129. All You Need Is Death; movie review

 

ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH

Cert 15

97 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong bloody violence, injury detail, horror, language, sex

Who knew that the Irish have mystical songs that can cast evil spells?

Well, if they do or don't, this was the unusual premise of All You Need Is Death, a low-budget horror with a decent kick.

It is the concept of writer, producer and director Paul Duane and stars Simone Collins and Charlie Maher.

They play Anna, a young singer, and Aleks, her foreign boyfriend, who traverse the country searching for folk tunes that nobody has previously recorded.

I groaned inwardly in the first moments when the film began in found footage mode, but thankfully, it settled down to conventional camera work with a bit of CCTV-etc thrown in.

There is a lucrative market for the songs Collins and Maher's characters are trying to unearth, but it takes them a while to find gold.

However, when they do, they are unprepared for the evil unleashed if the song's lyrics are written down or its tune recorded.

Indeed, they need to take more notice of the warnings that come with it.

All You Need Is Death is an unusual take on the horror genre. Its mixing of music from medieval times is an interesting touch.

However, it is let down by the dialogue, which is stilted in parts and an ending, which becomes weirder and weirder.

Perhaps I had missed something but I struggled to understand it.

That was a pity because there was real promise here and, consequently, I would like to see more of Duane's work.

Reasons to watch: Different take on horror genre

Reasons to avoid: Disappointing ending

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: Partial

Overall rating: 6.5/10

Did you know? In pre-Christian Irish culture, music is depicted as especially central and powerful. Multiple gods and goddesses perform music for entertainment and as magic. Examples include the Dagda, Lugh, Brigid, and Ogam from the Mythological Cycle. 

The final word. Paul Duane: "All You Need Is Death puts you into a very unfamiliar world, it’s much more a cosmic horror vibe of creepiness, it’s more about getting under your skin than it is about jump scares or gore." Film In Dublin

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