Elric Kane’s The Dead Thing premiered at 2024’s Fantasia International Film Festival and THN immediately fell under its spell. The film presents a fascinating commentary on modern dating as it follows one young woman as she finds herself literally ghosted by one of her dates. Given its exploration of relationships, it is only fitting then that The Dead Thing lands onto streaming platform, Shudder, this Valentine’s Day.
Alex (Blu Hunt) is trapped in a downward spiral of shallow hook-ups and tepid connections, but she is caught off guard when her dating app swipes lead her into the arms of a mysterious, charming young man, Kyle (Ben Smith-Petersen). Despite their passionate night, when the sun rises, the mystery man is nowhere to be found. Alex then sets out to find the one person who made her feel alive. Through her investigation, she reconnects with Kyle, but also digs up a ghastly supernatural secret. The pair quickly descend into a whirlwind of obsession, dependence, lust, and infatuation that has grave consequences.
In our four star review of Elric Kane’s The Dead Thing we described it as a film for fans of Nina Forever and Bad Match, and commended it as “an elegant exploration of modern dating that isn’t afraid to highlight just how toxic these encounters can become”. After briefly speaking with Elric Kane on the FrightFest Media Wall, we jumped at the chance to delve deeper into the creation of The Dead Thing, not only with Kane, but also his stars, Blu Hunt and Ben Smith-Petersen. Our conversation covered the fun of perverting the Richard Linklater formula, what it was about Alex and Kyle that drew Blu and Ben in, and why, despite its less than positive outlook of love, The Dead Thing is a great film to watch this Valentine’s Day.
The Dead Thing is released on Shudder worldwide from Friday 14th February 2025.
