Directed By: Jack Dignan
Starring: Liliana De La Rosa, Vanessa Madrid, Paul Tabot, Adam Golledge
Plot Summary: Jen’s mother is dead. Her relationship with her father, John, is fractured beyond repair. Her friends, all recent high school graduates, are moving on with their lives and leaving behind the small town they once called home. Jen is, in every sense of the word, alone. That is until John introduces Jen to his new girlfriend, Florence a woman who looks and sounds identical to Jen’s dead mother.
Imagine, if you will, burying a loved one, then having them return to you but acting completely different. If this plot sounds familiar, it’s a “careful what you wish for” horror trope that was made famous in a short story entitled The Monkey’s Paw. This classic tale has been adapted many times a cross virtually every type of popular medium since its publication in 1902. Most famously, Stephen King used the story in Pet Sematary as a spring board to sprinkle in a nice dose of horror and folk traditions as well as a touching and profound through line to tie it altogether. I mention this because, After She Died seems to borrow from King’s work but misses the mark on what makes it so haunting and beautiful. As the plot unfolds, it also seems to crib from The Body Snatchers, because sure, why not?
According to IMDb, writer and director Jack Dignan cut his teeth in short films, finally making the leap to features with After She Died. Frankly, I could tell even before looking that up. This film has a logline premise, then it’s stretched to the breaking point to fill 90+ minutes. Typically, I like to say that even if the movie didn’t engage me, it still has a strong core concept behind it. However, as noted above, I couldn’t help but feel that its foundation is built on familiar ground. Honestly, I’d be perfectly fine with that if the concept was re-vamped in a way that felt interesting and new.
While yes, Dignan does attempt giving this old premise a facelift, it doesn’t work. Unfortunately, the writing and direction are not skilled enough to pull it off. After She Died manages to feel underwritten with aspects of characters that feel flat and overwritten as it saddles itself with a needless convoluted plot. Using grief as a jumping off point is pretty common in horror films lately, yet this set-up only goes so far in providing the emotional weight. This is where films like The Night House and The Babadook thrive. Yes, they also use grieving as a narrative connective tissue, but it’s supported by a richly complex screenplay. We don’t have this here sadly.
Outside of the nonsense plot, the acting is uneven at best. Some of the actors are giving very solid performances, whilst others are, let’s just be nice and say, less than great. A good writer and director would not only streamline a plot but also keep the acting on a consistent level. Technical issues like sound design also were at times very distracting or worse, actually does the plot a disservice. For example, we have a demon (in a cheap mask) and without subtitles I could barely understand what he was saying.
For all this movie’s issues, After She Died looks fantastic. Seeing how Dignan has done D.P. work in the past, it makes sense that the look would be on point. His use of colors and shot compositions really does give this movie a creepy vibe. I really wish I had more nice things to say, but I found this very difficult to engage with and connect with on any kind of level outside of its wonderful eerie style.
This movie wants me to feel an emotional connection, yet everything is so messy that I was checked out by the 40-minute mark. This makes me think that After She Died could have thrived as an effectively scary 10-minute short film.
After She Died is currently available On Demand courtesy of Cranked Up Films and Good Deed Entertainment.
After She Died would have worked much better as a short film
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GVN Rating 4
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Big film nerd and TCM Obsessed. Author of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema from Schiffer Publishing. Resume includes: AMC’s The Bite, Scream Magazine etc. Love all kinds of movies and television and have interviewed a wide range of actors, writers, producers and directors. I currently am a regular co-host on the podcast The Humanoids from the Deep Dive and have a second book in the works from Bear Manor.