I Need You Dead! (2020) User Reviews

An Unexpected Wonder

[andrewscotfrink · 8/10 · 17 March 2020]

I wasn't entirely certain what to expect when I went to the the premiere of I Need You Dead. All of the minimalist and even subversive marketing had led me to believe I was going to just watch another stoner horror comedy, have a laugh, and go home. What I got was a story that was driving, deeply personal, and l, towards the end, emotionally devastating. Also screaming hamburgers.

Check All Expectations at the Door

[stevenjamescady · 8/10 · 8 October 2020]

Do you love splatterfest B-movie thrills? Then I NEED YOU DEAD is for you!

Do you love philosophical treatises concerning the nature of watching and filming violence? Then I NEED YOU DEAD is for you!

Do you love the cozy pleasures of genre trappings? Then I NEED YOU DEAD is for you!

Do you love head-scratching, metaphysical explorations of narrative forms and creator-vs-creation quandaries?

Do you long for laughs? For love? For an overwhelming sense of boundless, joyous, and yet provocative creativity?

Then I NEED YOU DEAD is for you!!!

Brain-Rattling Punk-Rock Jaunt through Portland

[jkrzeczowski · 8/10 · 3 October 2020]

I saw this film in Beaverton, Oregon at the drive in, Friday October 2nd 2020.

I Need You Dead wastes no time establishing its main character and premise. Our DOOD in Schmucksville is a ball of nervous rock n roll energy, cruison in his Volv to a squanchy house party.

Manic, playful cuts, make for a fun and engaging perspective of young inebriation turned psychotic symbiosis with a demonic california raisin. Cartoony sound bites and practical puppetry support the visceral, heady trip DOOD embarks on early in the film. Its genuinely funny to see him stumble through his charmed yet cursed little life in Portland.

Somewhere in the middle of the film, were introduced to a wholly different set of characters, that are presumably the directors, producers, and crew. They squabble and struggle to produce the film we are watching, a meta look into what it might take to produce such an increasingly dark take on a young psychotic breakdown in 2020 America.

The film jumps back and forth between these two sets of characters for the remainder of its runtime. Were treated to some seriously gnarly self-harm, schlocky yet tinnitus-tinged bloodbaths, and an awesomely spastic freak-out by DOOD, wonderfully performed.

While writing yourself and your creative process into your own movie is somewhat clever, and requires a ton of bravery, I found myself caring less for that aspect of the story as the film went on. Dont get me wrong, Birdman/Adaptation are some of my favorite films ever, and a lot of I Need You Dead's heady, film within a film energy draws from that. But for a self-aware low budget horror joint, I felt that these two stories could have been separate ideas, and perhaps separate moves all together. While the struggles of the film crew are well performed and fleshed out, it eventually puts DOOD and his struggles in the backseat. Its an odd transition of focus to make from one story to another, eventually culminating in the Director's self destruction. While fun and interesting, I couldnt help but want more of what was working from the beginning of the film: an honest and trippy look at young maniacal punk rock squalor, not the behind the scenes drama of low budget film production. In summary: excellent work, its clear the creative direction, acting, and editing are well understood. Excited to see more of Rocko's work.

lost 20 bucks

[manfreddi · 3/10 · 17 March 2020]

I had a lot of false expectations watching this movie. Living in the Portland area I had seen this movie being made a few different times. It looked like fun, and goofy horror. Watching the trailers to this movie made me excited cause it was so cool to see people I knew in a movie, see the house shows I'm always going to and from what I could see the whole concept would be something I think many people could relate to and from the small clips I'd seen it also looked like something that'd keep us wanting to watching. Sadly it was not that at all. The first clip of the movie was shot and preformed really well. It was a great introduction. The man slamming himself against the shower was interesting and clipping to a kid getting ready for a party made you think there was so much in store for you. The beginning of the movie is what I enjoyed the most. the scenes were hilarious. I especially loved the snorting of whatever the hell was on the table. The pizza face, the guys face melting and all the madness that happened when the drugs hit. It made everyone laugh because you could tell exactly how that trip was gonna go. some things could have definitely been performed a bit better. The "I'm punk" aspect was funny and forward but at some points very cringe. It felt like the characters were trying to push out the feel of who they're supposed to be at some points me and my friends were like ok dude we get it you're the cool guy, you party. When dood starting talking to the girl he wished to pursue and gave his number and later went on to see his red headed friend again but ended alone at the end of the night with nothing but a ride home from a police officer and an insecurity monster. It was going in the direction of loneliness and insecurity taking over someone and causing them to go crazy. Then it cut to the director and other production members. That's when the movie started going a bit downhill and it only got worse from there. The director started to tell that he was insecure about his movie. I loved how he called himself out for the mess of some of the scenes and how it had gone a bit to fast for anything to make sense. Which it did. I think the best clips in the beginning could've gone on just a little longer and not made my head hurt so much. Even though I enjoyed it I could've REALLY enjoyed it. The movie went in an awful direction though. It was non stop back and fourth and back and fourth of something I couldn't fully understand. The director began being the main character. He became the insecure artist that would eventually come crashing down and find his piece again. The entire movie is the director explaining basically why it's a bad movie. Why everything's a mess. I couldn't tell if this was the direction he was meant to go or if he really just couldn't finish it anymore. I think if he was trying to tell his story more he did it very badly. It wasn't a good flow with the plot. It definitely just left me and others in constant confusion and even when it was over I was like what the hell? What was that even really about because WAY TOO much was going on. Most of the main characters in the beginning left. The back and fourth clips to the actual movie was shot really cool. I enjoyed it and just wish that's the concept they kept. I wish I didn't have to ask but I still want to know the explanation to this movie. What was the main purpose? Why was I watching two different movies that could've each just been good on their own but instead made this? It ended with a clip that seemed to have been the very first considering he mentioned before it wasn't done in chronological order. His girlfriend said she'd help him with movie and he kissed her proceeding to say she made him feel safe and again that alone made no sense. This clip was clearly how it started and if this is how it started why was he a bad guy to the same girl through out everything he put out after. Was this cause the movie was making him crazy? He started being terrible to his closest person? If so why was the writing of it not better? Why did it seem more like they just hooked up a few times and became closer and she took care of him in his lose and that's how that's how they became close? I wasn't getting the feel they were already in love once. And again none of this is what was introduced to us in any preview so I'm greatly disappointed. After seeing it I could honestly say I would show some scenes to people who hadn't seen it in the future and still laugh at them but I would never recommend for anyone to have to go and sit through it in a theater. It was 107 minutes and after the first 10 it felt like forever. Still wish I knew what the hell was going on

I just don't know

[hayleehip · 5/10 · 7 September 2020]

I was so excited when I was told it was an indie horror comedy. I'm usually more into just horror but I was hoping the humor would make it an easy watch because even if the horror part was lacking I could just laugh. The beginning was delightful, found the humor actually funny and introduced the main character well. I'd say after him having a breakdown and crying is when it all went down hill. I thought the monster was cute how it was grotesque and mean and wanted the plot to be centered around the monster but instead it started focusing on cops. My poor girlfriend also fell asleep around this time (maybe you can also blame the midnight showing) and I honestly don't blame her. It was super hard to stay into the movie when I didn't even know what was happening anymore. At the end trying to catch my girlfriend up on the way home was hard because it just didn't have a good narrative. At the end of the day I think it was a cool concept and it really felt like there was love put into it and I don't want to be harsh. Just not my cup of tea I guess.

Most boring horror comedy you will see all year

[user66666975 · 1/10 · 18 April 2020]

It took me a while to finish this review so that's why it is late. But I saw this a like a month ago and it was just a huge letdown. I was excited for the movie because it had been hyped up so much. For a "horror comedy" it was insanely boring to the point where at times I wanted to leave. I was just looking and the IMDB says this movie cost $20,000 and I don't know but I've seen much better quality work (production and narrative) for a lot less. I also couldn't hear anything (the sound was terrible) and the second half of the movie looks like a home video, I think It was an aesthetic choice but it should not have been. It also just felt like the whole movie was a cheap Troma ripoff (Shmucksville?) The cop character was awful and I just dont understand why we had to feel sympathetic towards cops and the fact that DOOD gets a DUI is completely brushed over which I felt was irresponsible at best. The documentary parts are so misplaced and they feel really forced. I dont know why the director had to become the center of the film? I would have rather watched the story of DOOD some more. I dont really know what kind of "structure" this was going for but by the end of the film I didn't remember what happened to DOOD and the creature or the cop character. I also felt like the creature was really underused, but also they didn't make any effort to hide the puppeteer and the mouth on it barely moved which was really distracting. Overall I liked the DOOD stuff and I felt like the main character (DOOD not the other guys) was really charming. Just wish that they had continued that storyline rather than bringing in the stuff with the film crew and the cop, that just totally ruined the flow. It feels like the director was trying to make something really unique and original - which he might have succeeded in, I don't know, it was original all right. But it just wasn't good.

Wild!

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 4 October 2021]

While the logline for this movie says, "After a moment of total teenage angst, a young punk finds himself at odds with a psychedelic monster of his own creation," the truth is that this film is a film within a film inside, well, maybe another film.

While the script started as Cop Killer, which followed Officer Pete Chambers as the film's lead, it changed to be about Dood, a young punk who takes way too many dummy gummies, which has perhaps permanent psychotic effects, sending him into a tailspin of cops on his tail, romantic entanglements and even a monstrous creature that looks like a Boglin crossed with a Frank Henenlotter creature along with plenty of goo and teeth.

Rocko Zevenbergen wrote, directed, edited, produced and probably drove everyone back and forth to the set. This is his vision and with how dark things get, it feels like the act of creation may have taken its toll on him at some point. The film keeps breaking from the main narrative and revealing the pains of the creation of the movie inside the movie.

Just a warning to those with sensitive ears, this movie plays with some drone and whirring tones that may unsettle you. They totally fit the film, but the audio tone of this is incredibly abrasive in parts.

While not a perfect film - what movie is? - this is a great experimental narrative and really deserves to get a bigger audience to see it. Zevenbergen is definitely talented and I'm excited to see what he does next.

Independent cinema... what more could you ask for?

[knwronic · 10/10 · 18 March 2020]

Sure, I Need You Dead is a bit shlocky at times but I love the meta aspect and enjoyed the humor. My second favorite movie after Citizen Kane.

I Need You to Read This!

[duncanadricthompson · 10/10 · 7 September 2020]

I love this film to say the least. I Need You Dead! molds together multiple genres so naturally that it feels like it's in a world of its own. You don't really know what you're getting yourself into until you are already in it. It will draw you in, let you get comfortable, and then chew you up and spit you out, making you feel like a different person at the end, all in a matter of a couple hours. It's a refreshing film to watch right now. There is so much soul put into it, and it's a breath of fresh air compared to all the stale films that are just trying to put a new spin on something old. Now, not everyone will enjoy every aspect of this film because at some points, it can be hard to watch, and It's not for the feint of heart. It pushes the boundaries of what we are willing to address/acknowledge in our daily lives as people, and that's a good thing. You should always seek out things that push you out of your comfort zone because otherwise how can you grow? Overall, I would give I Need You Dead! 10/10 because it does exactly what it sets out to do, and does it well. It's an awesome piece of independent cinema from start to finish. I absolutely love it.

A Cultural Movement

[papa-72421 · 10/10 · 19 March 2020]

Rocko Z's film hits a cultural note. This film might be as much as what American Graffiti must have been for George Lucas. One might wonder if this director's ingenious and hilarious take on Punk culture might resurrect a new kind of awakening amongst cult classic purests. With a dude named Dood, set in visually stunning and bizarre environments, like that of an atypical Donotellian Punk Rock Pizza Party, one begins to wear a new lens through which to experience art (or is it cinema?). Themes like art do indeed arise, and while we are given explicit answers as to what art means to some of the characters in the film, they themselves are still humbled and left with more questions. I liked the characters in the film, from what they sounded like to what they looked like. From the diversity of attitudes portrayed by the various emotional tones of each scene, I'm equally impressed by the colorful diverse directions he chose for a cast. He has racially bridged gaps as these characters are genuinely rooted in more than just dialogue driven by the Hollywood elite. This film is all about portraying meaning in more creative ways than just using the typical narrative structure. You do get plenty of narrative with this film, but in a less obvious way once you see it for yourself. This film catalyzes an examination of life's end through its gut wrenching Punk Rock and Drone musical score, rhythmic and emotive. I could feel myself tapping my foot along with the scenes, and noticed that they had a beat to them, the way they cut in and out, and with some of the dialogue. I would suggest brushing up on some of the classics before you see this film, as it pays homage to some of the legends.

Lastly, this film does a good job of continuing the momentum toward mental health awareness, symbolized in the egg hatch of each scene, to reveal deeper truths about needing to laugh during some of the most painful times. Guaranteed to make even to most cynically shy person to open up for a quick chuckle. That much is sure, whether or not you are ever lost by the film's heavy use of surrealism!

So much more than what I'd expected

[binsworth · 10/10 · 15 February 2021]

This film is bonkers. Here I was thinking I was watching a goofy horror comedy when BLAMO! I start to see a deeper take on ye filmmakers and the act of creation. As the film progressed, the filmmakers' story begins to overwhelm the story of the film, until a film that couldn't gross me out or move me more than some laughs and smiling yelps became one of the most disturbing and heartfealt cinematic experiences I've seen in a long time. It's amazing how it was accomplished, and it tells a far more honest story than what I'd previously thought possible through the premise. Bravo! A triumph of indie cinema

Beautiful

[publicoutburst · 10/10 · 5 September 2020]

A brilliant work of independent and b horror cinema. An instant cult classic. The deterioration of the plot and cinematic quality was perfectly meta and executed beautifully. The soundtrack alone is worthy of it's own write up. A perfect collaboration of portland best musicians and artist.

A surreal indie face for anti-film

[fourdonutproductions · 9/10 · 16 February 2021]

"I NEED YOU DEAD!" Is a very unique project that you can immediately tell while watching that it had a lot of passion and effort put behind it. It's very good at capturing your attention from the first shot and has a tone very similar to a fever dream I once had coming down off of 3 tabs of acid. The main character Dood carries a very likable presence throughout the film and resonates with the theme of the story well, that being the thing that can eat us alive from the inside out is often our own internal demons we all struggle with. This theme also plays off the other story in the film very well, that shows the struggle of the writer/director (Rocko) as he has inner conflict with the making of the film; but this doesn't only apply to film making, it apples to creating anything and putting something out there for others to judge. We often have a very specific vision on how our art and work will come out, but speed bumps are inevitable on such projects. You watch him as his own crew turns against him, leaving him lonely, wondering if this project is even worth it while it seems to him his vision and dynamic with his crew is falling apart before his eyes.

TL;DR- This is a very clever film that carries a strong theme while remaining engaging and entertaining throughout its story and is for sure worth the watch!

Even if you hate this movie, you'll love it

[chrissess · 10/10 · 15 February 2021]

There's really nothing like this. Even if you hate I Need You Dead! you'll love it. This movie somehow blends together this awesome, goofy, exciting horror B-movie with a very real, and kind of heartbreaking core. I don't even really know why it works, but it does.

This movie also creates its own conventions, it's invigorating. Like...if this was made with any more budget than it had, it wouldn't feel real. It's kind of like you're watching a home video in a dream...mixed with the movie Adaptation, maybe...8 1/2, a little bit...

Also, I've never seen a movie that feels more like Portland. Like it really cartoonishly nails what kids are up to in the PNW. A glimmer of hope that we won't turn into the Bay Area.

This really might be setting a precedent for a new genre...

Never seen a movie like this before!

[sierrazev · 10/10 · 27 August 2020]

This is one of the most original movie I've ever seen. This movie is emotional, funny, dark, shocking, impactful and so much more. The creative outlook that is this movie cuts deeper than most, and leaves you feeling genuine feelings of distraught and sorrow for both Dood and the director.

I need you dead. Bad taste team Taking risks in a world full of bland.

[willkendallart · 10/10 · 15 February 2021]

Often times by the time studios get involved any movie that has a clear narrative voice is bland'd down into a easily palatable Netflix experience. With "I need you dead" you have almost zero moments to breath as Rocko Zevenbergen and the "Bad Taste" team's first feature film is a juggernaut of freaky and genuinely strange scenes that clearly is indie movie magic that the artists had control of from start to finish. Every moment of this film was an edgy, freaky, decent into a plethora of grotesque and psychedelic scenarios. For someone who is well versed in cinema it was surprising that it took me a while to recognize that "I need you dead" was having a physical impact on me as well. Just like "Taxi Driver" it took me a couple days to sort out "what I had seen" and even though this is the early stages of this crews film making careers you can clearly see the roots of original story telling and to be frank "some very creepy people with cameras".

I NEED YOU TO WATCH THIS FILM!

[andymanley-87761 · 10/10 · 17 February 2021]

I really enjoyed the movie. I'm usually not into the super cheesy horror stuff in general, but I kept getting sucked in as things started to unfold. This is a great film that any artist can relate to.

I've been on this acid trip before

[zacharyadamevans · 8/10 · 15 February 2021]

Pure moments of joy and elation descending into chaos and madness. Reminded me tonally of John Dies at the End. Very much also reminded me of a psychedelic experience that started with me romancing one of the most beautiful humans I've ever met, and ended with me crying while my roommate ate cereal and made sure I wasn't going to do anything stupid.

freaking spectacular!

[tattootonya · 10/10 · 19 January 2021]

Brilliant and amazing! A must see! couldn't unglue my eyes from the screen!

I wish everyone could watch my favorite movie!!

[matteabittner · 10/10 · 15 February 2021]

The day I saw this movie premier was one of the best days of my life, I always love to see a movie that inspires and provokes thought and creativity. If you don't want to think too hard don't worry, just get high and get ready to watch one of the weirdest movies of your life.

Unexpectedly Heartfelt

[jejunelymagpie · 10/10 · 3 October 2020]

Came in expecting my newest favorite campy horror movie, left with that and a truly treasured experience. This movie nods at itself the entire time, and allows you to get more attached to the characters than you may expect. Definitely as fun to watch as it is to digest 😛

Dug it big time

[yoohoo323 · 8/10 · 4 October 2020]

Shot super well, love the variety of aesthetics throughout the film. Well performed, the voice of the creature reminded me of some goofy 80's villain. I liked DOOD too, he had a lot of range as an actor. you can tell they had a low budget, and there are times where it shows, but the movie has heart and that's all that mattered to me. it def has some crazy twists and turns but you kinda just have to see it for yourself. really dug it, def will rec to friends! (also the music was crazy haha)