Rent A Horrible Way to Die (2010)

Spoilers follow ... - A Horrible Way to Die review by NP

I have to admit to being somewhat misled by this film’s title; I expected a slasher flick, or something a lot more gory than what is delivered here. But it’s a very gladsome misdirection. This is a compelling, slow-burning low-budget project often shot in uneasy, unsteady close-ups. The cast are uniformly excellent. Amy Seimetz is terrific as Sarah, a hesitant, awkward ex-alcoholic. AJ Bowen is very powerful as unrepentant serial-killer Garrick Turrell, Sarah’s ex, who escapes from prison apparently to pursue her and end the lives of a few others along the way. It’s a story that has been done before, but this is so convincing and original in its style, it feels un-reassuringly fresh.

I think sometimes the unrelenting brow-beaten melancholy gets a little too much, and the camera angles occasionally become too distracting, but these are minor quibbles really. This is a restrained, interestingly told story with a satisfying twist at the end. Writer Simon Barrett and Director Adam Wingard are clearly names to look out for.