Blending found footage and what appears to be grainy 16mm (they shot the film on an early Dv as a matter of fact), Kyle McConaghy and Joe DeBoer’s Dead Mail embraces the creepiness of its concept. Like Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow or Kyle Edward Ball’s Skinamarink, this is the stuff of subconscious nightmares, though Dead Mail falls slightly more into the slasher camp. The film is effectively creepy from the feeling that––à la Harmony Korine’s Trash Humpers––it’s a relic of the past. Also, like Schoenbrun’s film, it suggests a story that could have been imagined from a 20/20 segment or a late-night documentary that a child should not have watched after their bedtime but nevertheless did.
Dead Mail delivers something original, playing its horror down the line, no doubt influenced by lesser slasher movies. Yet the picture is grounded in...
Dead Mail delivers something original, playing its horror down the line, no doubt influenced by lesser slasher movies. Yet the picture is grounded in...
- 3/26/2024
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
Daily Dead is proud to return as one of the sponsors for this year's Overlook Film Festival, taking place April 4th–7th in New Orleans, and following their impressive initial lineup announcement earlier this month, Overlook has now announced their full schedule for their 2024 edition that includes additional films, in-person guests, immersive programming, and free horror trivia that is once again presented by Daily Dead!
We have the official press release with additional details below, and be sure to visit Overlook Film Festival's official website for more information!
Press Release: March 20, 2024 | New Orleans, LA – The Overlook Film Festival, the annual celebration of all things horror, announced today the full schedule for its 2024 edition, including some surprise new additions and special guests. Taking place April 4 – April 7 in America’s most haunted city, New Orleans, Louisiana at the Prytania Theatres, the horror festival announced seven additional films to its lineup, as well as new immersive events,...
We have the official press release with additional details below, and be sure to visit Overlook Film Festival's official website for more information!
Press Release: March 20, 2024 | New Orleans, LA – The Overlook Film Festival, the annual celebration of all things horror, announced today the full schedule for its 2024 edition, including some surprise new additions and special guests. Taking place April 4 – April 7 in America’s most haunted city, New Orleans, Louisiana at the Prytania Theatres, the horror festival announced seven additional films to its lineup, as well as new immersive events,...
- 3/20/2024
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The Overlook Film Fest 2024 edition, taking place April 4 – April 7 in New Orleans, Louisiana, just announced even more additions to their already packed lineup, including the Nicolas Cage-starring creature feature Arcadian.
“With the full scope of this year’s lineup, we’re thrilled to be able to recognize all of the many forms horror can take,” said Lisa Carbonari, festival director of The Overlook Film Festival. “We’re diving headfirst into the dark and twisted, through the films, immersive presentations, interactive exhibits, themed parties and even sensory experiences. We can’t wait to get together with our fellow horror-lovers and celebrate all of the different ways we enjoy being scared.”
The new additions to the lineup bring the festival total to 52 films (28 features and 24 shorts) from 11 countries, as well as four live presentations, six immersive experiences and six special events.
While you can read up on the previously announced lineup here,...
“With the full scope of this year’s lineup, we’re thrilled to be able to recognize all of the many forms horror can take,” said Lisa Carbonari, festival director of The Overlook Film Festival. “We’re diving headfirst into the dark and twisted, through the films, immersive presentations, interactive exhibits, themed parties and even sensory experiences. We can’t wait to get together with our fellow horror-lovers and celebrate all of the different ways we enjoy being scared.”
The new additions to the lineup bring the festival total to 52 films (28 features and 24 shorts) from 11 countries, as well as four live presentations, six immersive experiences and six special events.
While you can read up on the previously announced lineup here,...
- 3/20/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Writers/Directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy’s lo-fi ’80s psychological thriller, Dead Mail, anchors its offbeat story, characters, and retro style around profound loneliness. Bloody Disgusting spoke with the filmmakers along with stars Sterling Macer Jr. and John Fleck at SXSW, where the film made its world premiere, about their unique approach to the genre-bender.
Dead Mail leans heavily into the ’80s analog aesthetic, delivering a unique crime thriller unafraid to get weird with its dark narrative.
In the film, “On a desolate, Midwestern county road, a bound man crawls towards a remote postal box, managing to slide a blood-stained plea-for-help message into the slot before a panicking figure closes in behind him. The note makes its way to the county post office and onto the desk of Jasper, a seasoned and skilled ‘dead letter’ investigator, responsible for investigating lost mail and returning it to its sender. As he investigates further,...
Dead Mail leans heavily into the ’80s analog aesthetic, delivering a unique crime thriller unafraid to get weird with its dark narrative.
In the film, “On a desolate, Midwestern county road, a bound man crawls towards a remote postal box, managing to slide a blood-stained plea-for-help message into the slot before a panicking figure closes in behind him. The note makes its way to the county post office and onto the desk of Jasper, a seasoned and skilled ‘dead letter’ investigator, responsible for investigating lost mail and returning it to its sender. As he investigates further,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
The SXSW 2024 festival wrapped after nine days of TV and Film premieres with The Idea of You, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, closing out the festival. The fest ran from March 8-16.
The SXSW Film & TV Festival Narrative Feature Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Design Awards, and Special Awards announced the winners on Wednesday, March 13 at the Paramount Theatre with Bob Trevino Likes It, directed by Tracie Layman, winning the Narrative Feature Competition. Grand Theft Hamlet, Directed by Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane won in the Documentary Feature Competition category.
Fresh from his Oscars performance of “I’m Just Ken,” Barbie star, Ryan Gosling, made an appearance at the world premiere of David Leitch’s, The Fall Guy on Tuesday, March 12. The ensemble cast included Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Winston Duke, and Stephanie Hsu among others, who attended the premiere.
Ryan Gosling stars as Colt, a stuntman who, after a near-career-ending accident,...
The SXSW Film & TV Festival Narrative Feature Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Design Awards, and Special Awards announced the winners on Wednesday, March 13 at the Paramount Theatre with Bob Trevino Likes It, directed by Tracie Layman, winning the Narrative Feature Competition. Grand Theft Hamlet, Directed by Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane won in the Documentary Feature Competition category.
Fresh from his Oscars performance of “I’m Just Ken,” Barbie star, Ryan Gosling, made an appearance at the world premiere of David Leitch’s, The Fall Guy on Tuesday, March 12. The ensemble cast included Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Winston Duke, and Stephanie Hsu among others, who attended the premiere.
Ryan Gosling stars as Colt, a stuntman who, after a near-career-ending accident,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
“I’m not paid to be a crime detective,” says Jasper when his colleagues in the the postal centre hand him a bloodstained note from someone claiming to have been kidnapped. But given what we see him achieve, getting lost mail to its destination based on just a tiny handful of clues, he certainly has the skills.
Dead Mail is not, in fact, a true crime drama, despite the updates on characters at the end and despite its scuzzy appearance. It might be accused of doing a bit of a Fargo, but it goes about it in its own special way, not with wild claims but with detailed recreation of period and style. Everything here looks grimy, as if the film itself had been lying around in poor conditions for years, and colours and patterns are artfully mismatched. The story unfurls in non-linear fashion and is further complicated by the very.
Dead Mail is not, in fact, a true crime drama, despite the updates on characters at the end and despite its scuzzy appearance. It might be accused of doing a bit of a Fargo, but it goes about it in its own special way, not with wild claims but with detailed recreation of period and style. Everything here looks grimy, as if the film itself had been lying around in poor conditions for years, and colours and patterns are artfully mismatched. The story unfurls in non-linear fashion and is further complicated by the very.
- 3/13/2024
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Obsession and profound loneliness drive writers/directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy’s lo-fi psychological thriller, Dead Mail. On paper, the premise reads like a familiar crime tale, yet the filmmakers’ execution quickly proves Dead Mail to be anything but conventional. A reinvention of the ‘80s aesthetic, a deft genre blend, and intimate empathy afforded to all of its unique characters make this retro form experiment a fascinating watch.
A bound and bloody man, Josh (Sterling Macer Jr.), manages to crawl out of a house on an empty Illinois street and shove a bloodied letter into the mailbox before his captor drags him kicking and screaming back inside. That letter finds its way to the desk of post office worker Jasper (Tomas Boykin), a skilled investigator of “dead mail.” Jasper’s investigation of the letter coincides with the arrival of Trent (John Fleck) at the men’s center where he resides,...
A bound and bloody man, Josh (Sterling Macer Jr.), manages to crawl out of a house on an empty Illinois street and shove a bloodied letter into the mailbox before his captor drags him kicking and screaming back inside. That letter finds its way to the desk of post office worker Jasper (Tomas Boykin), a skilled investigator of “dead mail.” Jasper’s investigation of the letter coincides with the arrival of Trent (John Fleck) at the men’s center where he resides,...
- 3/11/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
When a mysterious bloody plea for help ends up in the dead letter office of a rural post office, the inspector on site becomes determined to find its origin, leading him down a deadly road in writer/directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy’s new lo-fi thriller Dead Mail. Opening with a desperate man crawling toward the postal box with a hastily scribbled, somewhat vague note covered in blood in what appears to be a last-ditch effort to free himself and quickly circling back on itself, there’s nothing common or expected about Dead Mail. The message makes its way through chatty long-timers Ann (Micki Jackson) and Bess (Susan Priver) in the sorting room en route to missing mail guru, Jasper (Tomas Boykin). Jasper has a knack for...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 3/9/2024
- Screen Anarchy
From its first frames, “Dead Mail” feels dangerous.
Grainy footage shows a chained man desperately crawling out of a house to a mailbox, trying to mail a blood-soaked letter alerting someone to his address. Hazy synth notes dot the soundtrack. As he flees in terror, the film looks grainy and warm, something you’d stumble on in an insomniac haze on the high-numbered cable channels.
That nostalgic vibe was what inspired filmmakers Kyle McConaghy and Joe DeBoer, who wrote and directed “Dead Mail.” Despite the nightmarish opening, the action then moves to the titular department inside a Midwest post office, with a set that looks pulled straight from the ’80s. But this isn’t the neon-drenched ’80s that filmmakers often fetishize, but an era filled with neutral tones, drab interiors and carpets that look saturated with cigarette smoke.
“The big thing was finding locations that felt right, props that we...
Grainy footage shows a chained man desperately crawling out of a house to a mailbox, trying to mail a blood-soaked letter alerting someone to his address. Hazy synth notes dot the soundtrack. As he flees in terror, the film looks grainy and warm, something you’d stumble on in an insomniac haze on the high-numbered cable channels.
That nostalgic vibe was what inspired filmmakers Kyle McConaghy and Joe DeBoer, who wrote and directed “Dead Mail.” Despite the nightmarish opening, the action then moves to the titular department inside a Midwest post office, with a set that looks pulled straight from the ’80s. But this isn’t the neon-drenched ’80s that filmmakers often fetishize, but an era filled with neutral tones, drab interiors and carpets that look saturated with cigarette smoke.
“The big thing was finding locations that felt right, props that we...
- 3/9/2024
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
"The one to strike fear is the man who is alone." An early festival promo teaser has debuted for the indie horror thriller film titled Dead Mail, the second feature from indie genre filmmakers Joe DeBoer & Kyle McConaghy (also of Bab in 2020). This is premiering at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival soon and this trailer will give genre fans an early look at what's going down in this. Though all of this footage just makes me even more confused - who is this guy and why is he chained up in this room?! An ominous help note finds its way to a 1980s post office, connecting a dead letter investigator to a kidnapped keyboard technician. As Jasper investigates further, he meets Trent, a strange yet unassuming man who has taken up residence at the men’s home where Jasper lives and has an interest in this letter. The indie film stars Sterling Macer, Jr.,...
- 3/8/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
One of the genre films we’re looking forward to checking out at SXSW this year is Dead Mail, written and directed by Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy and premiering on March 9.
A new teaser and key art has debuted ahead of the fest, giving a closer look at the ’80s analog aesthetic.
In the SXSW 2024 horror film…
“On a desolate, Midwestern county road, a bound man crawls towards a remote postal box, managing to slide a blood-stained plea-for-help message into the slot before a panicking figure closes in behind him. The note makes its way to the county post office and onto the desk of Jasper, a seasoned and skilled “dead letter” investigator, responsible for investigating lost mail and returning it to its sender. As he investigates further, Jasper meets Trent, a strange yet unassuming man who has taken up residence at the men’s home where Jasper lives.
A new teaser and key art has debuted ahead of the fest, giving a closer look at the ’80s analog aesthetic.
In the SXSW 2024 horror film…
“On a desolate, Midwestern county road, a bound man crawls towards a remote postal box, managing to slide a blood-stained plea-for-help message into the slot before a panicking figure closes in behind him. The note makes its way to the county post office and onto the desk of Jasper, a seasoned and skilled “dead letter” investigator, responsible for investigating lost mail and returning it to its sender. As he investigates further, Jasper meets Trent, a strange yet unassuming man who has taken up residence at the men’s home where Jasper lives.
- 3/8/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
One of the genre films we’re looking forward to checking out at SXSW this year is Dead Mail, written and directed by Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy and premiering on March 9.
Meagan Navarro will be reviewing Dead Mail for Bloody Disgusting as part of her SXSW coverage, and she writes in her preview for the upcoming fest: “Dead Mail leans heavily into the ’80s analog aesthetic, delivering a unique crime thriller unafraid to get offbeat with its dark narrative. Expect its characters to be as atypical as Dead Mail‘s sense of style.”
In the SXSW 2024 horror film…
“On a desolate, Midwestern county road, a bound man crawls towards a remote postal box, managing to slide a blood-stained plea-for-help message into the slot before a panicking figure closes in behind him. The note makes its way to the county post office and onto the desk of Jasper, a seasoned and skilled “dead letter” investigator,...
Meagan Navarro will be reviewing Dead Mail for Bloody Disgusting as part of her SXSW coverage, and she writes in her preview for the upcoming fest: “Dead Mail leans heavily into the ’80s analog aesthetic, delivering a unique crime thriller unafraid to get offbeat with its dark narrative. Expect its characters to be as atypical as Dead Mail‘s sense of style.”
In the SXSW 2024 horror film…
“On a desolate, Midwestern county road, a bound man crawls towards a remote postal box, managing to slide a blood-stained plea-for-help message into the slot before a panicking figure closes in behind him. The note makes its way to the county post office and onto the desk of Jasper, a seasoned and skilled “dead letter” investigator,...
- 3/6/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
The latest edition of the SXSW Film Festival kicks off later this week in Austin, Texas, unleashing an expansive slate of film programming an experiences- emphasis on expansive. For the horror fan, the fest offers so much more beyond the Midnighter programming section, and this SXSW 2024 preview guide should help.
The 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival’s Opening Night TV Premiere is the highly anticipated Netflix series 3 Body Problem created, executive produced and written by Emmy Award winners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and Emmy Award nominee Alexander Woo. The Midnighter category includes buzzy titles like Samara Weaving-starring Azrael and Sundance favorite It’s What’s Inside. The fest’s Headliner section comes packed with highly anticipated titles like Immaculate, Cuckoo, and Arcadian. But all of this only scratches the surface of titles to get excited about.
Whether you’re heading to Austin this week or keeping track...
The 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival’s Opening Night TV Premiere is the highly anticipated Netflix series 3 Body Problem created, executive produced and written by Emmy Award winners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and Emmy Award nominee Alexander Woo. The Midnighter category includes buzzy titles like Samara Weaving-starring Azrael and Sundance favorite It’s What’s Inside. The fest’s Headliner section comes packed with highly anticipated titles like Immaculate, Cuckoo, and Arcadian. But all of this only scratches the surface of titles to get excited about.
Whether you’re heading to Austin this week or keeping track...
- 3/4/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
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