Reader Recommendation from Germán Biener
DIRECTED BY: Jimmy ScreamerClauz
FEATURING: Voices of Ruby Larocca, Brandon Slagle, Joey Smack, Victor Bonacore
PLOT: Throughout three loosely connected stories, a demonic dog named Labby talks traumatized individuals into taking revenge on their tormentors before transporting the former to a surreal limbo-like realm.
COMMENTS: It is worth noting from the outset that ScreamerClauz’s infamous underground horror movie Where the Dead Go to Die is usually deemed abominable from both a technical and conceptual point of view, a fitting reputation for a movie he made while frequently under the influence of drugs. Think crude, “Sims”-like computer animation, voiced by adults often pitching up their voices to sound like children. Combine this with nightmarish, hallucinatory visuals, and taboo subjects—including, but not limited to, child abuse and exploitation, domestic violence, and prostitution—and you may begin to understand what watching this film feels like.
Besides its extreme subject matter, the often-glitchy animation and jarring sound effects—like the unsettling speedcore soundtrack—are perhaps its most off-putting aspects. To be fair, however, the creator is a self-taught animator, having learned the craft via YouTube tutorials, animation software, and colleagues’ feedback, and this was his first feature-length film. The choppy animation and discordant effects actually contribute to the creepiness that the movie aims for. Nightmares tend to be disjointed and illogical, and Where the Dead Go to Die is best experienced as a waking nightmare rather than a masterclass in polished filmmaking.
Those capable of turning a blind eye to the animation errors should brace themselves for a wild ride. Consisting of three interconnected shorts, “Tainted Milk,” “Liquid Memories,” and “The Masks that the Monsters Wear,” the movie mostly takes place in a desolate town where cold dark colors prevail. The first of these stories, originally conceived as a ghastly parody of Lassie, concerns unloved child Tommy and his dissatisfied parents. Tommy’s mother is expecting another unwanted baby. On his way to school, the boy suddenly meets Labby, a diabolical dog who, in the name of God, tries to convince Tommy that his sibling-to-be is the Antichrist and should be killed.
The shortest of the three stories, “Tainted Milk” is also the most darkly humorous, despite being rather disturbing in nature (this story contains what is perhaps the most notorious scene in the whole movie—you’ll know when you get there). ScreamerClauz’s questionable sense of humor aside, the story depicts child neglect and the psychological disintegration it breeds. This focus on the warped visions of traumatized children forms a thematic thread throughout the three stories, an aspect of Where the Dead Go to Die
that is generally overlooked. Whatever cruel act is inflicted upon children in the story—and whatever well-deserved cruel destiny evildoers meet—is not only shocking for shock’s sake, but an essential part of the characters’ situation.
The second story, “Liquid Memories,” has an intriguing premise: a drug addict murders people in a church and extracts their memories in order to modify his own. Told in an a quasi-journalistic style, the plot involves chronological jumps as the man navigates both his own surreal memories and those of a prostitute who has been badly injured and gone to the church looking for help. The girl’s childhood memories reveal a traumatic past involving domestic abuse and various demonic entities, including “Shadow People.”
Alongside the interest in the effects of disturbing childhood memories, the meaninglessness and hypocritical side of religion is another significant theme in these stories. Religious iconography, especially Christian, is often present in the background: angels, crucifixions, lancet windows, and pictures of Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ provide a passive contrast to the inconceivable suffering happening on screen. ScreamerClauz presents a nihilistic take on religion in his movie, as exemplified by the prostitute’s unanswered plea for help in the church, metaphorically addressing an unresponsive God.
The third story in the film is the most fully realized of the three, combining the above-mentioned thematic concerns. It is also improved in terms of technique: ScreamerClauz learned how to use new programs and tools, such as Xbox 360 Kinect for motion capture, during its making. This makes characters look less stiff, even if the sense of uncanniness is far from gone. The story deals with a child named Ralph who was born with a facial deformity—namely, his Siamese twin brother. While he wears a mask to conceal his other face and prevent people from being appalled at the sight, Ralph is constantly mistreated by his religious parents, who blame him for the birth defect. A broken person, he crushes on Sophia, a girl from his class who is also damaged, sexually exploited by her father in the most abhorrent way. The interaction between these two traumatized children is actually touching, a spark of light in the otherwise gloomy world they inhabit. Many of the images in this story function on a symbolic level, although ScreamerClauz repeatedly claims in the DVD commentary that he didn’t intend to consciously introduce much symbolism. Yet, when such ideas are pieced together, the story reveals the hypocrisy of sanctimonious individuals and, despite its grotesque visuals, suggests that true monstrosity lies in human beings, hidden under a mask of ordinariness.
The connection between the stories is clarified during a short epilogue, although the ties may not be evident on a single viewing. The unpredictable twists and turns and the strange intercutting can prevent a clear understanding of the events at first watch. The curious are advised to go in blind to fully experience the unreal shocks and surprises the film has to offer.
Ultimately, Where the Dead Go to Die is a polarizing oddity that will mainly appeal to viewers with a penchant for no-limits weirdness. Whatever valid criticism is directed at it (e.g. glaring animation issues, occasional slow pacing, undeveloped characters and plot points), it is the first major work of a creator exploring his newfound craft, and a frenzied display of dark imagination. Whether you consider ScreamerClauz a supreme edgelord or a twisted genius, it is hard to be indifferent to his work. The film remains the flawed debut of a director occupying his own niche in underground horror, and a launchpad for his subsequent, visually superior animated fever dreams.
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