He Never Died

He Never Died
Directed by Jason Krawczyk
Written by Jason Krawczyk
Starring Henry Rollins
Booboo Stewart
Steven Ogg
Jordan Todosey
Kate Greenhouse
Music by James Mark Stewart
Cinematography Eric Billman
Edited by James Bredin
Production
companies
108 Media
Alternate Ending Studios
Release dates
  • December 18, 2015 (2015-12-18) (SXSW)
Running time
 99 minutes
Country United States
Canada
Language English

He Never Died is a 2015 Canadian/American comedic horror film that was written and directed by Jason Krawczyk. It had its world premiere on 17 March 2015 at South by Southwest and stars Henry Rollins as an immortal, cannibalistic loner that has withdrawn from society to protect both himself and others.[1][2] A miniseries continuation of the film is currently in development.[3][4]

Filming for He Never Died began in November 2013 in Toronto and concluded in December of the same year.[2][5]

Synopsis

Jack (Henry Rollins) has developed a routine for his life that he sticks to in order to avoid giving into the impulse to engage in cannibalism. He stays away from society other than occasional trips to local diners, bingo games, and to the hospital, where he purchases blood from a hospital intern, Jeremy (Booboo Stewart). After returning from one trip Jack is confronted by the mobsters Steve and Short, who are looking for Jeremy.

Jack's routine is further interrupted by his ex-girlfriend Jillian's revelation that he has a daughter named Andrea (Jordan Todosey), who had earlier tried to contact him. Unhappy, Jack agrees to locate Andrea but stresses that he wants no further contact with Jillian. He finds Andrea and takes her with him to his favorite diner, where she meets Cara (Kate Greenhouse), a waitress with a crush on Jack. While Jack slowly bonds with Andrea he begins to see visions of a man with a goatee and also manages to foil Steve and Short's attempt to kidnap Jeremy. He's surprised when he discovers that Andrea can also see the man, as previously only Jack could see him.

Out for vengeance, Short and Steve try to murder Jack, only for the man to kill and eat Short. Afraid that he'll do the same to Andrea, Jack forces her to leave the apartment. Shortly afterwards Jack goes out and picks fights with various people, culminating in him killing three people. Jack ultimately receives a phone call from the mobsters, who inform him that they have kidnapped Andrea and will kill her if he does not surrender. Jack tries to confront Alex (Steven Ogg), the man he believes is responsible, only for Alex to deny that he had anything to do with the kidnapping.

Upset, Jack goes to Cara's diner, where he bribes her into helping him save Andrea by offering her a million dollars. She helps him interrogate Steve, during which time she discovers that Jack is actually the Biblical figure Cain, forever doomed to wander the earth as a flesh eating monster for killing his brother Abel. Jack ultimately discovers the reason why the mobsters were after Jeremy: he had borrowed a large sum of money without repaying it. He also learns of Andrea's whereabouts and goes to rescue her. Just as he's about to murder Alex, the man with the goatee arrives, prompting Jack to angrily confront him over his punishment for murdering Abel. Jack ends up choosing to spare Alex, promising him that one day Alex will see the goatee man, just before he leaves with Cara and Andrea.

Cast

Miniseries

In October 2014 it was announced that 108 Media were shopping the rights for a miniseries version of He Never Died, which would further expand the film's story and history of the central character Jack.[4] Director Krawczyk is set to return as the director for the miniseries and Rollins is attached to return to portray his character Jack.[4]

Reception

Critical reception for He Never Died has been mostly positive.[6] Film School Rejects and Dread Central both wrote positive reviews for the film,[7] and Film School Rejects wrote that it was "laugh out loud funny thanks almost exclusively to Rollins’ delivery and reaction shots, but the acts of violence and character details are just as entertaining."[8] We Got This Covered was more mixed in their review, which stated that "He Never Died is a genre movie that refuses to let itself be defined, but the film's guessing game grows tiresome as the questions only continue to mount."[9] Howard Gorman of SCREAM: The Horror Magazine gave the film a 5 star rating, describing it as "an inspired, gruesome, violently funny and at times, a truly touching take on the subgenre." [10]

References

  1. ↑ Lattanzio, Ryan. "SXSW First Look: Henry Rollins Is a Cannibal in 'He Never Died' (Exclusive Poster)". Indiewire. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  2. 1 2 Ayers, Mike. "Henry Rollins Wraps First Lead Film Role". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Woods, Kevin. "Cannibal tale He Never Died, starring Henry Rollins, gets miniseries spinoff". JoBlo. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Punter, Jennie. "Henry Rollins to Star in Comedy-Horror Miniseries ‘He Never Died’ (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  5. ↑ Martin, Peter. "HE NEVER DIED: Henry Rollins As Blood-Lusty Loner". Twitch Film. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Gingold, Michael. ""HE NEVER DIED" (SXSW Movie Review)". Fangoria. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  7. ↑ Tinnin, Drew. "He Never Died (2015)". Dread Central. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  8. ↑ Hunter, Rob. "SXSW 2015: He Never Died is a Bloody, Hilarious and Smart Slice of Supernatural Noir". Film School Rejects. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  9. ↑ Donato, Matt. "He Never Died Review [SXSW 2015]". We Got This Covered. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  10. ↑ Gorman, Howard (18 March 2015). "HE NEVER DIED: Film Review". Scream: The Horror Magazine. Retrieved 29 April 2015.

External links

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