The exact right blend of horror and drama can make for a truly perfect horror film.
And that is something Italian director Francesco Picone attempts to achieve in Dead Bride, a supernatural thriller blending matrimony with murder.
Following the death of her estranged father, Alyson (Jennifer Mischiati) inherits her childhood home, despite being given up for adoption when she was young after her mother was declared insane.
Alyson relocates to the picturesque home with her husband, Richard (Christoph Hülsen), and their infant son. However, things take a dark turn when Richard goes away on a work trip and Alyson begins to uncover the disturbing secrets the mansion has to hold.
As she comes face-to-face with her family's murky history and trauma begins to resurface, it threatens to harm Alyson's family unit in more ways than one.
The film is very reminiscent of 2010 supernatural hit Insidious in that it follows a cursed family that must venture to another realm to save their child, though, unlike its more well-known counterpart, Dead Bride lacks in terms of genuine thrills and frights.
While the pacing of the plot means the intriguing and at-time convoluted mystery unfolds in a way that keeps you hooked, it never reaches a satisfying climax in terms of true horror.
The setting of Dead Bride is perfect for spooks aplenty as the plot unfolds primarily in the dimly lit, eerie mansion, and there is some wonderful special effects artistry on show in scenes involving Demon Asmodeus (Luciano Mancini) and The Bride (Francesca Albanese), but the film never seems to achieve its terrifying peak.
There is a lot going on in Dead Bride – weaving in and out of Alyson's disturbing past and her dark present – though there are many story elements that do not feel properly developed and don't end up resolved, leaving the narrative to feel confusing and the ending to feel hollow as it drops multiple, engaging plot points to achieve it that I wanted to see play out.
Between demonic possession, ghostly presences, a kidnapping, and a face-off against what could be the devil himself, it often feels like Dead Bride doesn't know where it is going.
Mischiati in the role of Alyson put forward a strong performance and her feelings of anguish due to the trauma and loss she experiences are palpable, though she suffers alongside other relatively wooden performances in the cast that aid in taking you out of the horror onscreen.
Famed psychic Dave Owen (Douglas Dean) is another standout amongst the line-up as he desperately tries to help Alyson free herself from the ghosts of her past – both metaphorically and supernaturally.
His character works seamlessly alongside Father Elbert (Sean James Sutton), a priest who previously helped the family and unveils the information needed to drive the clumsy narrative forward, albeit in a clunky, matter-of-fact fashion that seems out of place in the story.
While Dead Bride had a promising setup and all the ingredients for a spine-tingling supernatural horror, it didn't have me saying ‘I do' as the narrative twisted and turned to no terrifying avail.
Dead Bride will get its UK digital premiere on March 20, 2023.
