Fast, brutal, and snarky, I Know Exactly How You Die hits all the proverbial notes a slasher film should. In her first feature, Alexandra Spieth, working off a screenplay from Mike Corey, tells us the favored trope of the Author writing in a remote location. In the case of I Know Exactly How You Die the location in question is a rundown motel. This is the ideal motel for writing a horror story. The walls are super thin, and domestic disturbances in other rooms help pass the time for Rian (Rushabh Patel), our long-suffering writer, with a week to go until his deadline.
Rian has a big problem. The murders he is preparing in his debut horror novel seem to keep happening in real time. His protagonist, Katie (Stephanie Hogan), is a traveling nurse. Katie also exists in the real world, and as Rian pens his novel, Katie experiences in actuality the creepy and deranged events depicted in Rian’s draft. I Know Exactly How You Die is an exercise in balance. Balancing snarky humor with the grim reality of a serial killer stalking you. The stalker in question, a man named Jarvis (Bobby Liga), is actualized as a singularly focused killing machine. Given the aforementioned elements of snark, the film’s blending of fantasy and reality into a darkly funny postmodern melange is delightful. I had one heck of a good time with I Know Exactly How You Die, gentle reader.
“The murders he is preparing in his debut horror novel seem to keep happening in real time.”
I Know Exactly How You Die is one of those great, inexpensive slasher films. Leaning into its assets hard, the film provides maximum delight. The decision to center the action around a random motel in the middle of anywhere, USA, is a smart one. The motel is a central character as we listen to the sordid and indiscreet carrying-on of the various lodgers. This motel wants to be non-descript very badly. However, its rancid and seedy nature brings a sense of unsettling charm to the events of I Know Exactly How You Die. As the events of Rian’s novel play out, they manifest all around the environ of his motel room.
I Know Exactly How You Die plays with several conventions horror readers will recognize from the writings of Stephen King. I shall not divulge the true, surreal, and nasty secret at the center of I Know Exactly How You Die. Just know, gentle reader, this brief foray into postmodern slasher horror is a hoot.
Alexandra Spieth is a delightful new film director in the genre space. In I Know Exactly How You Die, she demonstrates a great sense of timing – both comedic and scary. She also demonstrates a clear understanding of the central foundation of film acting; it’s all in the eyes. And Spieth’s actors have wonderfully emotive orbs. Credit also must be granted to the actor at the center of the action, Stephanie Hogan. As Rian’s protagonist, she carries I Know Exactly How You Die with her wide range of emotions and depth of character portrayal. This nomadic nurse being stalked by a serial killer ties all the elements of I Know Exactly How You Die together very effectively.
If you like witty, snarky slasher films, I Know Exactly How You Die is for you. This is one of those films to watch when you need a change of pace. It also introduces a new talent in Alexandra Spieth, which is always a nice thing.
"…Fast, brutal, and snarky..."
