‘Dead Again’ is An Underrated Psychological Thriller [Watch]
Welcome to The Overlooked Motel, a place where under-seen and unappreciated films are given their moment in the spotlight. I hope you enjoy your stay here and find the accommodations to be suitable. Now, please take a seat and make yourself comfortable, I have some misbehaving guests to ‘correct’.
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Today’s selection isn’t a proper horror picture, per se. Dead Again is, however, a haunting, neo-noir psychological thriller drenched with a palpable sense of dread. And on that basis, I’m sure the film will appeal to fans of the macabre. Moreover, this is the type of picture one can share with friends and family that are more skittish toward genre fare. Because of that, Dead Again has long been a meaningful point of connection between my mom and me that bridges the divide between our respective tastes.
Dead Again follows a mysterious woman (Emma Thompson) who turns up at an orphanage. Upon her arrival, she has no identification, doesn’t know her name, and is either unwilling or unable to speak. She is plagued by nightmares and exists in a state of constant terror. A priest at the orphanage brings in private investigator Mike Church (Kenneth Branagh, who also directs the film) to help piece together the mystery woman’s identity. Church initially plans to drop the woman off at the county hospital but upon seeing how chaotic and unsettling it is, he thinks better of it and decides to let her stay with him temporarily. The pair quickly grow close and develop feelings for one another. But they soon discover they may have been connected in a previous life and that one or both of them may be in grave danger.
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Dead Again unfolds as something of a noir detective story, with Church trying to piece together the mystery of the female lead’s identity. The noir elements are additionally reinforced by the black-and-white flashbacks that beautifully recall that cinematic time period. That groundwork is then overlayed with supernatural themes regarding reincarnation and past lives colliding with the present. That juxtaposition makes for a unique and thrilling presentation that is as visually striking as it is gripping.
The central mystery proves to be quite fascinating. The audience is given precious little information regarding the female lead’s identity. For a large chunk of the film, she doesn’t even have a name. The viewer gradually learns bits and pieces pertaining to who she may have been in a past life. But there is still very little revealed regarding who she is in the present. The way the flow of information is throttled creates a mounting sense of tension and keeps the audience engaged.
The picture benefits from the masterful direction by Branagh. He builds atmospheric tension through the use of nuanced backdrops. Case in point: Several key sequences take place during a thunderstorm. He uses the weather as a backdrop to create a subtle and imposing sense of dread. The storm paired with harrowing events transpiring in the foreground serves to enhance the tension.
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Additionally, Branagh succeeds in making the presence of scissors feel absolutely foreboding. He inserts lingering shots with close-up views of a pair of shears into several scenes and they eventually become something of a harbinger of dread. The first appearance is somewhat innocuous. But the more we see them (coupled with what we come to learn about a murder that transpired in the female lead’s past life) the more ominous they become. In one memorable instance, Branagh pairs a lingering shot of a pair of scissors with the backdrop of a storm. In less capable hands, that may have read as banal. But the way Branagh masterfully frames the shot and pairs is with menacing music induces an ominous and dreadful sensation that foreshadows the horrors to come.
The flick also features top-notch performances from an exceptionally talented cast. Branagh and Thompson each feature in a double role. Both play the past and present versions of themselves. In addition to the well-known lead actors, the cast also includes showings from the likes of Andy Garcia, character actor Wayne Knight, and a brief supporting turn from the late Robin Williams.
All in, Dead Again is a suspenseful and thrilling effort sure to appeal to anyone that enjoys the intersection of the mysterious and the macabre.
Dead Again received acclaim from critics upon initial release in 1991 and enjoyed moderate success at the box office. However, the film is ready to be discovered by a new audience. As of the publication of this post, Dead Again is streaming via Prime Video.
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 @FunWithHorror!
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