here).
Not to give too much away, but when Addie (Dylan Gelula: Horse Girl 2020) decides to show up at Leila’s party to give Adam a piece of her mind and confront her careless cousin, the erstwhile beau, who has decided to profess his love for Helen at the party, well, there aren’t too many good things that can come out of that messy situation.
All Leila cares about is how she’s perceived by her dinner guests, and she commences by freaking out about the dinner and yelling at her equally pretentious husband, George (Brian Huskey: Bob’s Burgers 2013). These two are just a huge eye-roll, making for some silly scenes!
During the course of this ridiculous evening, well, as the title tells us from the get-go, Helen ends up dead. But, what happened and who killed her? This colorful cast of characters all become suspects, because someone in this house led Helen to her demise.
Though I enjoyed this film quite a bit with its snappy dialogue and welcome laughs, I thought the pacing could be a bit tighter. However, that’s my only complaint, considering the actors are wonderful (Hirsch appears to be having way too much fun as the irritating Adam) and there are enough interesting, wacky events going on to keep you engaged without getting bored.
The best part of this movie by far is a solid twist towards the end of the film that completely changed my view on this movie! Until the reveal, I thought it was a fun flick but nothing to write home about. However, the end of the movie pleasantly surprised me, and I loved it!
A creative ending coupled with larger-than-life characters, irreverent dialogue, and very ‘of the moment’ situations definitely make Helen’s Dead feel current and fresh, and it will serve as a cute time capsule of this time and place in years to come.
The actors are a true highlight, and I love how distinct each character is and how you really get a feel for what kind of people they are. The little details and nuances are wonderful, and I love that even the most shallow characters, like Leila or Helen, seem to convey a bit of depth as the movie unravels and you see more of their ‘true’ selves.
The formula of mystery films has long been a tried-and-true device popular in Hercule Poirot’s stories for years now. Get a group of people together isolated in a situation (a hotel, a party, a boat, etc) one person ends up dead, and everyone’s a suspect.
So yes, there’s nothing brand-new in that regard in this film, however, this movie dares to do something radically different that makes this movie a standout. The resolution of the movie elevates the material in my opinion, setting it apart from other types of drama/mystery/thriller stories.
Helen may be dead, but this movie is a great wake-up call to a sleepy genre that relies too much on old plot devices. For that reason alone (and seeing Dover, honestly, I have been a huge fan of hers since OITNB – she’s incredible and a total treat in this movie) I’d recommend getting to know Helen, if only for the brief moments leading up to her sudden departure from this mortal coil!
Helen’s Dead is available now to rent and own on digital platforms.
