‘Terror goes viral’
Dear David is a 2023 American horror film about a man who responds to internet trolls and becomes haunted by the ghost of a dead child.
Directed by John McPhail from a story by Evan Turner and Mike Van Waes based on the ‘Dear David’ tweets by Adam Ellis. Produced by Naysun Alae-Carew, Dan Katt, Jason Moring, Michael Philip, Richard Alan Reid, Dan Scheinkman and Charlotte Walsh.
The Buzzfeed Studios-Rideback co-production stars Justin Long, Augustus Prew, Andrea Bang, Rachel Wilson, René Escobar Jr, Ethan Hwang, Tricia Black, Rachel Risen, Cameron Nicoll and David Tompa.
Plot:
Shortly after BuzzFeed comic artist Adam Ellis (Augustus Prew) responds to internet trolls, he begins experiencing sleep paralysis, while an empty rocking chair moves in the corner of his apartment.
As he chronicles increasingly malevolent occurrences in a series of tweets, Adam begins to believe he is being haunted by the ghost of a dead child named David. Encouraged by his boss to continue the Dear David thread, Adam starts to lose his grip on what is online and what is real…
Reviews:
“What easily could have been a typical genre film looking to inspire a franchise, John McPhail delivers a character-driven tale that presents a story arc that is influenced by the supernatural elements. It is not as in-depth character study as any of the films based on Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting, but McPhail’s film has more in common with that type of cinematic thriller.” Fears Magazine
“There are a few creepy moments, but too many of the stale, borderline-lazy scare tactics involve static ghosts and corpsy, growling, ooze-drooling faces. However, when it does take on a more psychological approach involving mental health, online abuse, and suicidal ideation, there might have been something here. The bigger takeaway ends up being the importance of open communication in relationships.” ★★ Guy at the Movies
“For the first two acts, I was very impressed with how well this adaptation worked. And then that ended with the third act which just lost me. It’s the curse of many of these CreepyPasta adaptions – as it is with all other horror movies. Maybe you’ll love the ending of Dear David, but as far as I’m concerned, they had a perfectly good horror movie and simply ruined it with the ending.” ★★ Heaven of Horror
“Augustus Prew doesn’t have much charisma, though, nor does he help to make Adam stand out as the protagonist, but the vapid and bland screenplay doesn’t help much either. Moreover, Justin Long is wasted in a boring role as Adam’s boss at BuzzFeed. There’s nothing exceptional about the CGI effects, the lighting, set design or editing although there are a few creepy moments, but they’re ephemeral.” The NYC Movie Guru
YouTube reviews:
Trailer [1440p HD]:
Release date:
In the US, Dear David was released theatrically, on demand (VOD) and on digital by Lionsgate on October 13, 2023.
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