After She Died

There are quite a few movies like this peppering the horror genre. Indeed, after about 30 minutes, I stopped watching because I really didn't want to see yet another "perfect family" flick - especially as it isn't one of my favourite brands. But I read somewhere that it gets crazier as it unfolds, so I came back the next day to give it a second chance. And I was so glad I did.

This definitely subverts the cosy sub-genre and slices it up into its own volatile cocktail. I got a strong sense of satire and surreality - where nothing is meant to be taken too seriously, beautifully finished with the perfect ending to this notion. Like similar movies, it attacks the "apple-pie, happy family, white-picket fence" cliche, but here it is far more nuanced and, consequently, unsettling. You really are not sure what the characters really want as the plot turns challenge both them and the viewers.

As it turns out, this is a breath of fresh air to my pre-judging and weary eyes (nose). Special mention for the two very good lead actresses, and what is an amazing achievement on a very limited budget. Well done !

At its core, this is a good idea for a movie. It has a very Stephen King type of an idea. That is where the plaudits end.

The actors cannot act, the direction is amateurish, the script is poor, the editing is laughable and the cinematography is basic.

We have two actresses at the start, one is supposed to be the mother of the other. After looking at IMDB, one is 22, the other, the mother, is 27. There looks to be no difference in age, bad casting.

The director has only made 'shorts' until this movie, and boy oh boy does it show. A ninety minute movie is a different animal.

The horror is toned down to give it a more 'family' feel.

All in all, best avoided.

After the death of her mother, a distraught teen is even more horrified to learn her father has moved on with a new girlfriend that is a doppelganger of her just-deceased mother, and despite all attempts to move past the awkwardness of everything it soon becomes obvious something deadly is affecting them.

This was fine enough for what it is but still suffers from some issues. When this one works is due to the expected means where it's focused on the traditional genre thrills, which mainly revolve around the daughter thinking there's something wrong with the new girlfriend. As this trades between the psychological ramifications of her mental instability affecting her better judgment with nothing being overtly wrong and something supernatural affecting the girlfriend only she can sense, there's a generally enjoyable atmosphere throughout here as this tries to lay out the tangled means of the central storyline present. By complicating matters with a few bits of genuine supernatural occurrences like the demonic figure she sees following her or the visions of her mother's spirit being trapped and targeted by an unknown entity, it adds even more to the thrilling nature of what's happening. However, there are some big problems with this one. The main drawback is the film's rather dull and lethargic tempo that adds much of a drama undertone than a genuine genre atmosphere. Since no one does anything overtly malicious or macabre towards anyone else and the general tone is mistrust, it doesn't bode well for those expecting a ghostly mystery or something much more high-energy as this takes way too long to get going. That's the other big issue here with so many extraneous storylines present that don't really need to be here stretching this out far longer than necessary in order to hide the genre thrills until the final half. This can be fine at points but so much of this one doesn't come together until it's too late, making for a problematic time for some that can really hold this back.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

Okay, I really didn't like the Spanish speaking parts, where, only being 50% fluent in Spanish, I couldn't pick up on everything the mother and daughter were saying. Someone with 0% fluency will be lost completely! This was totally not necessary, and it detracted from the movie ... large scale!

Next, "After She Died" had its eerie moments, and it did provide a sense of mystery and a slight bit of dread. However, with that being said, the whole supernatural part of the film is, sad to say, disjointed and, quite frankly, ridiculous! And the evil spirit mask was really, really bad! When you can tell it's akin to a Halloween mask, it's bad, okay? I have seen better costumes on five-year-olds who are trick-or-treating.

Back to the disjointed story: Many parts were unnecessary and pointless and had me scratching my head. For instance, the very, very short lesbian scene should have ended up on the editing room floor. It had absolutely nothing to do with the story. Not a thing! Was this just posturing by the director for Hollywood to notice him? Probably. The actor playing the dad was not good at all, and appeared to be phoning it in rather than playing a character. The actresses playing the mother and daughter did exceptional work with what they were given.

Overall, this could have been so much better. Much of it, which was unnecessary and confusing, should have been edited out. More money should have gone toward the presentation of the forest spirit. The side story concerning the daughter's "boyfriend" was completely out of place and should have been canned, and the storyboard should have been tended to with more of an understanding of what makes up a cohesive story. Not bad, but could have been world's better!

A supernatural disjointed disaster. There is NO story here, this movie is hanging onto dear life by a thread. The Cast are incredibly inexperienced, none of them stood out, terrible casting. The cinematography is shocking and not pleasing, color grading and music amateurish. Yes, its low budget but you need to make it look BIG budget, no excuses Jack Dignam - you worked on Hollywood films as VFX assistant right?

Overall, no real character or story-arc and nothing compelling, dramatic or emotional. Nothing to take from it accept annoyance. As always, its hard making a film - so congrats on the team for pulling it together, that's the accomplishment - nothing else I can say apart from I was so bored.