Sub-Genre: Supernatural Suspense, Thriller
U.S. Release Date: 2007 (Straight to DVD)
Running Length: 1 hr. 43 min.
MPAA Classification: Unrated (violence, language, and some gore)
Cast: Dominique Swain, Marie-Josée Colburn, Steve McCarthy, Maggie Castle, Reagan Pasternak, Jefferson Brown
Director: Robert Wilson
Screenplay: Peter Sheldrick, Christopher Warre Smets
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 A group of friends decide to gather for a reunion at a remote cabin in the woods. (What an original location for a horror movie!) During some late-night festivities, they decide to play an old childhood game called “Dead Mary”. The game is played by having enough nerve to look in a mirror and say the words “Dead Mary” three times. Legend has it if you say the words, Dead Mary will appear and kill you. (Sounds a bit like Candyman, eh?). One by one they go into the bathroom and say the malevolent incantation, and at first, nothing seems to happen. But what they don’t realize is that they actually released the spirit of Dead Mary. Dead Mary (who is never actually shown), proceeds to possess the campers and forces them to attack each other.
Dead Mary takes an unoriginal and puts a listless spin on it. In Fangoria #261, Dominique Swain (Lolita, Alpha Dog) compares this film to John Carpenter’s The Thing, with the characters paranoid and afraid of each other, not knowing who’s possessed and who isn’t. I likened this film more to Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead, with the characters being possessed by
a conjured spirit. Either way, director Robert Wilson (Warriors of Terra) hasn’t the ability to generate suspense like
John Carpenter, nor does he possess the directorial flair of Sam Raimi. The end result is a derivative horror film with little to no redeeming qualities.
The story in Dead Mary takes seemingly forever to develop. The early part of the film is riddled with pointless conversations about feelings and relationships. (For a time, I thought I was watching an episode of Dawson’s Creek). And just when I thought the story was going to get at least somewhat interesting, it takes a convoluted downward spiral, with unrealistic situations and dialogue.
Unless you want to see this film simply because you’re a big fan of Dominique Swain, I wouldn’t recommend that you waste your time or money on this one.
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