Dood (Estevan Muñoz) is a pessimist, an outcast, and an all around strange individual–but he’s punk as hell. When one day he sits and stews in his thoughts of self-loathing and pain, he manifests it into something horrific. Before him emerges a small, reckless, mean, and disgusting ball of hate (Ty Anderson). I Need You Dead! is Dood’s journey as he attempts to set himself and the rest of the world free from this creature.
I Need You Dead! is a demented tale about death, destruction, and one’s conscience. The film begins in darkness–heavy, meaningful darkness. It navigates through a home that appears to have seen better days, and it guides viewers into a somehow darker room with a man screaming as if he were being tortured. This scene is eerie, uncomfortable, and exceptionally effective in its goal to create a sense of unease. Unfortunately, this is one of just a handful of times that this level of intensity is present in I Need You Dead!. The tone is set so brilliantly, and, again, there are a few moments sprinkled throughout I Need You Dead! that help to reiterate that tone and project something truly terrifying onto viewers, but I wanted more darkness to permeate the film.
Interestingly, while I was hoping for a darker tone, there are a number of times throughout I Need You Dead! where comedy breaks through the horror of the film and propels it forward. The comedy is silly, and it’s the complete opposite tone of the one set at the film's beginning. It feels like the two tones should conflict with one another, because they exist on opposite sides of the cinematic spectrum, but the two manage to work well together; as they say: opposites attract. There is some truly ridiculous comedy that exists throughout this film, and most of it works well. Sometimes writer-director Rocko Zevenbergen reaches a tad too far, but in the grand scheme of the film, the comedy pairs well with the horror.
Low-budget science fiction films should be considered a genre of their own. They can’t compare to the likes of the big-budget Star Wars or Jurassic Park franchises in terms of special effects–and no one would expect them to. However, what these filmmakers are often able to accomplish with limited resources and cash is astounding, and, in some ways, making them just as wondrous as those aforementioned franchises. I Need You Dead! should fall under the genre of low-budget sci-fi, not just because of its lack of finances, but because of all that it’s able to accomplish with such a tight budget. The Creature, as Dood’s manifestation is known, looks very much like a wad of chewed gum, and while that may not appeal to some, it works wonders for I Need You Dead!. It fits right in with the tone of the film–both horrific looking, but equally funny, and that’s a testament to what Zevenbergen and his team are able to create.
Muñoz is aesthetically unassuming, and he doesn’t necessarily seem like the type of person to lead a film, particularly one of the horror genre. However, the fact that he seems so out of place, so strange in the grand scheme of life, allows him to work for I Need You Dead!. He feels real and relatable as a result of his unique aesthetic. Furthermore, his acting is average–allowing him to feel even more realistic, rather than hyperreal.
Just about everything about I Need You Dead! manages to work, even the lesser parts of the film. Even when I was questioning the acting, the need for comedy, or the darkness that I wanted more of, it somehow managed to play into the narrative smoothly and effectively. I Need You Dead! is low-budget, wild, illogical, and punk as hell. It’s tons of fun, and I can’t fully explain it, but I love it.
Written & Directed by Rocko Zevenbergen.
Starring Estevan Muñoz, Sean Abplanalp, Ada Hurtado, Lloyd Kaufman, Ty Anderson, Lance Carver, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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