As a longtime fan of Elric Kane’s various podcast endeavors, his first solo-directed feature film, THE DEAD THING, was one of my most anticipated films of Fantasia 2024. Having gotten to know Kane’s taste and thoughts on movies over the years a little bit, I was genuinely eager to see how all of that would translate into a creation of his own. Haunting and measured, THE DEAD THING is a satisfying extension of Kane’s public cinephile persona that redefines what it means to get ghosted.
Co-written with Webb Wilcoxen, THE DEAD THING stars Blu Hunt (THE NEW MUTANTS) as a young woman named Alex lost in the mundanity of her day-to-day and the relentless tedium that is dating in the digital age. Suddenly, things begin to look up when she meets and genuinely connects with a handsome and mysterious barista named Kyle (Ben Smith-Petersen). After enjoying some quality time together, Alex awakens to find that Kyle has left. Despite trying to play it cool for the requisite three days, Alex can’t help but become confused when she finds that Kyle has ghosted her. Things only begin to spiral from there as Alex discovers a dark secret about Kyle that changes everything.
Patient and moody, the cinematography by Ioana Vasile beautifully captures Alex and relays her version of Los Angeles. Presented in an almost cinéma-vérité style, THE DEAD THING feels grounded in a way that exudes a respectful deference to genre films of the past as well as a modern voyeurism. This fascinating visual straddling of time, place and style only becomes further strengthened by the excellent score by Michael Krassner and Robin Vining. Operating like a spiritual companion to 70s-era Euro-thrillers and Giallo films, the score’s eerie use of vocals, extended techniques, rhythm, and space imparts a hugely influential atmosphere of disquiet and anxiety.
As Alex, Hunt captivates with her authenticity. Perfectly capturing the complex feelings of frustration, boredom, hope, and general young adult ennui experienced by so many, Alex is a refreshingly believable character. Underneath the detached and endless scrolling, a deep-seated desire for connection quickly rises to the surface after a positive encounter with Kyle. Even after she uncovers the tragic truth behind Kyle’s actions, this craving for intimacy (in every sense of the word) keeps her coming back to him.
Even though Alex is the unquestionable heart of the film, it is through the character of Kyle and his storyline that the most thought-provoking theme emerges — what happens when a life goes dark, but their digital presence lives on? Often, with young adults, the idea of mortality and the inevitability of death carry a different weight. Though this youthful arrogance could come off as obnoxious, Ben Smith-Petersen brings a charming and tragic humanity to the role of Kyle that allows us to sympathize, even in his darkest moments. Though the horror moments are subtle, their execution is enough to chill and unsettle even the most hardened horror hearts.
While this idea of a sense of self, connection, and value being tied to our virtual existence is certainly not new, Kane and Wilcoxen put a horror spin on it all their own. In fact, it kind of feels like LISA FRANKENSTEIN for the late 20s early 30s crowd. (That’s a compliment) THE DEAD THING is a satisfyingly dark and dreamy contemporary contemplation of technology and our connection to it.
The 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival runs July 18 to August 4 in Montreal, Quebec, principally at the Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screenings at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée. For more information, please visit the Fantasia website here.
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