Are We Dead Yet review: Fredi ‘Kruga’ Nwaka shifts behind the camera for his debut feature that plays for laughs.
GridLoc Films
Fredi ‘Kruga’ Nwaka has had quite the career. He started out working as a bodyguard with clients including TLC and 50 Cent amongst others. He then made the move into the music world and had the honour of being the only UK rapper signed to the Wu Tang Clan. He then branched out into acting, gracing the screen in both Black Site and Brotherhood, and now he once more shifts gears as he steps behind the camera to write, direct and produce Are We Dead Yet, a film that just premiered at this year’s Frightfest.
Are We Dead Yet screened at Frightfest as part of the First Blood selection. This strand was specially curated by the Frightfest team to shine a light on new film-making talents making their way up in the British film industry. Are We Dead Yet had the privilege of closing out the day’s programme and sent the audience out on a high as it is a film that fully embraces its silly side.
Madison (Jessica-Jane Stafford) is a career criminal who is drafted into a job that involves locating some rumoured treasure in an abandoned old house. Typically for these sort of films, the house has a history of strange happenings, and it doesn’t take long for Madison and her team to discover why. The house is overrun with spirits, and a battle of wills ensues, but who will win?
The cast is an eclectic mix of British actors and musicians, with a few familiar faces to keep an eye out for. Ex-Hollyoaks star Paul Danan plays one of Madison’s gang, ex-Eastenders actor Khali Best plays another, and actor/musician Professor Green has a memorable part too. Nwaka also has a turn in front of the camera playing one of the departed.
There’s great energy to Are We Dead Yet that makes it an easy watch. Nwaka plays firmly for laughs with his feature debut, this is a horror film, but one hidden under a heavy veil of laughs. There is blood, gore, and frights, but in more of a Scooby Do fashion. The humour comes thick and fast from every corner of the film. Much comedy presents itself through in how inept this group of criminals are, their bickering, and some good old moments of slapstick. However, most of the laughs come from the former residents of the house; there are some very weird and wonderful characters to behold in this line-up. It’s not the type of comedy that everyone will get on board with as it skews very close to the silly, farcical side, but it may still induce the odd belly laugh or two.
A rather silly and mostly fun horror comedy that plays as an amusing mash-up of Brotherhood and American Horror Story.
Are We Dead Yet was reviewed at Arrow Video Frightfest 2019.
