All You Need is Death (Ireland, 2023)

All You Need is Death kept popping on and off my list this month. While the reviews were mixed, I decided I really wanted to watch some kind of folk horror. I also have a soft spot for stories involving cursed media, and this seemed to tick that box too.

All You Need is Death is currently streaming on Shudder in the UK.

Synopsis

Anna and Aleks travel around Ireland, seeking folk songs no one has recorded or transcribed before. They are members of an unorthodox group of archivists, led by a woman called Agnes, who seem to operate more like a cult than anything more traditionally academic.

When a man in a pub mentions a strange song known only to a woman called Rita Colcannon, the pair seek her out. They eventually track her to a house filled with creepy puppets, only to find Agnes already there. They talk Rita into singing the song, but only if no one records it. Aleks also has to leave the room, as the song is not for men. It is a purely oral tradition, only be remembered by “our women”. The words are in an ancient language that predates Irish.

Of course, Agnes secretly records Rita, and bad things start happening. The song carries some kind of magic that infects and transforms those who hear it, connecting them to a terrible story rooted in the deep history of Ireland. Listening to it is addictive, bringing deeper and deeper understanding of its purpose.

With Rita’s violent son out for revenge and dead spirits beginning to awaken, the future is not looking bright for any of our archivists. But what terrible fate is the song leading them towards?

General Thoughts

The hook of archivists hunting for an ill-reputed folk song appeals to me greatly. I once wrote a scenario inspired by Cecil Sharp, the English archivist who travelled the UK and USA in the early 20th century, transcribing songs that had previously only existed as oral traditions. This approach clearly informs the protagonists of All You Need is Death, although their motivations are more selfish. Any vocation that involves delving into undocumented folk histories is fertile ground for horror.

The organisation Agnes leads intrigued me. I wanted to know more about what appeared to be a group of rogue academics and enthusiasts operating in such furtive ways. They felt like a cabal from an Unknown Armies game.

Rita’s adult son is a highpoint of the film. He has been warped by a childhood filled by ghosts and magic, and there are hints that he may have been involved with paramilitary groups. For all his willingness and ability to do terrible things, he is still an oddly tender character, and it’s not hard to see him as the hero of the tale.

Verdict

All You Need is Death frustrated me. The first hour is captivating, drawing us into a strange underworld of folk music archivists and forgotten magic. There are some terrific ideas about the song’s history and the effects on those who listen to it. But all these threads never quite come together into something satisfying.

It’s not that the story completely loses momentum, but the escalation in the final act is pretty toothless. If the resolution were a bit nastier or a bit weirder, All You Need is Death might have been something special. The concepts that make up the climax are imaginative and creepy, but they deserved a harder sell.

I’m not sure if I would recommend All You Need is Death. It has all the elements of a great horror film, and I certainly don’t regret watching it, but sometimes a near miss can be worse than a film that never stood a chance.

The October Horror Movie Challenge

Please do join in and share your own thoughts with us about this or any other films as the month goes on. You can usually find us on Twitter, BlueSky, Reddit, Discord, or lurking in the dark corners of your home.

If you would like to play along at home, my provisional selections are:

We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (USA, 2021)
Tales That Witness Madness (UK, 1973)
When Evil Lurks (Argentina, 2023)
Under Paris (France, 2024)
In a Violent Nature (Canada, 2024)
Torso (Italy, 1973)
Titane (France, 2021)
Rorschach (USA, 2015)
The Coffee Table (Spain, 2024)
Dr Caligari (USA, 1989)
Bit (USA, 2020)
The Guard From Underground (Japan, 1992)
Oddity (Ireland, 2024)
Speak No Evil (Denmark/Netherlands, 2022)
Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (USA, 1982)
Grave Torture (Indonesia, 2024)
Bedlam (USA, 1946)
The Innsmouth School For Girls (USA, 2023)
Daddy’s Head (UK, 2024)
All You Need Is Death (Ireland, 2024)
Eight Eyes (USA/Serbia, 2021)
Poor Things (Ireland/UK/USA, 2023)
Seven Deaths in the Cat’s Eye (Italy, 1973)
Longlegs (USA, 2024)
Night of Fear (Australia, 1973)
Stopmotion (UK, 2024)
Terrifier (USA, 2016)
Azrael (USA, 2024)
Faust (Germany, 1926)
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (Hong Kong, 1991)
I Saw the TV Glow (USA, 2024)

A Final Note

If you have been enticed here by these posts, please do look around at some of our other film reviews. We also have a podcast, called The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, which occasionally covers horror films. If this appeals, you might want to check out some of the following episodes.