Immortal Movie Review
If you’ve been following my reviews for a time, then you should know that I love a great horror anthology film. Immortal (2019) made me very happy because it absolutely delivered what I was hoping it would. Not only was I impressed with the wonderful storytelling and fantastic acting by a near-perfect cast, but each of the entries was solidly entertaining without trying too hard or being too over-the-top with the scares or gore.
Although the title is kind of a spoiler in itself, writer Jon Dabach gives us a real treat with Immortal. Now, when I’d first heard the title, I automatically thought that this was going to be another vampire movie or that it was going to deal with some other kind of monster-related idea. Luckily, I was dead wrong. Basically, Immortal is made up of four different stories brought to us by four different directors who give their spin on the overall idea of how the power of immortality could be used in different situations with completely different outcomes.
The first entry is called, “Chelsea” and is directed by Rob Margolies. This segment is about an engaging and enthusiastic high school English teacher named Mr. Shagis (brilliantly played by Dylan Baker) and the concern he has about the inappropriate goings-on with one of his star students and star of the school’s track team, Chelsea (Lindsay Mushett). Some sketchy behaviors between her and the track coach (Michael Shenefelt) are observed by Mr. Shagis. He confronts Chelsea about what he’s seen and lets her know that he wants to help her do something about the situation with the coach so that the problem can be taken care of. Quickly and surprisingly enough, things take a turn and we see that the best intentions of a person can quickly turn evil. What starts out as a tale of support turns into a struggle to survive…and then some. This is a great start to Immortal and a lot of twisted fun!
Next, we have the story of “Gary & Vanessa”, directed by Danny Isaacs. Essentially, this segment deals with desperation and deceit, as Gary (Brett Edwards) and his pregnant wife, Vanessa (Agnes Bruckner), are facing a hard time financially and try to pull a fast one in hopes that it’ll pay off in their favor. As is usually always the case in this type of scenario, the plan doesn’t go as planned. This story has a different feel to it, and it’s a bit more bloody, so those looking for some disturbingly gory goodness won’t be disappointed! As an added goody, Mario Van Peebles makes an appearance as your friendly neighborhood cable guy!
The third segment is “Ted & Mary”, directed by Tom Colley. Okay, this tale is the one that’s here to kick you square in the feels. First off, it shows the softer side of Candyman himself, the wonderful Tony Todd, who’s also an executive producer of this film. Tony plays Ted, the lovingly devoted husband to his terminally ill wife, Mary (Robin Bartlett). A camera crew shows up to film Ted and Mary for reasons. As they get made-up for their onscreen appearances, the two of them reflect on their life together—all of the highs and lows they’ve endured with one another and how much in love they are with each other. Once they’re in front of the camera, Mary and Ted talk individually, confessional-like, about what they went through once Mary got diagnosed with cancer. The performances by both Tony Todd and Rachel Bartlett are completely heartbreaking. I mean, Candyman isn’t supposed to cry, damn it! Mary describes the pain she feels as her body lets her know that she’s dying, and it’s just devastating. Anyway, a decision to end Mary’s pain is made and the plan is set in motion, but once again things take another devastating turn in the end. I’m giving you the tissue alert now so that you can prepare to ugly cry in advance.
The fourth and final segment is called, “Warren” and is directed by writer Jon Dabach. This one is a tale about revenge/karma. Our title character, Warren (Samm Levine), is enjoying his day…because it’s his birthday! YAY! He’s talking to his mom on the phone while leisurely taking a stroll before he goes into work, when—from out of nowhere—a car takes him out. The driver stops her car and is visibly shaken. She gets out and takes a look at what she’s done, then gets back into her car and takes off, leaving Warren where he landed. Poor Warren is able to pry himself out of the road and get up on his feet as he struggles to get back to his house with a piece of evidence left at the scene of the crime. As he gets inside of his house, all bloodied and banged up and reaching for the phone, he seems to lose his battle with death. But, not so fast…guess who’s immortal in this tale?!
So, he “wakes” up and is in one piece again and seemingly back to normal. He talks to his mom again, makes a bite to eat for himself and notices that something strange is going on with him. He runs some tests to check out his new “power” and then decides to find out who killed him by looking up that piece of evidence…aka, the license plate. With a little bit of help, Warren finds out that the person who hit him is a woman named Sonia (Joanne Verbos). He learns about her personal life and a plan for revenge toward Sonia and her husband, Joe (Jason Stuart), is put into action. The ending to this one is a little predictable, but still fun, nonetheless.
So, in wrapping this up, Immortal is a good time. If you enjoy short stories with a common theme, then this is a film that I think you’ll absolutely enjoy. Once again, the writing/direction/production is well done, along with the acting. If you’re looking for something that’s not a reboot and is thoroughly enjoyable, then give Immortal a watch on VOD through Stonecutter Media!
