A Horrible Way to Die

R

2010

1h 25m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

List

60%

10 Reviews

Tomatometer

34%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

An escaped killer pursues his ex-girlfriend who has fled to start a new life.

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Audience Member

It should be titled “A Horrible Way To Make A Movie.” Who the hell did they find to work the cameras? They spend a considerable amount of time out of focus, and during dialogue, when the cameras would normally be focused on the actors converting, these guys are shaking the camera up and down and left and right, enough to make some people sick. The movie itself is decent enough, and has an interesting story. But it’s executed in a very unorganized way that means you often wonder when certain events are taking place. The movie focuses on the life of a girl and her ex-abusive boyfriend who escaped from prison as he starts making his way to her, leaving bodies in his path everywhere he goes. It goes between the girl trying to rebuild her life in a new secret location, and the boyfriend as he travels towards her. But when it goes back to the boyfriend, you never really know exactly where in the journey you are, because it skips back and forth to different parts of his journey, and the only clue as to when it is rests on his beard being shaved off in some scenes, which must take place after those when he has a full beard. It would’ve made more sense and been easier to understand if they had just kept the events to the story in order. And they never really even indicate how it is he is able to find her and know where to go either. There’s a lot of frustrating holes in the story, and it could’ve been done much better. First thing, of course, they should’ve fired their camera people and hired people who don’t suck and can actually hold a camera steady, as well as keep focus. There’s very few moments where the camera is steady and not like a 6 year old was filming.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It was a bit difficult to follow. Not Adam Wingards best work.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Horrible way to loose your precious time!!!. No argument; shots are bad, as if they had been filmed on a cell phone. Really bad!!!!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Original Rating: 3.25* After 2nd Watch: 4.0* What a great movie. I didn't remember anything until Act 3. And wow what a ride. It's not a jump scare & loud bangs/screams kind of movie... it's the subject matter and how things play out which makes this a great movie. I don't want to give anything away so pls just trust me when I say that this one of those "different" kinds of horror movies. They use different filming techniques and the narrative is not as simple as 1+2=3. You go on a journey with this movie. And everything leads up to a great ending. The acting is good, the plot is amazing and best of all, it's how the events play out in front of you which makes this movie so good. Just do yourself a favour and watch this. I can't see you being disappointed. 3.25* It's a good horror with a great ending. There's suspense as you follow along, wondering how things are going to play out. It's got a rather mild, but creepy, acts 1 and 2, before act 3 really delivers the goods. You're not going to be scared by this but you will be intrigued especially bc of how everything plays out. I would rec this horror for fans of the genre.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Yes, the unsteady camera is on purpose. A writer/director as skilled as Wingard is going to make sure you see exactly what he wants you to see. I have my own interpretation(s) for the blurry/often close shots. Horror movies are too often experienced as just recliner-popcorn entertainment. Think about digging into this one a little deeper.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A horrible way to spend 90 minutes...? ahyuk yuk yuk. It's some good atmosphere, and some of the interactions are cool, but ultimately it just drags way to much, with not enough payoff.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

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Adam Wingard

Director

AJ Bowen

Garrick Turrell

Amy Seimetz

Sarah

Joe Swanberg

Kevin

Brandon Carroll

Rusty

Lane Hughes

Reed

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Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

A restrained, ripely atmospheric thriller that relies more on mood than on special effects.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 18, 2011

Full Review

Sam Adams

AV Club

The scrambled timeline seems like an effort to disguise a paucity of original ideas. It'll be interesting to see what Wingard can do when he actually gets hold of some.

Rated: C+

Aug 18, 2011

Full Review

Kalvin Henely

Slant Magazine

As a horror movie that feels more like a mumblecore drama that a serial killer passes through, it's deaf to its own shifting tones.

Rated: 1.5/4

Aug 15, 2011

Full Review

Naila Scargill

Exquisite Terror

A non-linear approach wears thin, initial intrigue giving way to frustration as the story continually dances away with the cuts.

Feb 28, 2019

Full Review

Deirdre Crimmins

Film Thrills

This is not the easiest film to just sit back and soak in, but it is very satisfying to do the work.

Aug 21, 2018

Full Review

Anton Bitel

Projected Figures

offers a visual restraint and a melancholic lyricism that make it quite unlike anything else in the otherwise overcrowded serial killer genre... a story of love and death, addiction and self-control, the wages of sin and the long road to redemption.

Sep 6, 2011

Full Review

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Synopsis

An escaped killer pursues his ex-girlfriend who has fled to start a new life.

Director: Adam Wingard
Producer: Zak Zeman
Screenwriter: Simon Barrett
Production Co: Snowfort Pictures
Rating: R (Language|Disturbing Images|Disturbing Bloody Violence|Nudity|Some Sexuality)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 9, 2012
Runtime: 1h 25m

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