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Most Hated Movies: Death Do Us Part DVD Review

     Actors: Peter Benson, Julia Benson, Christine Chatelain, Emilie Ullerup
  • Director: Nicholas Humphries
  • Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
  • Language: English
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: R (Restricted)
  • Studio: ANCHOR BAY
  • DVD Release Date: April 15, 2014
  • Run Time: 89 minutes


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            Would a bride really take her wedding dress along for a joint bachelor/bachelorette celebration in the wilderness, far from any location that the actual event will be held? Would said bride randomly decide to put the dress on once the party has begun in the remote cabin in the woods? Should the audience expect the kind of logic that would explain these actions in a poorly made slasher film such as Death Do Us Part? The answer to all questions is clearly no, but a lapse in logic is not what makes this such a poorly constructed horror film. It is everything else makes this film terrible, which subsequently makes the lack of intelligence in the filmmaking all the more unforgivable.

     


            Kennedy Jamieson (Julie Benson) is that bride-to-be, happily determined to marry Ryan Harris (Peter Benson) despite the obvious problems in their relationship. Ryan is sleeping with Kennedy’s sister, which is quickly discovered by Kennedy’s best friend upon arriving at the cabin. When members of the party begin showing up dead, there are many motives to consider and a cabin full of unsavory characters capable of the crime. The only thing missing from the equation is a protagonist deserving of survival and filmmaking that makes any of what happens the least bit compelling. Even the question of the real culprit is not enough to keep Death Do Us Part compelling, and this fault falls nearly entirely at the feet of director Nicholas Humphries and actors pretending to be screenwriters so that they can beef up their own roles in the project.

     

            I can appreciate the desire to make movies with people that we like, as well as I can understand the urge to orchestrate the projects in order to establish further involvement, but the filmmaking process of Death Do Us Part appears to have turned a blind eye to all logic and quality entertainment in favor of a shitty film nobody in the production could feel entirely comfortable criticizing. When the two main stars are also the screenwriters, there is somewhat of a conflict in interest. This could be prevented if the control was limited there, but add a producer credit and the fact that these two actors/“screenwriters” are also married and there is no way that anyone on set would have the freedom to tell them what a bad idea the entire endeavor is.

     

            I’ve talked a great deal about why this film failed, but less about what makes it a failure because there are too many reasons. All of the sadly constructed horror sequences are dull and unsatisfying, nearly as much as the acting by the entire nepotistic cast. There are no thrills, barely enough blood and carnage to call this a slasher, and a pathetic twist ending that seems to be all that this 89-minute-long atrocity is leaning on. The filmmakers should have realized that this “surprise” ending would not have been strong enough to make enduring a short film worthwhile, much less a full-length feature. The DVD has a sad behind-the-scenes featurette as its solitary special feature.

     


    How Hated List


    Acting: 9/10

    Direction: 10/10

    Story: 9/10

    Dialogue: 10/10

    Characters: 10/10

     
     
    1= a little hated            5=Hated plenty         10=Get the f*&^ out of here!




     
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