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A Whodunit That Leaves You Wondering Who Dun It

MOVIE REVIEW
Most Horrible Things (Love Hurts)

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Genre: Thriller
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 1h 33m
Director(s): Hiroshi Katagiri
Writer(s): Aviva Dove-Viebahn, Brittany Fonte
Cast: Sean Patrick Flanery, Natalie Burn, Andrés Erickson, Rich Paul, and Sean Sprawling
Where To Watch: is on UK digital platforms on November 14, 2022, from Reel 2 Reel Films.


RAVING REVIEW: An interesting, if flawed, story that tries to recreate a whodunit-style film with clear inspiration from CLUE and other classics. With a pinch of modern horror thrown in for good balance.


I wasn’t sure that the creative team behind the film knew exactly where they wanted to go with this narrative. Many back-and-forth moments early on left you with more questions than answers. When the story starts connecting the pieces, you ultimately end up slightly exasperated because of the lost potential.

I was impressed with the flashback style of the film, building on what you get with bits and pieces while unfolding the story in front of you. I appreciated the attempt at having a heavy dialogue-driven thriller; there was nothing overly gory or over the top. I like the style inspiration from HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL and even a little ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW.

With that being said, there are apparent issues with the film as well; the production at times feels like a made-for-TV movie with overuse of brightly saturated color sets, some cringe-worthy lines of dialogue and/or delivery, and a very out-of-place moment that felt like it belonged in a 1990s Cinemax movie. 

The underuse of Sean Patrick Flanery (BOONDOCK SAINTS) was criminal, especially with the same issue happening earlier in the year with FRANK & PENELOPE. Outside of my bias, the rest of the cast was solid, even with a few quirks that could’ve been smoothed out by another take or editing a few moments that didn’t add much to the overall experience.

The film's ending was unique enough to make up for most of the faults. I thought I had everything figured out and wrapped up, but with one final twist, it proved that I may have been wrong.

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