Play Dead (2022 film)

Last updated

Play Dead
Play Dead (2023) Poster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Patrick Lussier
Written by
  • Simon Boyes
  • Adam Mason
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMac Fisken
Edited byTommy Aagaard
Music bySteve Moore
Production
companies
Distributed by Voltage Pictures
Release dates
  • December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09)
  • January 5, 2023 (2023-01-05)(Limited release)
  • March 17, 2023 (2023-03-17)(United Kingdom)
Running time
106 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$356,840 [2] [3]

Play Dead is a 2022 American horror thriller film directed by Patrick Lussier, and written by Simon Boyes and Adam Mason. The film stars Bailee Madison and Jerry O'Connell. The film's plot follows Criminology student Chloe (Bailee Madison) who fakes her own death to break into a morgue in order to retrieve a piece of evidence that ties her younger brother to a crime gone wrong. [4] [5]

Contents

Plot

Chloe Albright, a young medical student, and her brother T.J. are being inundated with bills, their money is gone, and they’re about to lose their home – and this is just after the loss of their father. They’ve received no money from their father’s life insurance because his death was ruled as a suicide, they have medical bills to pay on top of all of their other debts, and they have nowhere to turn for a solution.

T.J., however, thinks he’s found a solution to their problems. Alongside his friend Ross, he plans to pull off a robbery armed with a fake gun. Whilst Ross enters the shop with the gun, T.J. sits behind the wheel of the car, ready to get them both out of there. But when Ross is shot by the store owner and the car comes under fire, T.J. flees. Whilst he’s confident that he’s destroyed all of the evidence linking him to the event, he realizes that there’s enough evidence on Ross’ phone to get him in trouble. So Chloe comes up with a plan. In order to get the phone before the police do, and prevent her brother going to jail, she fakes a drug overdose and gets herself sent to the coroner. But before she’s able to steal the phone and escape she realizes that she’s trapped inside the locked building with a monster, and the coroner can’t let her escape alive.

Cast

Production

In May 2022, it was announced Voltage Pictures would be pre-selling the film to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival. [6]

Reception

Phil Hoad of The Guardian gave the film three out of five stars, praising the performances of Madison and particularly O'Connell's, stating that "Play Dead benefits most from O’Connell’s astute turn as the sharpest tailored killer since Patrick Bateman going about his business with a grim sang-froid and scarily controlled violence at the slab. It’s a terrible advert for organ donation but a compact and resourceful thriller." [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloë Sevigny</span> American actress (born 1974)

Chloë Stevens Sevigny is an American actress. Known for her work in independent films, often appearing in controversial or experimental features, Sevigny is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for an Academy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Smart</span> American actress (born 1976)

Amy Lysle Smart is an American actress. Her first role in film was in Martin Kunert's anthology horror film Campfire Tales, followed by a minor part in Starship Troopers, directed by Paul Verhoeven. In 1998, Smart played a role in Dee Snider's Strangeland. She garnered widespread recognition after appearing in the mainstream teen drama Varsity Blues (1999), as well as for a recurring role as Ruby on the television series Felicity (1999–2001). Next was a lead role in the college sex comedy Road Trip (2000); she was a co-star in Jerry Zucker's ensemble comedy Rat Race (2001). She had a lead role opposite Ashton Kutcher in the sci-fi drama The Butterfly Effect (2004).

<i>Sleeping with the Enemy</i> 1991 film by Joseph Ruben

Sleeping with the Enemy is a 1991 American psychological thriller film directed by Joseph Ruben and starring Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergin, and Kevin Anderson. The film is based on Nancy Price's 1987 novel of the same name. Roberts plays a woman who fakes her own death and moves from Cape Cod to Cedar Falls, Iowa to escape from her controlling, obsessive, and abusive husband, but finds her peaceful new life interrupted when he discovers her actions and tracks her down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloë Grace Moretz</span> American actress (born 1997)

Chloë Grace Moretz is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including four MTV Movie & TV Awards, two People's Choice Awards, two Saturn Awards, and two Young Artist Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Gadon</span> Canadian actress

Sarah Lynn Gadon is a Canadian actress. She began her acting career guest-starring in a number of television series, such as Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1999), Mutant X (2002), and Dark Oracle (2004). She also worked as a voice actress on various television productions. Gadon gained recognition for her roles in David Cronenberg's films A Dangerous Method (2011), Cosmopolis (2012), and Maps to the Stars (2014). She also starred in Denis Villeneuve's thriller Enemy (2013), the period drama Belle (2013), and the action horror film Dracula Untold (2014).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bailee Madison</span> American and Canadian actress and singer (born 1999)

Bailee Madison Riley is an American and Canadian actress, singer and songwriter. Born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Madison began acting at just two weeks of age, appearing mostly in television commercials for the first few years. Her film debut, as May Belle Aarons in the fantasy drama Bridge to Terabithia (2007), brought her early praise. She gained wider acclaim for starring in the war drama film Brothers (2009), for which she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer. Madison went on to star in a number of horror and thriller films, beginning with Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010), gaining a reputation as a scream queen. She had commercial success with starring roles in the comedies Just Go with It (2011) and Parental Guidance (2012), though the critical reception of these films was mostly negative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samara Weaving</span> Australian actress and model (born 1992)

Samara Weaving is an Australian actress and model. She gained attention for her work in Australian television, appearing on the series Out of the Blue (2008) and receiving an AACTA Award nomination for playing Indi Walker on the soap opera Home and Away (2009–2013). She made her transition to Hollywood starring on the first season of the series Ash vs Evil Dead (2015).

<i>We Are What We Are</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Jorge Michel Grau

We Are What We Are is a 2010 Mexican horror film directed by Jorge Michel Grau. A stand-alone sequel to Cronos (1993), the film is about a family who, after the death of the father, try to continue on with a disturbing, ritualistic tradition. The film stars Paulina Gaitán and Daniel Giménez Cacho, the latter of whom reprises his role from Cronos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maika Monroe</span> American actress (born 1993)

Maika Monroe is an American actress. She made her film debut with the drama At Any Price (2012), and led the thriller film The Guest and the horror film It Follows, which established her as a scream queen. She starred in the thrillers Greta (2018) and Watcher (2022) as well as the horror film Longlegs (2024).

<i>Hashtag Horror</i> 2015 American film

#Horror is a 2015 American horror thriller film written and directed by Tara Subkoff, and starring Chloë Sevigny, Timothy Hutton, Natasha Lyonne, Taryn Manning, and Balthazar Getty. The plot follows a group of wealthy 7th grade girls who face a night of terror together after a social media game that twisted out of control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaz Sinclair</span> American actress (born 1994)

Jasmine Sinclair Sabino is an American film and television actress. She is known for her portrayal of Rosalind "Roz" Walker in the Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Angela in Paper Towns, Anna in When the Bough Breaks, Marie Moreau in Gen V, and various television roles.

<i>I.T.</i> (film) 2016 film

I.T. is a 2016 thriller film directed by John Moore and written by Dan Kay and William Wisher. It stars Pierce Brosnan, James Frecheville, Anna Friel, Stefanie Scott, and Michael Nyqvist and was produced by David T. Friendly and Beau St. Clair, who was Brosnan's producing partner at the production company Irish DreamTime before her death. The film was released in theaters and via video on demand in the United States on September 23, 2016, by RLJ Entertainment.

<i>A Cowgirls Story</i> 2017 American film

A Cowgirl's Story is a 2017 American drama film written and directed by Timothy Armstrong and starring Bailee Madison, Chloe Lukasiak and Pat Boone. It is the third film in the Cowgirls 'n Angels series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison Iseman</span> American actress (born 1997)

Madison Elizabeth Iseman is an American actress. She is known for starring in the CMT comedy television series Still the King (2016–2017). She is also known for appearing in the psychological thriller film Fear of Rain (2021), the fantasy adventure comedy films Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), the comedy horror film Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018), the supernatural horror film Annabelle Comes Home (2019) and the Amazon Prime Video horror television series I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021).

<i>The Strangers: Prey at Night</i> 2018 film by Johannes Roberts

The Strangers: Prey at Night is a 2018 slasher film directed by Johannes Roberts, and written by Bryan Bertino and Ben Ketai. It is the sequel to The Strangers (2008) and the second installment of The Strangers film series. The film stars Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson, Bailee Madison, and Lewis Pullman as a family vacationing at a secluded mobile home park, where they are attacked by three masked strangers.

<i>Greta</i> (2018 film) 2018 film directed by Neil Jordan

Greta is a 2018 psychological thriller film directed by Neil Jordan and written by Ray Wright and Jordan. The film stars Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Colm Feore and Stephen Rea, and follows a young woman as she befriends a lonely widow who becomes disturbingly obsessed with her.

Divide/Conquer is an American film and television production company founded in 2013 by Adam Hendricks, Greg Gilreath and John H. Lang. It is known for producing films such as Lucky, Cam, Black Christmas, Freaky, The Voyeurs, Vengeance, M3GAN and Totally Killer.

<i>Dangerous Waters</i> (2023 film) 2023 film by John Barr

Dangerous Waters is a 2023 American thriller film directed and written by John Barr. The film stars Odeya Rush, Eric Dane, Saffron Burrows, and Ray Liotta.

<i>Woman of the Hour</i> 2023 film by Anna Kendrick

Woman of the Hour is a 2023 American crime thriller film directed by Anna Kendrick in her directorial debut and written by Ian McDonald. It is based on the life of serial killer Rodney Alcala, who in 1978 appeared on the television show The Dating Game in the midst of his murder spree. The film revolves around the events of the game show and stars Kendrick as contestant Cheryl Bradshaw. It also stars Daniel Zovatto as Alcala, along with Nicolette Robinson and Tony Hale. At the time of the show, Alcala had murdered at least five women, and his appearance on the episode later earned him the nickname, "The Dating Game Killer".

<i>Influencer</i> (2022 film) 2022 American film

Influencer is a 2022 American psychological horror film directed by Kurtis David Harder, who co-wrote the movie with Tesh Guttikonda. It stars Cassandra Naud, Emily Tennant, Rory J. Saper and Sara Canning.

References

  1. ↑ "Play Dead (15)". BBFC . Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Play Dead (2022)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Play Dead (2023)". The Numbers . Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  4. ↑ Massoto, Erick (September 5, 2022). "Bailee Madison's Next Horror Movie 'Play Dead' Is So Messed Up Her Sister Walked Out". Collider. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  5. ↑ Tuna, Thomas (December 7, 2022). "'PLAY DEAD' STAR HYPES FILM, CALLS IT "REALLY HORRIFYING"". Horror News Network. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Voltage to launch Cannes sales on 'Play Dead' led by rising star Bailee Madison (exclusive)". Screendaily. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  7. ↑ Hoad, Phil (February 8, 2023). "Play Dead review – fake corpse and organ theft in thorax-cracking if implausible thriller". The Guardian . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.