Writer: Chad Archibald, Jayme Laforest (Screenplay)
Starring: Aidan Devine, Ava Preston, Jess Salgueiro, Brandon McKnight, Michael Reventar, Ari Millen
Plot: A farmer makes a living disposing of bodies. One day, 3 bodies are delivered – except the young woman is still alive. If set free, the gang will come after him and his daughter.
Runtime: 1 Hour 23 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Slow Horror
Story: I’ll Take Your Dead starts as we meet a farmer William (Devine) who lives on a remote farm with his daughter Gloria (Preston), they both have a secret, William disposes of dead bodies, while Gloria sees dead people around the house.
William gets the latest batch of dead bodies bought to his house to dispose of, only one Jackie (Salgueiro) isn’t dead, William fixes her up, looking to learn her story, showing his daughter a good example, as she looks to overcome her fears.
Thoughts on I’ll Take Your Dead
Characters – William is a man that has built a reputation, he lives off the grid with his daughter on a farm, criminals call him the butcher because of his work disposing of dead bodies, when the latest body turns out to be still alive, he must decide how to protect his daughter if the threat returns. Gloria is the daughter of William, she sees the dead around the farm, scared of some which she sees coming for her, she ends up befriending Jackie, learning things her father wouldn’t offer her. Jackie is one of the victims that isn’t dead, she is tied up as she must prove she is good to William and why she should be spared.
Performances – Aidan Devine, Ava Preston and Jess Salgueiro are all great to watch, they give us an interesting turn on their characters through the film, giving the group or solo scenes justice through the film.
Story – The story here follows a man that disposes of bodies that gets caught up in the middle of the bigger problem when one of the bodies isn’t dead, meaning the criminals will return to finish the job, putting his own daughter at risk. The story here does go in different directions because the job is unique, with it being kept a secret, while we don’t get enough focus on Gloria and her ability and fear of seeing the dead people. We do look at Gloria coming of age in a stranger way that we would normally see and play into the hands of showing that everybody might have a story, you just need to listen to them first.
Horror – The horror side of the film comes from how Gloria is haunted by the dead in the house, this could have been bigger only it doesn’t hit the heights it seems to think it wants too.
Settings – The film keeps most of the film set on the farm, it shows us how William can operate without interference and is trying to escape the life he found himself trapped in.
Scene of the Movie – The wave.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Slow pacing doesn’t make the showdown worth it.
Final Thoughts – This is a slow paced movie that doesn’t seem to hit the sides of the film that is desiring to get to, with moments leading to something before moving towards another direction.
Overall: Slow-paced horror.