Dead Mail is one of those films that the less you know the better it is on a first watch. I had the opportunity to watch this movie during the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival this year. The film comes from a duo director consisting of Joe DeBoer, Kyle McConaghy. Check out the log line for the movie below:

“An ominous help note finds its way to a 1980s post office, connecting a dead letter investigator to a kidnapped keyboard technician.”

I will tell you as soon as you start the film the creepiness starts to fill up the screen. A man crawls to a nearby mail box to put a bloody note with a cry for help. Their kidnapper runs to get them but its too late as the note made it in. I was just baffled at how much of the mood was already set a couple minutes in. What we see next is one of the most unnerving and weird movies I’ve seen all year. It’s shot in a way that it feels like it’s a lost media type film from the 80’s that everyone forgot about. The dread this adds to the final product is unreal and truly what sets it apart this year.

Tomas Boykin who plays the character of Jasper is one of the most unforgettable characters in the film. There’s a demeanor to his performance that really elevates the film. He is calm and quiet but also ahead of everyone else. Jasper is a dead mail investigator, and he is trying to solve the mystery of where this bloody letter came from. It’s easy to feel connected to Jasper as a common man just trying to do the right thing. John Fleck as Trent is one of those performances I won’t stop thinking about all year. It’s such an unnerving and also tragic role he plays as Trent. I won’t elaborate much on it but I will tell you there’s certain scenes he manages to evoke so many emotions with little dialogue.

Dead Mail for the most part is a pretty quiet movie with the added synths though makes it creepy. The synths are part of the overall theme of the film. I really liked how the synths were felt throughout the movie. I do feel the movie can feel a bit weak in its third act as it rushes to its ending. The first half was really well paced and kept you intrigued but by the end it feels like we just need to find a way out. I would have been okay with a couple of more minute to flesh out some of the new characters with screen time. The last few minutes of the film were however what brought it back for me. It was such a horrific and tragic ending that left me speechless.

All in all, Dead Mail is truly a remarkable and unforgettable movie that has me excited to see what everyone involved does next. It’s one of the best horror movies of the year and I’m excited to give it another watch. If you’re looking for a great mood setting of creepiness, then Dead Mail is that movie for you.