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Welcome to The Overlooked Motel, a place where under-seen and unappreciated films get their moment in the spotlight. I hope you enjoy your stay here and find the accommodations suitable. Now, please take a seat and make yourself comfortable. I have some misbehaving guests to ‘correct.’
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Today’s selection popped up in the ‘For You’ section of my Netflix account recently. And while it’s not a perfect film, S.K. Dale’s Till Death is a solid cinematic offering that held my attention for the duration. The flick is chilling, darkly comedic, suspenseful, and features some serviceable twists throughout. Not to mention, Megan Fox is a welcome sight who shines in the lead role. If you’re a fan of self-contained thrillers, you’ll love this intense effort.
The setup for Till Death goes like this:
Emma is trapped in a lonely marriage. She and her husband have grown in different directions and have little left in common. Despite their lack of connection, the pair go through the motions of celebrating their wedding anniversary. When Emma wakes up at the couple’s lake house the next morning, she’s handcuffed to her now-deceased husband. She’s without a working phone, trapped in a blizzard, and her car won’t start. As terrifying as that setup sounds, the worst is yet to come.
The first act of Till Death paints a portrait of a crumbling marriage. Two people who were probably once in love, now merely tolerate one another. That’s made abundantly clear from the jump and is further illustrated when Emma (Megan Fox) sees a well-dressed older gentleman proposing to his much younger girlfriend in an upscale restaurant. Emma later sees the bride-to-be in the bathroom and she shares a piece of well-meaning advice that clearly illustrates that she has lived to regret her choices and feels trapped.
It’s not difficult to see why Emma feels that way. Her husband, Mark (Eoin Macken), has let his work as a high-profile defense attorney consume any humanity he once possessed. All that remains is a power-hungry monster. Though he isn’t necessarily the primary antagonist here, Mark effectively brings a level of villain energy. Moreover, his presence looms over the entire picture until the final frame. You’ll see exactly what I mean when you watch the flick.
Megan Fox is effective and engaging as the lead character Emma.
Megan Fox shines in a nuanced turn as Emma. Emma’s displeasure permeates her entire existence. But she remains relatable despite her disposition. She has every right to be bitter, but she doesn’t let her toxic marriage define her existence. She holds her own against her narcissistic spouse. And when she’s forced to think on her feet, she proves competent and capable as she takes on each new challenge. Additionally, Emma delivers some darkly comedic dialogue that makes the character even more endearing. The off-color remarks she tosses out while dragging her dead husband around are hard not to laugh at.
Fox’s performance aside, I was impressed that the film has a certain amount of substance. I wouldn’t go so far as to call Till Death overly intellectual. But there are a couple of thematic elements that give the picture a modicum of depth. For example, Emma and Mark’s interactions with one another are always cold and sterile and that is effectively mirrored in the set design. The majority of the action unfolds at their lake house. Their cabin is beautifully furnished but feels nothing like a home. It’s uninviting and void of warmth. It’s sparsely furnished, with a dreary color scheme that parallels their bleak relationship dynamic.
It also seems fitting that Emma is literally chained to Mark for most of the film. The narrative establishes that she feels trapped and doesn’t know how to escape. So, her predicament works as a literal manifestation of her inner monologue. It’s a bit on the nose, but I think it’s still a clever flourish.
Till Death‘s greatest weakness presents in the form of pacing problems.
Till Death gets plenty right, but it’s not without its flaws. The film has noticeable pacing problems that begin with the second act. Screenwriter Jason Carvey waits too long to introduce the primary threat. In the time between Emma waking up in handcuffs and the introduction of ‘the big bad’, the proceedings grow stale. Emma scurrying around the house chained to her dead husband while searching for a way to un-cuff herself serves a purpose. It establishes that the home is void of any useful implements to solve her predicament. The viewer needs to know that. But the sequence extends past the point of establishing that and ultimately becomes dull.
Introducing the primary threat sooner would have evened out the pacing a great deal. Though it wouldn’t necessarily be a spoiler to say what or who the central threat is, I will let you see for yourself. The less you know about Till Death, the better. That’s always been my experience with films of this ilk.
My only other qualm is that portions of this feature are too predictable. Once we know what’s at stake, it’s pretty easy to see where things are going. That said, the film features a couple of developments that I found mildly surprising. As long as you’re not put off by a somewhat formulaic narrative, you’re likely to have a reasonably good time. I know I did.
All things considered:
If you can forgive the pacing issues and the sometimes predictable nature of the narrative, Till Death is an entertaining horror thriller perfect for a night in with a giant tub of popcorn. Megan Fox effortlessly carries the picture on her shoulders, making this a compelling thriller with a likable lead. Check it out now on Netflix if it sounds like your cup of tea.
That’s all for this installment of The Overlooked Motel. If you want to chat more about under-seen and underrated films, feel free to hit me up with your thoughts on Twitter, Threads, or Instagram.
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