I watched Paul Duane’s horror feature All You Need Is Death and I’ve got to say, the atmosphere and dread he’s conjured up in this no-budget piece is chillingly impressive. It’s clearly made with love and I do mean that in the blade-handled way the film plays with the concept. The film itself is a transformative obsession brought into being (the film’s love as an ancient power), as well as the goodwill Paul was obviously able to call on to get this made out of his own pocket (that softer feeling we usually associate with love). I loved the idea of authenticity becoming so precious it becomes a hotbutton commodity to certain people. Watching it in context of our attention-poisoned slop era I thought that really stood out as a hook, and I think that parallels some of the most important ideas in The Man in the High Castle. AYNID also reminded me a lot of A Dark Song, which has a similar pared-back feeling of isolation, dread, and inevitability. AYNID also feels like a period piece (lack of mobiles, recording on tapes), which gives it another unsettling aspect. The recent past of Ireland seems as lost as our ancient past, like an overgrown country road disappearing behind you on a moonless night as you chase down a lead on an unrecorded folk song. There are lots of menacing details that will pounce on you.
All You Need Is Death is now streaming on Prime.
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