LS
Luigi Scaramuzzi
•For Kim and her college friends, it was supposed to be a relaxing weekend at the lake. But when they start playing a macabre game called "Dead Mary", they accidentally release an evil spirit that secretly enters the body of one of them and begins killing them one by one. Paralyzed by fear and suspicion, the girls no longer know who they can trust... and who they need to kill.
Made in 2007 and distributed by Sony for the Home Video market only, "Dead Mary" is directed by actor Robert Wilson ("Joanna Mills' Incubus"), with Dominique Swain ("Alpha Dog") and Steven McCarthy ("Riders"; "The Skulls 1 and 2").
Calm and almost relaxing start with the director projecting us directly into the beautiful and suggestive American woods, caring for the details of the place with little dialogue and bird chirping as background, all to convey the sensation of a serene weekend that the young protagonists are about to spend.
But too much tranquility, as we know, brings boredom!!
And here we have that, with nightfall, all the young people are gathered in the chalet's living room and, between one beer and another, they start telling a strange story about a witch, and then a game called "Dead Mary" is proposed.
"Dead Mary, Dead Mary, Dead Mary", is what you need to say in front of a mirror if you want to see the old dead witch in a state of decomposition.
Of course, this game is played and the witch's spirit is released, so the nice and carefree weekend turns into something completely different... sorry for the quote... "A Quiet Weekend of Fear".
Although honestly, I would say more of crazy hysteria, in fact halfway through the film the protagonists suddenly attack each other.
Between revealed betrayals, brawls, insults, shovel hits, and then setting a companion on fire and locking another one up as a prisoner... here is where the memorable and already indelible best line of the film comes out:
best of the film: "Guys... the last thing we need to do right now is argue, ok?" - "You're right".
"Dead Mary" is a slasher film of about 100 minutes that reminds "Cabin Fever" for the location and "Long Time Dead" for the story and not for the substance, very little for the entire film.
The pace is constantly low, tension present only in very few moments with medium blood and very little splatter; the interesting scenes are there too, but they can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Otherwise, it's boredom and predictability that dominate in a film overall successful as a decent American-made commercial product.
Worth watching, but only once.
