She Never Died

Last updated
She Never Died
She Never Died poster.jpg
Directed byAudrey Cummings
Screenplay byJason Krawczyk
Produced by
  • Zach Hagen
  • Bill Marks
  • Jennifer Mesich
Starring
CinematographyIan Macmillan
Edited byMichael P. Mason
Music byJim McGrath
Production
companies
A71 Productions
Alternate Ending Studios
Release dates
  • 19 September 2019 (2019-09-19)(Cinéfest)
  • 14 April 2020 (2020-04-14)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

She Never Died is a 2019 Canadian horror comedy film directed by Audrey Cummings and written by Jason Krawczyk. The movie is seen by critics as a follow-up sister-sequel to Krawczyk's 2015 movie He Never Died , which starred Henry Rollins, although the creator and director of the first film Krawcyzk has stated it is a remake. It is set within the same universe. [1] Krawczyk had initially intended the 2015 film to be expanded into a miniseries and follow-up film, but repurposed the script into She Never Died after the endeavor was cancelled. [2]

Contents

This iteration stars Oluniké Adeliyi in a role similar to Rollins' character Jack, playing a mysterious recluse with a hunger for human flesh and a talent for violence. Noah Dalton Danby and Michelle Nolden play the film's main antagonists, while Peter MacNeill and Kiana Madeira star as a grizzled detective and innocent bystander.

The film premiered at the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival on 19 September 2019. [3]

Plot

The film opens to a city plagued by human-trafficking, where an inhumanly strong Lacey enters to foil a late-night abduction, devouring the attacker in a flood of screams and allowing the victim to flee.

A tired and aging Detective Godfrey leaves the police station to continue his one-man investigation of a comfortably sinister character (Terrance), whom he suspects to be in charge of a trafficking operation. He takes up a surveillance post in an abandoned warehouse district where a disheveled Lacey has also been waiting for the suspect to arrive. With apparent disregard for the detective's presence, she forces entrance into the compound. Inside, a young man is being forced into a game of Russian roulette between himself and a chained dog for the entertainment of a live-streamed audience. Lacey interrupts to kill the man and savagely remove his eyes for a snack, apparently unaffected by a gunshot to the head. The man behind the camera flees to find his boss, Terrance, engaged in his own game of torture. Both returning to the scene, they find the body dismembered and the incident recorded; meanwhile, Lacey leaves frustrated, ignoring Godfrey as he enters to discover what has happened.

Similar to He Never Died , the antisocial Lacey finds refuge in a boring diner, seeking only oatmeal and tea. With Godfrey at home in disbelief, Terrance seeks to verify his own disbelief by showing the footage to his boss and sibling, Meredith. The pair, comically comfortable in their criminal enterprise, plot to capture Lacey in order to profit off of her abilities. The next day, Godfrey returns to find Lacey and the two decide to talk at the diner. Lacey is forthcoming about her cannibalistic needs that she claims to satisfy only by eating evil people – in this case, Terrance. Godfrey realises Lacey is his only hope in exacting retribution so he offers her up targets in exchange for a place to stay. Lacey promptly finds and kills two of these targets in a suspicious apartment and, after conferring with Godfrey, she returns to release their detainee, Suzzie. Though initially afraid, Suzzie follows Lacey to the diner, in awe of her abilities. The bubbly Suzzie is intent on staying with Lacey and becoming her friend, while Lacey struggles to resist the voices compelling her to kill Suzzie.

Godfrey heads off to investigate the apartment where Terrance finds and captures him, winding up strapped to a chair in the company of Meredith. After a casual conversation, she then leaves Terrance to interrogate Godfrey for Lacey's whereabouts. Terrance and a crony then track down Lacey, who is indifferent to being beaten and captured, taking her back to their compound to be heavily restrained. Suzzie, who has witnessed Lacey's abduction, seeks Godfrey's help at the police station, where only the desk sergeant is concerned enough to help; all the while, the criminal siblings are beginning to experiment on Lacey for their amusement. A concerned and reckless Suzzie finds a way into the compound, passing through a party for the rich and powerful before finding and freeing Godfrey. Together they attempt to rescue an impaled Lacey who erupts into a rage of power to decapitate Terrance and wreak havoc on the party, a rampage that concludes with Meredith being thrown off the rooftop to her death.

Much later, a retired Godfrey runs into Lacey at the laundromat. During a friendly farewell, they exchange first names, revealing Lacey to really be Lilith. After Godfrey leaves, the haunting "man in the hat" finally appears clearly to Lacey, so she addresses her frustration about immortality to him, assuming him to be God. The film ends foreboding an apocalypse, as revealed to Godfrey at home by yet another bulletproof character.

The ending shot is of four motorcycle license plates that reference the Book of Revelation and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. This was alluded to at the beginning by the "pantless" man in the cell that speaks to Godfrey.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 100% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. [4] . Ian Sedensky of Culture Crypt gave the film an 80/100, summarising it as "...an updated, unusual experience in abnormality whose mundane moments are punctuated by sparks of savage horror and slow strokes of deadpan humour." [5]

Awards

YearCeremonyCategoryNomineeResult
2019
Another Hole in the Head Genre Film FestivalAudience AwardAudrey CummingsWon
Blood in the Snow Canadian Film FestivalBest ActressOluniké AdeliyiWon
Vanguard AwardAudrey CummingsWon
New York City Horror Film FestivalBest DirectorWon
Nightmares Film Festival Best Thriller FeatureNominated
Best Cinematography FeatureIan MacmillanNominated
Best Actress FeatureOluniké AdeliyiNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilith Sternin</span> Fictional character in the series Cheers and Frasier

Lilith Sternin, M.D., Ph.D., Ed.D, A.P.A. is a fictional character on the American television sitcoms Cheers and Frasier, portrayed by Bebe Neuwirth. The character first appears as a date for Frasier Crane, though mutual hostility and discomfort causes the evening to end badly. Several months later, Lilith meets Frasier again and, with some help from Frasier's ex-fiancée, Diane Chambers, they start a romantic relationship, eventually living together, marrying, and having a son, Frederick.

<i>Along Came a Spider</i> (novel) Novel by James Patterson

Along Came a Spider is a crime thriller novel, and the first novel in James Patterson's series about forensic psychologist Alex Cross. First published in 1993, its success has led to twenty-six sequels as of 2021.

<i>Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation</i> 1990 film by Brian Yuzna

Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation is a 1990 American supernatural horror film directed by Brian Yuzna, written by Yuzna, Woody Keith, and Arthur Gorson, and starring Maud Adams, Tommy Hinkley, Allyce Beasley, Clint Howard and Neith Hunter. It focuses on a Los Angeles newspaper reporter who, while investigating the unexplained death of a woman, becomes entangled with a coven of Lilith-worshipping witches who are preparing her for a ritual on Christmas Eve. The fourth installment in the Silent Night, Deadly Night film series, it bears no resemblance to the previous films, as it drops the storyline of the Billy Chapman and Ricky Caldwell characters entirely.

<i>Sugar</i> (2004 film) 2004 romantic drama film by John Palmer

Sugar is a 2004 independent Canadian romantic drama film co-written and directed by John Palmer, and starring Andre Noble, Brendan Fehr, Marnie McPhail, Maury Chaykin, and Sarah Polley. Its plot follows a young gay man who falls in love with street hustler in Toronto. It is based on short stories by Bruce LaBruce. Noble, who received strong reviews for his performance in Sugar, died just a few weeks after the film's debut.

<i>Evil Angel</i> (film) 2009 American film

Evil Angel is a 2009 indie horror mystery film written, directed and co-produced by Richard Dutcher, starring Ving Rhames, Ava Gaudet, Kristopher Shepard and Dutcher. It was the last work of cinematographer Bill Butler before his death in 2023.

The Lunch Date is a 1989 American drama short film written and directed by Adam Davidson. In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Spooked (<i>Fear Itself</i>) 2nd episode of the 1st season of Fear Itself

"Spooked" is the second episode of the NBC horror anthology Fear Itself.

<i>The Man on the Eiffel Tower</i> 1950 film

The Man on the Eiffel Tower is a 1950 American Ansco Color film noir mystery film starring Charles Laughton, Franchot Tone, Burgess Meredith, and Robert Hutton. Ultimately directed by Meredith, it is based on the 1931 novel La Tête d'un homme by Belgian writer Georges Simenon featuring his detective Jules Maigret. The film was co-produced by Tone and Irving Allen as A&T Film Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Much of the outdoor action occurs in familiar Paris locales, including the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, and Pigalle.

"Mr. Yin Presents..." is the sixteenth and final episode of the Fourth season of Psych, and the 63rd episode in the series overall. It premiered on March 10, 2010 on USA Network in the United States. The episode serves as the season 4 finale and is the sequel to the third season's finale, "An Evening with Mr. Yang". It is an important installment in one of the series' few story arcs. A third and final installment of the Yin/Yang series, entitled "Yang 3 in 2D", aired as the fifth season finale.

<i>Killing Car</i> 1993 French film

Killing Car is a 1993 French surreal revenge thriller film directed by Jean Rollin. Starring Tiki Tsang, it centres on a mysterious woman who assassinates a number of people, while a pair of detectives follow her trail. The film pays homage to Rollin's earlier works, such as, Le frisson des vampires, Les raisins de la mort, and Fascination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilith in popular culture</span> Biblical character and figure in Jewish mythology

Lilith, a biblical character suggested to be Adam's first wife and a significant female figure from Jewish mythology, has been developed over time into distinct characters in popular culture. One writer on witches, Judika Illes, wrote, "No spirit exerts more fascination over media and popular culture than Lilith. Her appearances are genuinely too numerous to count." Lilith is one of several figures with biblical or related origins integrated into popular culture who have been titled demon.

<i>Hansel & Gretel</i> (2013 film) 2013 film by Anthony C. Ferrante

Hansel & Gretel is a 2013 American direct-to-video dark fantasy horror film produced by The Asylum and directed by Anthony C. Ferrante, starring Dee Wallace, Brent Lydic and Stephanie Greco. The film is a modern retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairytale of the same name, taking place in Candlewood, New Jersey and follows the eponymous pair of adolescent siblings who find themselves kidnapped by a cannibalistic bakery-owning witch who devours human meat as a way to rejuvenate her youth.

<i>He Never Died</i> 2015 comedy horror film

He Never Died is a 2015 Canadian/American horror comedy film that was written and directed by Jason Krawczyk. It had its world premiere on March 17, 2015 at South by Southwest and stars Henry Rollins as Jack, an immortal, cannibalistic loner who has withdrawn from society to protect both himself and others. Plans were announced to create a direct sequel and miniseries expansion following the character Jack. The script for this was later rewritten to create the 2019 film She Never Died.

<i>A Christmas Horror Story</i> 2015 Canadian film

A Christmas Horror Story is a 2015 Canadian anthology horror film directed by Grant Harvey, Steven Hoban, and Brett Sullivan. It premiered on July 20, 2015, at the Fantasia International Film Festival and had a limited theatrical release on October 2, 2015, along with a VOD release. The film is a series of interwoven stories tied together by a framework story featuring William Shatner as a radio DJ.

<i>3 Days in Havana</i> 2013 "`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000002-QINU`" film

3 Days in Havana is a 2013 Cuban-Canadian comedy thriller written and directed by Gil Bellows and Tony Pantages. It stars Bellows as a Canadian businessman who becomes involved in an assassination plot in Cuba after befriending a hard-partying man played by Greg Wise. It premiered at the 2013 Vancouver International Film Festival and was released in Canada on 28 March 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mouna Traoré</span> Canadian actor and filmmaker (born 1995)

Mouna Traoré is a Canadian actress and filmmaker. She is known for her performances in a variety of television series, such as Global TV's Rookie Blue (2012), CBC's Murdoch Mysteries (2015–2018), and Netflix's The Umbrella Academy (2020). Her film work includes the 2017 films The Drop In, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Brown Girl Begins, directed by Sharon Lewis.

<i>Theres That Woman Again</i> 1938 film

There's That Woman Again is a 1938 American comedy mystery film directed by Alexander Hall. It is the sequel to There's Always a Woman, released the same year. In both films, Melvyn Douglas stars as a private investigator whose wife involves herself in his work. Joan Blondell played the wife in the first film, but that role went to Virginia Bruce in this one.

References

  1. "Chris Knight: She Never Died is a 'sister sequel' that stands up nicely on its own". National Post. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  2. Hermanns, Grant. "Exclusive: Henry Rollins Reflects on He Never Died & Repurposed Sequel". Coming Soon. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  3. Krawczyk, Mark (September 16, 2019). ""She Never Died" is A Brutal, Bold and Bloody Female-Led Sequel". weliveentertainment.com.
  4. "She Never Died". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved October 14, 2023. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  5. Sedensky, Ian. "She Never Died (2019)". Culture Crypt. Retrieved 28 October 2020.