All You Need Is Death – Movie Review (2/5)

ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH is a new horror movie in the folklore niche. Specifically, this is Irish Folktale horror. It has definite potential but didn’t do much for me. Read our full All You Need Is Death movie review here!

ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH is an Irish Folktale horror movie and while it has a few good moments, it didn’t really work for me overall. It felt too much like a short film that had been made into a feature film, but without building on the original short story.

The actors are good and there’s an eerie vibe that was hitting me hard at first. Unfortunately, it didn’t last and too many details seemed forced or, at the very least, developments happened without much explanation.

Continuer reading our All You Need Is Death movie review below. In select US theaters and on VOD from April 11, 2024.

The eerie world of folklore

I tend to love folklore-based horror movies. Usually, I don’t even care where the folklore or urban legend originates from. It could be Asia, Africa, Norse mythology, or anything else. I just enjoy getting to see the ancient horror stories… or maybe they’re more than just stories?!

With All You Need Is Death, we get the story of a young couple who are part of a mysterious, secret organization. To be fair, the “organization” isn’t something that is covered very much, which is one thing I would’ve liked to hear more about.

In any case, the people in this secret organization travel around to discover forbidden knowledge by way of song. Yes, that might sound odd, but before anyone could read or write, songs were one way to tell stories and remember legends.

So far, so good. I love this part of the story for All You Need Is Death.

Of course, they are searching for something that isn’t readily available to just anyone. In fact, they believe that some sort of modern alchemy is contained in old, forgotten songs. So, when they find a mysterious elderly woman who sings songs that have never been heard before, they open the door to ancient evil and madness.

Sounds great to me in terms of a horror movie premise. Unfortunately, I feel like that latter part isn’t really what I experience when watching All You Need Is Death.

The Irish horror queen: Olwen Fouéré

Also, saying that the movie stars Olwen Fouéré is going a bit (read: much!) too far. She is a brilliant Irish talent that everyone wants to work with, but in this movie, she has very little screen time. And yes, this also irked me.

You may recognize Olwen Fouéré from the 2022 Texas Chainsaw Massacre or more recently in season 2 of The Tourist. She’s great in what could be called a “guest star”-role. The actual star of this movie is Simone Collins (The Last Duel) as Anna. Fortunately, she is also brilliant in her lead role.

You’ll also see Charlie Maher (Black Narcissus), Nigel O’Neill (Boys from County Hell), and Catherine Siggins in key roles.

Watch All You Need Is Death on VOD or in select theaters

This new horror movie is the feature debut of Dublin-based writer and director Paul Duane. I never want to speak badly of something that I can see a lot of potential in. Sure, I was disappointed that the strong beginning didn’t lead to a powerful overall filmwatching experience.

At the same time, I can’t truly compliment it too much either. There’s a style and vibe that I enjoyed, but the story needed quite a lot more work for me to get engaged.

The Irish film had its World Premiere at Beyond Fest in Los Angeles, which was followed by an Irish Premiere at Cork International Film Festival. And now you can watch it in select US theaters or on VOD. I would probably opt for the first to get the immersive experience as I feel maybe that’s what I was lacking.

ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH is opening in select U.S. theaters and on VOD on April 11, 2024.

Details

Director: Paul Duane
Writer: Paul Duane
Cast: Olwen Fouéré, Charlie Maher, Simone Collins, Catherine Siggins, Gary Whelan, Sarah Burns