Review by Ben Bussey
Towards the end of this film, one of the few surviving characters asks another whether or not fate, destiny or whatever might have played a role in the preceding events, to which the other succinctly replies, “I think shit happens, and then you die.” In a way, this exchange quite neatly sums up I Didn’t Come Here To Die. Far from the painfully formulaic slasher which you might expect based on the official artwork (in particular the god-awful hack job used in the US), Bradley Scott Sullivan’s debut feature is a fun, witty and inventive twist on the stereotypical backwoods horror, managing to subvert expectation even whilst adhering to that most fundamental horror movie principle: everything that can go wrong will go wrong.
A ragtag bunch of mismatched, college-age kids head out into an ultra-remote location in the wilderness, about fifty miles from civilisation with – wait for it – no cellphone reception whatsoever. As part of a brilliantly-named volunteer group (I won’t ruin the gag here), the six of them are there to build a camp where disadvantaged youngsters can come for one of those once-in-a-lifetime great outdoors experience things. All very noble. Of course, guidelines dictate no alcohol, hanky panky or any other such naughty behaviour. Naturally, our young protagonists aren’t ones to toe the line too closely, in particular the wild-haired, muscle-shirted Chris (cover boy Niko Red Star). And we all know how it goes: as soon as you break the rules, bad things happen. Given they’re out in the middle of nowhere, equipped with axes and chainsaws they only just about know how to use, how could things not go wrong? Still, the threat here isn’t so simple as a power tool-wielding maniac. It’s more a string of accidents and mistakes that sees things go from bad, to worse, to much worse. So, is it just a case of shit happening, or is it something more? Well, if it is something more, it would seem fate definitely does have a cruel sense of humour.
In a recent interview at Ain’t It Cool News, Sullivan confessed to being a little anxious as to how his film – which first screened in festivals almost two years ago – would hold up in the aftermath of the comedic horror films that have come since, in particular Tucker and Dale Versus Evil, which runs a similar line in accidental death played as much for laughs as shocks. His concerns are not entirely unfounded, but overall I Didn’t Come Here To Die is a pretty different kettle of fish. Where Tucker and Dale was ultimately a broad comedy with added gore (not a criticism), this is a more even balance of humour, drama and viscera. As is also noted at AICN, there’s a certain similarity to The Cabin in the Woods in that, while it doesn’t directly make reference to specific films like all those damn 90s slashers did, I Didn’t Come Here To Die does knowingly play on genre convention and audience expectation. We’re well aware that death is coming for most if not all of these young scallywags, we just don’t quite know how or in what order, or indeed why. Obviously it’s tricky to discuss further without venturing into Spoilerville, but in I Didn’t Come Here To Die the very pointlessness of it all does rather seem to be the point. It’s not exactly an exercise in outright nihilism, as there is a clear logic to what’s going on, which might imply something supernatural at work. It isn’t that fate/God/the universe/whatever is indifferent to these people – it’s actively working against them. That description probably makes it all sound a bit Final Destination, but that’s not quite the vibe of this film either. It really is its own thing.
Clearly a very low budget affair, the film uses its limited resources to far better effect than many. The DV photography has a nicely grainy effect, and the sound quality is very good considering it was all shot on location; there’s none of that persistent background hiss we often get from the microbudgets. That said, the use of digital trickery in the night scenes (it appears they shot day-for-night and digitally darkened the image in post-production) is obvious and a little jarring, and there are instances of the now near-obligatory Grindhouse shaky projector effects which – while thankfully sporadic – also feel a tad overfamiliar (surely another disadvantage of the film having sat on the shelf for two years).
However, one element of the film which is definitely above average for its level is the cast, all of whom turn in good performances. The UK cover art sells Niko Red Star as the central attraction, and fair enough, as his somewhat Jack Nicholson-esque turn does come close to stealing the movie, although it does feel like he’s showboating a bit much at times. As befits the whole playing-with-convention angle, the characters broadly fit existing archetypes without pandering to them; Jeremy Vandermause’s Steve is the dim one without being a complete village idiot, whilst Emmy Robbin’s Sophia is the sexy one without being a bimbo, and so on and so forth. Relationships develop in interesting and unexpected ways as successive characters are taken out of the loop, and the fun lies in never quite knowing how things will proceed, until the final scene brings it all full circle quite beautifully. And of course, most vitally for a film of this nature, the gore gags are brilliantly conceived, staged and executed, with tremendous timing.
This is not to suggest I Didn’t Come Here To Die is necessarily any kind of trailblazing masterwork, however. You may have noticed the review quotes on the cover and in the trailer excitedly likening Sullivan’s film to Evil Dead and Texas Chainsaw, but I really don’t think it’s in quite that league; Cabin Fever may be a more apt point of reference, and not only for its slasher-without-actual-killer angle. It’s a fun concept, but it’s hardly going to redefine the genre, nor is it ever particularly scary. It also feels a bit meandering at times; even though it clocks in at barely 75 minutes there are a few moments which feel like they belong in the deleted scenes, in particular a lengthy dialogue exchange in the final minutes. Even so, I Didn’t Come Here To Die definitely marks out Bradley Scott Sullivan as a director of considerable potential. Clearly this is a filmmaker who knows, loves and understands the genre, and we’ve seen directors who have gone on to tremendous success from less impressive débuts than this.
In short – no, I Didn’t Come Here To Die doesn’t completely rewrite the rulebook, but it’s making notable efforts to do something different whilst delivering everything we expect from a good backwoods splatter movie. It might not change the game, but it’s well worth your time, and its writer-director is most definitely one to watch out for.
I Didn’t Come Here To Die is out now on Region 1 DVD and VOD via Millenium Entertainment, and comes to Region 2 DVD on 15th April from Second Sight Entertainment.
NOTE: Since this review came online, the official cover art has changed again. Sigh…