Die'ced - Short Film

Going in with no expectations just hoping for an enjoyable movie. Sadly there was nothing to enjoy. The acting, special effects, and story were horrible. Wanted to turn it off within the first ten minutes but figured I would finish what I started. Main character is an Art the Clown knockoff as a scarecrow, just not as likable or well done. No originality just seems to be trying to make money off the current indie horror success. They at least use practical effects, but those are poorly pulled off. This is not a movie you want to pay to watch. Instead of coming up with an original idea this is just copy of others work. An inspiration is fine, but this was just a straight ripoff. Die'ced just doesn't make the cut.

Die'ced was an unexpected surprise.

With traces of Terrifier influenced throughout, it seems to be a more soft version of the concept.

(Sorry to those expecting a bedroom type scene.) Benjamin is enjoyable when he tries to be funny but the blend of "haha" funny and "deadly" serious isn't quitr there yet. Although it has time to blossom and mature.

The characters are a little stiff but you don't watch low budget horror movies expecting an Oppenheimer performance. You know what you're getting into.

As an indie filmmakers myself, I can appreciate and respect anyone who has the time, patience and love to dedicate years of their life to making a movie. So do yourself a favor and go check out Die'ced.

A garbage film from a garbage script. Half baked, pretty much unfinished. I know because I worked on it as a crew member. The director barely directed it. Seemed more concerned about videos and photos for social media. Clearly a vanity project. The DP mostly had to direct it out of necessity to move things along. No experienced editor hired. Which is why some of the footage changes in aspect ratio, because they didn't know about de-squeezing the anamorphic footage. And didn't care to properly color grade it either. Sound is garbage because they pulled it mostly from camera instead of using the sound guy's audio. Not to mention, most of the crew hasn't even been fully paid. And we're talking since March 2023. A complete waste of time if you ask me.

People have said this was basically a cheap Terrified knock off. I get that comparison but I also don't think the Terrifier was so original as to completely avoid movies coming out after it from getting that treatment. The storyline is fine, albeit flawed, hilariously at times (i.e., the killer was accidentally released from the psych ward newscaster of a clerical error). The writing was pretty awful and the acting was the dane. The lead actress was actually decent, especially compared to everyone else. The technical aspects were pretty awful; scene transitions were often clunky, the shots seemed to change aspect ratio randomly but not by way of lense changing so much as bad DV editing resulting in people appearing smashed. Very weird. The most intolerable part though was the sound editing and rubbish. It just didn't make sense and was mixed poorly so it airways drew your attention away from the action. All that said, I found some enjoyment in this, especially for being so low budget. Same character and general "universe" but with the above issues addressed I would even say it's passable.

Let me start by saying that as I have gotten older, I am not nearly the aficionado of horror films that I once was. When I was a kid, I LOVED them, but these days it seems as if the genre has run out of steam. That said, there is plenty to like with "Die'ced". The film is well-shot and looks crisp and professional, which often eludes many indie film makers. In addition, the SFX are quite good for an indie film and far better than what I normally see in low-budget thrillers. The SFX team went to great lengths to create interesting scenarios, which I also appreciated. The run time of this film is VERY snappy, which is also a good choice, as the plot is mainly a vehicle to deliver all those creative and graphic kill scenes. And while a few of the performances from the actors were a tad wooden (why didn't they react/scream more given their dire circumstances?), overall, this one is well-made and directed. To summarize, this a solid indie effort, and I look forward to more from Director Jeremy Rudd.