Review: She Dies Tomorrow

A movie that prioritizes emotional devastation over physical mutilation, She Dies Tomorrow is a head game of a horror film. Although its characters can be thin in places and it falls into needless repetition, it stands out as one of the more interesting horror releases of the year. 

When Amy (Kate Lyn Sheil) becomes convinced that she’s going to die tomorrow, she begins to spiral out of control, including a heavy relapse. Her sudden assuredness of her fast approaching death was brought upon by flashing lights and distant sounds. Her friend Jane (Jane Adams) finds out all too quickly that she isn’t kidding when she sees the very same lights after coming over to check on her. As Amy and Jane wander through the night dealing with this new information, those they come across all eventually come to the same realization that they do. They will die tomorrow. 

She dies tomorrow. That’s the bit. That’s the movie in both a nutshell and a title. What if you knew for sure that you were going to die tomorrow? How would you handle that? What would you do?

Despite its more fantastical plot elements, She Dies Tomorrow is mainly interested in people’s reaction to this news, not the unfolding events. It wants to know the little details, the things you would have never thought you’d miss, the spur of the moment last decisions; it wants to know how you would die. 

I like this approach. It’s cosmically horrifying and quietly saddening. Seeing characters go through the sudden and complete realization of their situation felt all too real. It unexpectedly made me uncomfortable; I thought about myself in that position. How you couldn’t help but feel helpless. It was really great. The movie even chooses to forgo the idea that characters pass on death itself as they interact with one another. They don’t die because they interact with someone who has seen the flashing lights and knows of their death. They have their eyes opened. Death doesn’t transfer but rather the foreknowledge of it does. 

In many ways, the movie is a collection of scenes. There isn’t much of a narrative thrust to speak of. They are meant to die tomorrow and it’s already tonight, so there isn’t a whole lot of time to wait. The movie instead meanders as people reel from the devastating blow that is their sudden, supernatural realisation. These scenes are hit and miss. The birthday party scene in the middle stands out. Jane goes to her sister-in-laws party and the interaction is really layered, funny, and sad. In fact, the movie is sprinkled with surprising bouts of comedy just like that found here. It sort of cemented Jane as my favorite character and the person I wished was on screen more often. There is a truly wonderful doctor’s visit later, again with Jane. There she describes what she is feeling and it goes from relatable sad to unnervingly scary. It also sets up a scene later in the film that had my heart pulsating in my throat. There are several more standout scenes to be shared, all ruminating on the same themes in similar ways. However, that is also one of the movie’s detriments. 

Oftentimes, there were parts of the movie that felt repetitive. Everyone who experiences the lights gains a pseudo-euphoria. They almost seem high; a bit out of it. They are still upset of course, but they are very emotionally bottled up and reserved. It’s an understandable reaction of course. Yet, for nearly every character to react in the same way results in many repetitive scenes. We see characters do many of the same things over and over again. They were pointed at first and frustratingly dull the fifth time. This sluggish acceptance of death also means that most characters feel pretty underdeveloped. I don’t really know who anyone is because everyone is so monotone and unemotional, even during flashbacks and pre-lightshow. There is a lack of variety amongst the characters that had the film feeling tedious. At 84 minutes, a movie shouldn’t feel 20 minutes too long. 

As a quick aside, there are a few cameos from famous actors in the movie. They play very, very minor parts, and I found their casting to be horribly distracting. There isn’t much for them to do, and instead of contemplating the fate of our characters, I found myself thinking, “Is that Michelle Rodriguez? Weird. What’s she doing here?” 

One character who shines despite feeling emotionally distant is Amy. She is our lead, although the movie ends up being more of an ensemble than anything. We see her flashbacks with her new love interest, Craig (Kentucker Audley), throughout the movie. They’re revealing and intimate. There were often subtle little moments of honesty that would come about during scenes. They were so expertly handled and much appreciated. I loved everything I could get from the flashbacks too and wished there were more. It made me connect with Amy as she was coming to terms with her mortality. I understood her and her struggles. There was some depth to Amy; out of all the characters, only Jane had this as well. Although, we lose track of her for a while and she wanders a bit too much after a strong presence in the beginning of the film. Her final scene was wonderful, and I wish that it hit harder than it did, perhaps if we would have spent more time with her it would have. 

She Dies Tomorrow is less traditional horror and more cerebrally and existentially-minded. It doesn’t threaten you with acts of violence, but rather the threat of them. It makes you afraid in the same way that you feel threatened when your mind gets the best of you; when you allow yourself to thought-spiral your way into a grave. Its overt and ever-present tone is so heavy. It feels as though you are as sluggish as the characters. A slow-moving unsettledness will overcome you and have you sufficiently spooked both during and after the film. 

Conclusion

Despite its under-written character, and repetitious scenes, She Dies Tomorrow is a very engaging, bleak, and quiet horror film. It provides the kind of real-world horror that can really eat away at you. The movie even has streaks of humor amongst all its tragedy; it feels fittingly realistic in that way. With a sub 90 minute run time, it isn’t too much of a commitment, even though it overstays its welcome. It’s an interesting movie and a unique take on horror.