In Dominic Ross’ horror feature, You’re All Gonna Die, there’s a serial killer loose just outside a small desert town who likes to ram his victims’ cars with his tow truck. Once he chases his victim down, he likes to gut them while they’re still alive. Gross. Fortunately, the police have found a suspect, but a local group of amateur investigators led by Ana (Jacquie Cardinale) questions the police’s interrogation. In fact, Ana has been working on this case for some time and even has FBI agent Peterson (Martin Donovan) helping her.
On this day, Ana and her crew—Travis (Robert Rodenbach), Deirdre (Taylour Geiss), Danny (Miloh England), and Seoul (Kristin Raney)—head to the site of the latest victim, where they find what appears to be an abandoned farm. As they split up looking for clues, Danny and Seoul wander off together to find a hidden spot to have sex. In mid-coitus, the killer comes out of nowhere and murders the pair. One by one, the killer dispatches the rest of the team, leaving only Ana to fend for herself and, if she’s lucky, find out who the killer is.
Writer/director Dominic Ross goes back to horror basics, using “all the horror movie tropes and clichés” imaginable and, luckily for him, never turning his film into a sappy satire. He achieves maximum indie horror while checking boxes along the way. We already have the dead couple having sex. We also get the utterance of “I’ll be right back!” followed by “Don’t go anywhere!”
“leaving only Ana to fend for herself and, if she’s lucky, find out who the killer is.”
Ross decides to focus on the second and third acts, centering on his damsel in distress, Ana, as a broken woman seeking redemption. Her mother, Donatella—played by the great Lori Petty—shares a secret with Ana as she serves a life sentence in prison. Now Ana is alone in the desert, hunted and stumbling across strangers. Who can she trust? The ending piles on twists, turns, and double crosses that will leave you devastated by the end.
You’re All Gonna Die has all the charm of a B-movie slasher. A mix of solid veteran character actors like Petty and Donovan lays a good foundation for the rest of the cast, cheap mutilation makeup that doesn’t look that cheap, and a dozen or so kills that will satiate your thirst for blood. Maybe focusing on checking off all the horror boxes kept the film from feeling significant.
Dominic Ross’ You’re All Gonna Die is the perfect indie horror meal, especially when you’ve binged on too much Hollywood slop. Now it’s time for a palate cleanser.
For more information, visit the You’re All Gonna Die official website.
"…the perfect indie horror meal..."
