Alex (Blu Hunt) is a young woman who “would do anything for love.” And when I get this song by Meatloaf stuck in my head, to see what she will and won’t do in The Dead Thing can become fatal. When the question of who Kyle (Ben Smith-Petersen) truly is arises and this woman is trying to break away from him, life will not be like Paradise by the Dashboard Light either.
Had Meat’s music been used, I’d say we got a film to remember. In its current form, the question of what kind of reality Alex is living in is raised. She’s too reliant on her smartphone. As for her obsession with finding this man, whom we learn is dead (by the end of the first act), that’s when the maudlin drama turns into a thriller.
However, when this movie is more about Gen Z relationships and forgets to give the ghost a proper backstory, some extra action is needed. It’s delivered when this spirit manifests and hurts other women he’s met, but as for why, writer/director Elric Kane doesn’t try to answer it.
But for Alex thinking she will meet her special someone through the dating app, Friktion, it isn’t happening! This film begins by showing this lady in meaningless encounters day-by-day until she finds Kyle’s profile. To say there’s plenty of fish is a misnomer. Although they connect and eventually have to part ways to get to work and so on, he disappears, and she wants to know why.
In the City of Angels, it’s hard to tell if people living here have another’s back. I surmise more devils in disguise here, and what Alex met was a shadow person. In the paranormal world, they are mysterious entities who operate with their own agenda. They aren’t necessarily shells of their human life, but are something else! Here, what’s presented is as riveting as Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man, or should that be Olivier Assayas Personal Shopper?
When Kyle is ready to kill to get what he wants, that’s a story I can bite into. Otherwise, Alex’s story won’t interest everyone. This film could have been made better had there been a spiritualist who can explain why some spirits remain on Earth. I can see how the “I’ve died for you” concept is at the forefront, but as for why this tale is like a midsummer night’s dream depends on how populated the city streets are. With this film, I get the sense this is a city of ghosts more than anything else, and not everyone is aware they’re emotionally dead. Everyone goes through the motions, but everything else is like a distant memory. If that’s indeed this film’s message, then this is a horror film to remember.
3½ Stars out of 5
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