While horror fans wait for Renfield and Evil Dead Rise to make their way into theaters this April, You’re Killing Me just arrived on select VOD platforms. Aside from it being one of Anne Heche’s final roles, there’s not much known about this thriller. It sounds like it mixes bits of survival horror with a ‘what would you do’ ethical dilemma thrown in for good measure. Only a handful of reviews area available so this one’s an unknown option.
Synopsis
Stuck on a waiting list for admission to the college of her dreams, Eden thinks a letter of recommendation from the right person may give her that final push. That person – an influential senator whose son happens to be a classmate. So Eden drags her friend, Zara, along with her to a ‘Heaven and Hell’ party intent on ingratiating herself. But when she stumbles on a phone video showing the final moments of a missing girl, the party descends into a nightmare for Eden.
You’re Killing Me Takes Some Curves En Route to a Predictable Finale
Things start off as horror fans might expect based on the promotional materials and synopsis provided for You’re Killing Me. The opening shot gives us someone’s camera video footage of a high school girl playing with a paper heart followed by a young man looking just a bit racked with guilt. We quickly learn that the girl in the video is missing. And then directors Beth Hanna and Jerren Lauder (The Inhabitant) introduce us to the most likely premise – a bright high school student named Eden who needs to ingratiate herself with Schroder, the son of an influential politician, and his trust baby friends. From that point onward, You’re Killing Me should be a familiar horror tale that connects Schroder’s affluent family to the missing girl and likely something more horrific. By and large, this the movie we get from You’re Killing Me.
Arguably, the most fun twist from formulaic unfolds once Dermot Mulroney and Anne Heche, in one of her last roles, turn up.
Along the way, however, writers Walker Hare and Brad Martocello introduce a few curves that momentarily deviate from expectations. For instance, there’s some intermittent scenes where Schroder and his rich friends – one unfortunately named Gooch – don’t feel like two-dimensional villains. Arguably, the most fun twist from formulaic unfolds once Dermot Mulroney (Scream VI, Umma) and Anne Heche, in one of her last roles, turn up. Both veteran actors bring the kind of experience and talent to their roles to inject some additional energy to the thriller. Does the story eventually land where you expect? Yes – after one or two more fun twists that keeps you invested.
You’re Killing Me Ruminates Too Long On Some Scenes to Be a Truly Thrilling Horror Experience
Like its storytelling approach, You’re Killing Me proves to an uneven thriller that’s often as frustrating as it is satisfying. Clearly, Hanna and Lauder know what they’re doing behind the camera. For what’s obviously a smaller movie, there are still some stylish and cleverly executed scenes. One slow motion scene involving a dash for a phone charging cord looks exquisite and feels urgent. There’s another fantastic shot that finds Eden peeking around a corner before catching a glimpse of one of her attackers in a corner mirror shot. Though there’s not an abundance of onscreen gore, Hanna and Lauder ensure it’s enough to make audiences cringe. In spite of its more predictable moments, Hanna and Lauder know how to add some zip to the proceedings when necessary.
Clearly, Hanna and Lauder know what they’re doing behind the camera. For what’s obviously a smaller movie, there are still some stylish and cleverly executed scenes.
What prevents You’re Killing Me from ascending to greater heights is its ‘stop and go’ pacing. Every time You’re Killing Me feels like its off to the face, the story grinds to a halt. That is, Hanna and Lauder allow too many scenes to drag on for far too long. Moreover, the thriller never picks up the pace or hurtles toward a finale as much as it just sort of settles on an ending. However, McKaley Miller’s (Ma) performance as Eden is a consistent highlight throughout the thriller. She brings an excess of charisma and energy to the role, which hints at bigger things for her in the future. Similarly, Brice Anthony Heller should have a future playing villains – he has the kind of smirk that makes him almost instantly worthy of derision.
You’re Killing Me a Mixed Efforts That’s Still Worth Checking Out
Often effective, occasionally, frustrating, You’re Killing Me marks a stylish debut for co-director Hanna and an interesting follow-up for Lauder. Though it’s ultimately predictable, the thriller still twists here and there before it becomes too rote. And there’s plenty of suspense and bits of gruesomeness in between scenes that stretch on a bit too long. McKaley Miller’s performance is the kind of starmaking turn that The Babysitter signaled for Samara Weaving. It may not be a runaway hit, but You’re Killing Me is still an entertaining thriller worth a look.