Movie Review: At Death’s Door

At Death’s Door Movie Review by Matt Boiselle

At Death’s Door: directed by Frank Palangi, written by Frank Palangi and Christopher B. Pelton and starring Frank Palangi, Nicole Mecca and Erica James

Synopsis: An anthology piece with four spine-tingling stories that reveal how ordinary choices can bring you face-to-face with death.

I just love me a good old fashioned anthology piece, and right down to one of my top 3 horror films EVER, the 1982 classic “Creepshow”, very few have managed to stand up tall against the titanic benchmark that was set when that movie was unleashed upon the masses, even to this day. I’ve just wrapped up my viewing of Director Frank Palangi’s “At Death’s Door” and am ready to spill my guts to all of you readers – can it withstand the ultra-sharp blades of my autopsy tools, or will it be left to rot inside a morgue cooling drawer? Read on for all the gory details and judge for yourself if you’d like to eyeball this one as well.

The movie is broken down into four short stories, with the first being ‘Shadows The Clown’ where we see an obviously distressed young woman recounting her harrowing tale of mental torment to her shrink. Her issues span years, and center around those damn painted-pantomimes and their creepy-cheery ways…enough to give anyone a case of the heebie-jeebies. The second go-round is titled ‘Everyone Has One’ – with a man having a seemingly innocuous conversation over the phone with his mother – as the conversation pulls on, the viewer gets a real feel of how cement-heavy in nature the mother is, with a burdening fashion with more power than a corrupt prison guard. The usage of flashbacks is fairly heavy in this one, so be prepared to head back into time for a true delve into the story. Chiller #3 is named ‘Beyond Is Calling’ and we’re tuning into a radio show hosted by a psychic medium who thinks he’s got his finger on the pulse of the otherworldly collective. With each respective listener call in, the audience will decide if this seer into the dead is truly a mystic of sorts, or just another impostor, profiting off of the sorrows and hopes of others.

We wrap up this quartet of chills with ‘Room Number 4’ – where we’re guests for the night at an AirBnB with a truly seedy landlady, and when the new renter’s true disposition is uncovered, the probability of things getting spooky ramps up markedly. Now, for the upsides and downsides: cinematography was certainly a visual treat, with unconventional camera angles coupled with neon-tinged lighting – it added to the overall look and conveyed creepiness throughout. Also, the stories were well-crafted, with some twists and turns that’ll have you guessing what’s coming up next. Now for what was the most ruinous part of this collection of stories: the acting. I’ve seen some less-than-authentic performances before in films past, but this one just seemed to have the actors sleepwalking through scenes, whether it was on-screen or telephone conversations, almost giving the feel as if the script was right in front of them at the time of filming and they were casually reading along – no sense of emotion or descriptive conveyance.

When the credits rolled, I could maybe see “At Death’s Door” as a one-timer at best, but when it comes to the long line of anthologies that have paved the way before it, this one should be left at Death’s backdoor.