Dead Mail

I get that people want to give this flick medium ratings because it is very much a niche indie film that isn't for everyone. But I think objectively as a horror fan Dead Mail deserves props for various elements, ranging from the grainy realistic 1980s atmosphere (and weirdly accurate details like those big buckets of cheap Neapolitan ice cream) to the truly original plot points about sound engineering in the late 20th century and nerdy info on how cool and sleuthlike dead mail was prior to the world wide web.

I also think that the writers/director did their research on serial killers such as Richard Ramirez frequenting a low-income shelter for men during his murder spree, and Jeff Dahmer with his predilection for victimizing poor black males that he justified with his disturbed inability to form healthy gay relationships.

Don't know what it is with some of these reviews they could'nt have been watching the same movie .This movie was alright i thought definetly an indie movie and i actually thought that this was an 80's movie because they seemed pretty accurate with the 80's synths and the general look of the film etc. I thought it was quite original .Took me a while to grasp the concept because the movie is told in flash back i thought that it was clever how the whole movie comes together. The acting was'nt that groundbreaking except for maybe the actor who played the kidnapper he was pretty good . Overall i thought the movie was pretty good definetly worth a look.

What a pleasant surprise ! A movie that isn't dumbed down with moronic situations, comic book characters or 20something know-it-alls!

We instead get an interesting, compelling and suspenseful movie that really felt like something from the 70s or 80s. A movie featuring adults! Very cool!

The characters were well drawn and acted and the direction and photography are beyond reproach. Unlike many movies that are set in decades past, this mostly felt like it was from the early 80s. Late 70s if truth be told.

I love the synthesizer storyline. The synth patches they were working on were great and sounded fantastic! The woodwind was gorgeous and all the music on the soundtrack was just perfect.

Al told this was an absorbing little thriller that I quite enjoyed.

This 2024 Shudder original called Dead Mail, with a rather interesting-looking poster and a decently intriguing plot synopsis on IMDb, was shot in slightly faded color with grainy visuals, really giving it those 80s retro vibes. Sadly, that's about the only thing this movie does to make itself entertaining or stand out from most other releases nowadays. It's a style choice that can work and mostly does in this film but the narrative needs to be more than a rather dull kidnapping story like the one we get here.

We follow different characters after an ominous help note finds its way into a post office. The movie presents various perspectives; from the victim, the abuser, and other side characters while also incorporating a few time jumps, which are easy enough to follow. And even though the story has some interesting elements and brings a bit of uniqueness to the table, it's overall really dull. It reminded me a bit of 2021's Censor, which had similar problems in my opinion, though it featured stronger pacing and a more engaging narrative.

In this film, I kept finding myself bored and unable to immerse myself in the story or connect with the character arcs. The acting from the main cast is pretty solid, and there's definitely talent involved both in front of and behind the camera. The movie features several scenes that feel unnecessarily drawn out, seemingly only to show off some aesthetically pleasing visuals. That being said, this is definitely a slow burn, and people who don't enjoy that kind of horror should stay away from this one.

If you're a fan of slow-burn horror, this might be worth a watch. However, I personally didn't find anything particularly compelling here and will probably forget about this movie soon. [4.9/10]

This was an intriguing thriller. I feel like it plays better for people that like unique films that tell a story differently. Yes a case could be made that it is "slow" as in we get a story laid out for us. I know, crazy idea.

The way the editing works in this film, is truly one of the highlights, second only to the music that sets the whole world alight. It doesn't tell the story in a linear fashion, and you get the chance to meet some characters and the movie shifts. That's when some of the cool edits happen; my favorite example is to show the passage of time there is a nifty little cut that makes a great transition.

The story unfolds at its own pace. It is telling the story and it wants you to get cozy with the characters and the world. There is that nostalgia filter that plays very well and doesn't get annoying or otherwise feel like an annoying addition to make a film fit the whole nostalgic feel that you see so often in these newer movies and shows.

Like another person said, you really do feel like you are in the 80's. It doesn't feel like a gimmick, but more of a memory you are thinking back on, almost like you would remember your house from your childhood.

I am a big fan of music, and I have been very much in love with the lofi and ambient style 80's synth music. I was a new wave fan, I still am, but I was then too. It is unique and really acts almost like the flute that hypnotized all the villages children. It feels like the world from your past, and the music keeps you tucked in this trance as you follow the rabbit down a tale of loneliness and not smart choices. It is haunting in a way, but it isn't an intense horror movie by any means. It is more or less a character driven thriller.

If you want something that plays different from most attempts at film these days, while at the same time having somethings you've enjoyed before told in a different way. I get saying it is like the King story, and I see that, but at the same time I think it does it's own thing more than that.

I enjoy nontraditional story telling and having the suspension of disbelief being easier to maintain because you don't see stupid choices or hear stupid unoriginal dialogue constantly.

My one complaint is there was a choice made, and it was a stupid choice at that, and it does feel like that the sole purpose to propel the story in a certain direction. It feels a little cheap and dumb, but putting that aside, everything else was solid about the film. Then there is the whole part at the end where you find out it seems to have been based on a true story. Usually studio execs love to force it down your throat that "BASED ON TRUE EVENTS!!!!!!!!" type of thing. Nope. This movie let that stuff slip in there like a ninja so that the shock is a bit more true.