Written and directed by Bron Theron, Half Dead Fred drops a paranormal twist into a classic gumshoe noir storyline and sets it in Flint, Michigan. It’s a noir-tinged mystery where the dead linger in ghostly form, and treasure is buried beneath a giant X.
Private investigator Freddy Nash (Corin Nemec) has a lot going against him. Years ago, his 9-year-old son was killed in a brutal car accident, and Freddy woke up in a hospital bed “half alive,” which means he can see and communicate with the dead, which is more a curse than a blessing. For his troubles, he became an alcoholic, and his only lifeline to sobriety is his silent partner, Janson “JY” Yamasaki (Jordan Christopher Michael). His trade now is investigating haunted houses and the paranormal. Still, he approaches it from a practical point of view: most people are just seeing things after a night of drinking, because of family mental illness, or due to an enemy of some sort.
His next case takes him to his hometown of Flint, Michigan, and the Dalton House to investigate a murder. The Dalton family patriarch, Roger (Michael Evans Kelly), owned the house and left it to his eldest daughter, Roberta (Heidi Schooler). His other children, Jake (Zachery Wood) and Debbie (Amy Diaz), were given a sizable trust. There’s also a treasure he buried — X marks the spot — and whoever finds it gets to keep what’s inside. Oh, yes, the murder: Lin, the housekeeper, was found dead in the house, and she was having an affair with Roger. It’s believed she figured out where the treasure is, and Freddy was hired to talk to Lin, find the treasure, and figure out who murdered her. Of course, we need suspects, and they include Roberta’s siblings. Debbie is a recovering alcoholic, and Jake is an alcoholic. Along with Roberta, each has an alibi and a weak motive for murder. Now it’s up to Freddy and JY to crack the case and avoid the police, who see them as outsiders.
Debbie aims a revolver during a tense moment in Half Dead Fred.
“Private investigator Freddy Nash…can see and communicate with the dead, which is more a curse than a blessing.”
According to Theron, Half Dead Fred fell into place while he was in Flint, working on mural installations for the Flint Public Art Project. He stayed at Joe Schipani’s old, creaky house, realized it had instant movie atmosphere, and began imagining storylines for a paranormal noir set inside it. After reading Schipani’s book Haunted Flint, the filmmaker shaped the film as a noir-leaning supernatural mystery meant to present Flint and its local sites in a more positive light.
Theron brings a great deal of indie-film spirit to the film. It’s an ambitious story, and though rough around the edges in terms of production values, he melds the gumshoe detective story with the paranormal from a unique point of view. Veteran actor Nemec lays the foundation for the story as a complex lead character, then builds a strong cast of suspects: Schooler, Wood, and Diaz. The story itself has some good ideas. I like that Freddy doesn’t put up with much B.S., especially in a paranormal industry that is 99% B.S., in my humble opinion. In a world of mediums and ghost whisperers, Freddy calls it as he sees it. If he doesn’t see a ghost, there’s no ghost.
As a mystery, Half Dead Fred allows you to play along to the end. It drops clues from the beginning and doesn’t pull them all together until the end. Once you get to the reveal, you can walk the story backward to see what you may have missed—no messy clean-ups, which is how mysteries should play out. Once the killer is revealed, the trail of clues pays off in a way that makes the whole case snap into focus. This may be scrappy in that old indie spirit, but it’s got enough character, attitude, and mystery-machine momentum to keep you watching all the way to the end.
"…drops a paranormal twist into a classic gumshoe noir storyline..."
