Who really wants to know how they will die? If they did find out and discovered others may die too, what would they do with that information? In the latest Horror/Thriller film Tell Me How I Die, a group of college kids gets the opportunity to participate in the testing of a new drug meant to boost the memory. Instead, for some of them, it opens up a whole new section of their brain. Written by James Hibberd (Waco 2016) and directed by D.J. Viola (Elvira’s Movie Macabre TV series, Internet Icon TV series), Tell Me How I Die hit screens on the September 2nd and VOD as of September 16th.
- Still from Tell Me How I Die
Released by Big Block Media Holdings, Base Station, and Supergravity Pictures, the events of the story take place in modern times. While at a bar one night, Anna (Virginia Gardner: The Goldbergs TV series, How to Get Away with Murder TV series) meets a cute guy, Den (Nathan Kress:Babe: Pig in the City 1998, Into the Storm 2014), and comes across a flyer for a medical company run by Dr. Jerrems (William Mapohter: Born on the Fourth of July 1989, The Mentalist TV series) looking for test subjects. Jerrems is on a deadline from company head Dr. Layton (Mark Rolston: Aliens 1986, Saw VI 2009) to provide sufficient data from human trials for a drug touted to improve and even repair faulty memory such as in Alzheimer’s patients, to the company’s investors.
Given she is broke, Anna and others, such as Den, Kristen (Kirby Bliss Blanton: Project X 2012, The Green Inferno 2013), Marcus (Mark Furze: Home and Away TV series, Outriders TV series), Pascal (Ethan Peck: 10 Things I Hate About You TV series, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice 2010), and Scratch (Ryan Higa: YouTube Assassin TV series, Flight 7500 2014), all sign up for the tests. They will stay in the university, locked up for the weekend, during the course of the test and watched over by security man, Curtis (Christopher Allen: American Horror Story TV series, The Young and the Restless TV series). Double blind testing means that some people receive a placebo, or non-drug shot, while others are given the actual drug. The group are also warned not to discuss any symptoms they experience with each other as it may also flaw the test results.
- Still from Tell Me How I Die
Once the group settles in and gets to know each other, Marcus has a strange, almost out-of-body experience while playing pool, having a vision of what is going to happen in the next few moments, and then relives it. He is immediately called into Jerrems’ office and debriefed. Jerrems again confirms Marcus is not to share this information, and he agrees. Kristen’s vision is next, though it relates to something similarly boring to Marcus’. This is the last of the nice precognition the subjects encounter; Anna’s vision is terrifying rather than inane. Anna sees a number of fellow participants involved in a fatal fire and she pleas with Jerrems to stop it happening. This results in him believing she is a danger to herself and others and having a reaction to the drug. Jerrems restrains Anna until such time she calms down and the reaction stops.
- Still from Tell Me How I Die
While she is strapped up, Den and the others share similar deadly visions and people go missing. Den, Kristen, and Marcus meet up with each other and discuss their experiences. At the same time, they witness one of the staff being brutally murdered by a masked assailant. Everywhere they turn are dead bodies and their visions are played out in horrific fashion. Terrified, the three manage to get out of the building, only for Den to run back in to save Anna. The four must simultaneously avoid the killer, figure out who it is, and get back out of the facility again; never once considering doing a drug test could be fatal.
There are some cliche scenes in Tell Me How I Die, but overall, it is solid film with some resemblances to the Final Destination series, and 2008’s Boogeyman 2. The acting is smooth, the special effects are seamless, and the tension builds right up to the end. The cinematography by David McGrory (Captain America: The First Soldier 2011, Ant-Man 2015) is likewise top notch. The young cast do a great job of portraying the multiple moods and tone changes in each scene and act, and there is plenty of edge-of-the-seat moments. That in mind, Tell Me How I Die is more than a decent addition to the Horror genre, and, with an open ending, promises a sequel. CrypticRock gives this movie 4 out of 5 stars.
- Distribber
Purchase Tell Me How I Die: Amazon | iTunes
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Can someone please explain to me why it seems like Anna already has some sort or precognition or deeply empathetic foresight in the very beginning while at the bar? This isn’t talked about anywhere? This movie was surprisingly well done as well as a relatively encompassing and entertaining plot. There were a lot of unanswered plot points and the ending felt lazy and just slapped together:/