I'll Take Your Dead (2018) User Reviews (72)

Starts strong, but becomes largely generic by the end

[grim2005 · 5/10 · 5 May 2019]

I'll Take Your Dead is the story of a widowed man who lives with his daughter and makes money by disposing of dead bodies for people. Unfortunately one of the dead bodies given to him by a client isn't dead, which becomes quite a problem for him.

The movie started out well. The concept is interesting, the atmosphere is nice and unsettling, and the daughter was great, but unfortunately it mostly derails by the end.

The main problem with the movie is that the story ends up devolving into a story we've seen many times before, about a guy in a shady line of work who is presented with a difficult decision, chooses to do the right thing, and then has to defend himself against the consequences of that decision.

In addition to this, the daughter loses her morbid nature part way through the film, which makes her less interesting. The choice to open the film with narration that lets you know that not everyone will survive was also a poor choice, ruining the tension towards the end of the film, as it's not very difficult to guess who's going to die. The movie also has a small supernatural element to it, but I felt it was not used particularly well.

It's not a bad film, but it's hard to recommend that anybody go out of their way to see it. But if you want something a little unsettling to watch, you could do worse than this movie.

Disappointed with the ending

[climbyourarms · 7/10 · 18 June 2019]

It was obvious from the start that the ending was not going to be a happy one and it didn't let me down.

I am a huge fan of a father daughter story, probably because I lost my wife a little over a year ago to leukemia and have a six year old girl myself. So, with that said, maybe this is a little too personal for me.

Ava Preston did a terrific job, her role was morbid but later evolved into the tropish teenage girl which was disappointing. The fact that William dies because he is trying to save the life of someone he doesn't know, and in turn Jackie, whose relationship with Gloria consists of brief bonding over their period left me heart broken. Jackie was totally unworthy. William should not have died for her, and perhaps that is what makes this story good in that nothing ever works out the way you would hope.

I suppose it would have been total pandering to the audience to have William survive and he drives off into the sunset with his daughter, but I guess with my surprising personal connection to events in this story I wanted it even more.

Not a horror - more thriller

[karentindale · 5/10 · 12 March 2020]

Not the most amazing film I've ever seen but certainly not the worst and was entertaining enough to watch the full thing. The acting was pretty good. Especially Gloria. I liked the concept although it didn't all quite pull together tightly, with the strong gang crime versus supernatural themes-ike the film wasn't sure which it wanted to be/wanted to be a bit of everything, but overall a good effort.

Unusual script well played!!

[annieryanhall · 7/10 · 21 July 2019]

Keeps you interested in the story and characters! Awesome child Actress! Lovely consistent love between well-played Father and daughter. Strong characters from entire cast.

Brave partial failure

[volcaniccustard · 6/10 · 11 May 2019]

This movie tries to be a mash-up of several genres that all have strong followings - part family drama, part vigilante/crime, part horror. With all 3 genres sadly tired and worn of late, in my humble opinion, this was at least trying to change the groove. So I have to congratulate the audacity in the undertaking of what is a low budget production. The acting is incredibly good for a movie of this scale, and the drama element is well written in developing a credible story around the 3 main characters. However, it was always going to be a struggle to weave the horror and vigilante violence seamlessly and believably, and here it did suffer from a lack of tighter, careful direction. Like some other reviewers, there was a nagging "could have been better" when the credits rolled. But that also respects the challenge that the makers had before them and the ingenuity of the story - where a significant amount was a success. 6/10

Would be better without cheap horror sideline...

[tchitouniaram · 5/10 · 8 July 2019]

Would be better without cheap horror sideline... Like a horror it is not good,but criminal thriller could have been much better!

Combination of slasher, zombie, action and horror films all rolled into one

[dar0417 · 7/10 · 7 August 2019]

I rated this higher since it was a great combination of slasher, zombie, action and horror films all rolled into one. The premise is as weird as you can get but the acting and story work. The ending did not sit right with me.

A horror drama

[kjjames81 · 4/10 · 5 May 2019]

Watched this earlier today, so the opening scenes think that your going to get a Saw style film with the gore, you don't. This film played out more of a drama with horror injected into the story more than an out and out horror movie. The story is okay, the Gore is almost non existent, it is very mild. The typical gangsters make it look more cheap than what the film would have liked it to be. So maybe you think that I hated it, no really it wasn't that bad. There were some good points in it, the acting was above par for this style of film, well some of it. Worth a watch but don't expect an above average movie.

Keeps you entertained

[exiled_human · 7/10 · 14 July 2020]

Interesting Concept , keeps you hitched... not bad for a horror and thriller both. emotionally touching.

Doesn't make sense

[joethegreek-32742 · 4/10 · 4 May 2019]

Daft story would of been better if they just kept the storyline without people coming back from the dead

More drama than horror

[subfarmia · 9/10 · 21 September 2019]

If you are wanting a gore-fest horrifying thriller this is not your movie. This is more of a drama. I think that is why it got so many bad reviews. People were hoping for Saw like gore but it is a more of a human character study that is sometimes touching.

After reading this movie's description on my cable guide I tuned in just out of curiosity and watched the end of the movie expecting to see some cheap gore-fest. . I was very pleasantly surprised to find it to be very interesting and exceedingly well acted. It isn't often someone comes up with a unique story that no one had thought of yet nowadays. The description of this movie does not do it justice. It is a story of a father's love for his child set in a backdrop of horror. Aidan Devine plays the father with true strength and heart with truly authentic emotion. The breakout performance though was Ava Preston. She was amazing. At times I was disturbed that such a young girl was sent through such extreme emotion. She is going to be someone to be watched. I loved her performance and hope this movie has a sequel. It is very rare I immediately watch a movie a second time but this movie was great and I liked it more the second time I saw it. .

Flawed, but not really bad

[KawaiiKiwi · 6/10 · 17 May 2019]

I was on the edge about watching this, the reviews not being very glorious so far. I decided to watch it anyway because I like the movie's poster and I can say that while it wasn't amazing, I enjoyed it and thought it was a fairly good movie, with some flaws. Firstly, it's quite hard to categorize this movie, as it tries to be many different genres, starting from a supernatural horror, then a crime-thriller, then Misery, then a drama, then a home invasion. It's quite the mixed bag there and while it does work at times, there are other times where it feels like the movie overwhelmed itself. For example the little girl starts out as creepy, but suddenly turns stupid half-way through. That's not really a tight script, for a movie that relies entirely on 2-3 characters. Then there's the ghosts, and they feel out of place. What is the movie really trying to be?? However, despite these shortcomings I thought it was fairly enjoyable and decent, if you like slower movies about only a few characters, and are not expecting a horror movie. It definitely is more of a crime-thriller with some drama and ghosts (for whatever reason). I think it would have been better received if they got rid of the ghosts entirely.

Horror Movie Fans Avoid

[politehere · 3/10 · 4 May 2019]

Clearly, the raving reviews and the high score are both fake. This movie would be a difficult watch for those who go in expecting to see a horror film, because this is clearly NOT a horror movie, despite the opening scene being promising. Throwing in a few ridiculous dead people with white eyes for a few seconds (one minute at most) does not a horror movie make. This movie is drama with a little bit of gunfight. The story is original, but there is a high probability that you will get bored to death waiting for the credits to roll. The acting is admittedly good, but that is not enough to satisfy the desires of those who want to see a horror movie. They could have at least used some jump scares or some suspenseful music score. The ending is depressing and doesn't make much sense. Change the category to Drama / Crime / Fantasy and I might consider giving it a 5, but as a horror movie, it doesn't even deserve a 1, because it's not a horror movie and does not even make an effort to be one, so I'm going to give it a fair score of 3. 1 for the story, 1 for good acting, and 1 for not being overly long.

Not bad

[kathmummybear · 6/10 · 12 March 2020]

Good but not great. I enjoyed it but felt something was missing definitely worth a watch

Good film that would have been excellent

[ebookgamer · 7/10 · 5 May 2019]

Fantastic acting. Good film deserves 7/10, but having ghosts in it stopped me giving it 10/10. I wish they remade it without the ghosts. They ruined the main story, and looked cheap. Shame. Otherwise perfect acting from all.

reviews from the cast and crew.

[raynick · 3/10 · 3 May 2019]

I think most of these reviews were written straight from the cast and crew. Definitely not an 8 star rated movie..not even close. The storyline had the potential to be great, but it's packed full of holes that don't make sense. The movie is very forgettable if you can even get through it in the first place without losing Interest. Don't let these fake reviews fool you and watch this only if you have nothing else.

A tidy thriller that pushes a bit too hard

[thekarmicnomad · 7/10 · 15 May 2019]

A man who is obliged to dispose of bodies for gangsters is left in a dilemma when one of the corpses is still alive.

First off this film is mostly people sitting around talking. The moments of horror and action are few and far between - so if this is what you are expecting (the trailer is ambiguous) give this a miss.

As a character study this is pretty good. The principal three actors give great performances. Especially the little girl who is both vulnerable and creepy as hell.

Not an awful lot happens in this movie but then with such a small scope it doesn't need to.

The direction and camera work is very good. Someone has been quite cute with the use of colour - every other shot is sprinkled with daubs of red.

As the film ramps up to a conclusion it tries to become something its not. Some elements that are handled with great dexterity at the beginning of the film are pushed clumsily to the foreground where they just don't work.

In all a solid thriller with great characters but trails off at the end.

Almost hit the mark.

[Medevi1 · 4/10 · 8 May 2019]

This movie for me was a case of mistaken identity. While classified as a horror movie, it would have been better off as a crime/drama. It has that nice gritty element that we all know and love. Initially it starts off with a real horror vibe, but quickly focuses more towards the criminal underbelly. That's where the focus should have remained. The film could have had that raw intensity of "Training Day" or "Taken", but the film losses it's moment when trying to remain a horror movie. Sadly a case of shoulda, coulda, woulda. A some what compelling storyline, although relatively predictable. Followed by a fumbled climax that seems to be grasping at straws. Coulda easily been a much better movie. I thought the cinematography was good, as well as the actors. Shoulda left the horror element out, and woulda been much better off.

A Different Take

[westsideschl · 7/10 · 4 July 2019]

The undead live in this household, are they real or just a young girl's imagination or does she bring them to life? Undead pretty stereotypical; the boiler in the basement hiding it's secrets - done many times before. The disposing of bodies in acid tub - always a good head turner, but they didn't spend much time on that hook. The gang seeking removal of bodies with the help of the disposer & daughter & the farm house setting all worked well. A little predictable; just turns into a shooter.

Silly

[WVfilmfem · 1/10 · 4 May 2019]

No compelling scenarios in this farce. All the high score reviews must be from people involved with the movie. It's just silly waste of time and money.

better than expected

[szrencsooka · 8/10 · 17 June 2019]

This film turned out to be way better as i kept going and watched until the end. recommended for a scary movie night

This would've been a 5, but one thing made me bump it to 7

[draftdubya · 7/10 · 8 July 2020]

It started off good. The second part was pretty okay. I'm thinking the 3 will be a let down. When the girl fight her boyfriend, that's when I was like "it's a 5, till she dropped the bat thinking he was dead, about to walk off, but grabbed the bat again to finish him all the way off(99% of horror movie don't do that). I had no choice but to give it two more stars.

Borrrrrrrrrrrrring

[svader · 2/10 · 4 May 2019]

Nothing happens

Daft scare attempts and poor acting

How she didn't escape I don't know as the ties on her hands were so loose

Nonsense film

Whatever u do, dont touch her colored pencils!

[TuesdayThe17th · 7/10 · 6 May 2019]

"I'll Take Your Dead" is a good new addition to the horror genre. It actually would be a drama/thriller if not for the supernatural elements, which some say was unneeded, however, I think it gave the movie the horror feel i wanted and it helps it to be uniquely original. A fan of hoodie horror, I really enjoyed the characters in this movie as there is a grit to the film. The film tries to be dark and pretty much succeeds. The film isnt exactly "scary", as it is the themes and mature subject matter that becomes increasingly creepy. The film does hold a good amount of dread and atmosphere. This is definitely Chad Archibald's best film to date as far as story telling and production value. I also really enjoyed his film "Ejecta"

I'll watch it again

[methis · 7/10 · 5 May 2019]

This flick does a good job of getting the viewer invested in the characters before putting them in a tense situation. This makes for some good old vicarious thrills. The lead villain appears to be attempting his best Heath-Ledger-as-the-Joker impersonation. Ava Preston, who plays the daughter, is remarkable. Somewhat reminiscent of a young Natalie Portman from Leon: The Professional (1994.) I won't be surprised if Ms. Preston's career mirrors that of Ms. Portman.