Don't listen to the negative reviews

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

There is a lot to admire here, mainly a great lead performance by Amy Seimetz as the alcoholic ex-girlfriend of a serial killer trying to re-establish a normal life. Also it's tough to pull off a naturalistic arthouse horror flick, and this attempt does better than most. For most of its running time this plays more as a drama (that happens to involve a serial killer) than as horror. But two elements nearly wreck the film. One, mentioned by many other reviews here, is the constant close-ups with a jerky handheld camera. A little of this would be fine but it never lets up, this movie is 87 minutes of random close-ups with a camera that won't hold still. It's too much and becomes a constant distraction. Second, there is a very ill-judged twist five minutes before the end that effectively undoes much of the naturalistic appeal the movie had until that point. I won't reveal it here, but will just say it was wholly unconvincing to me. Even with these serious flaws, I found this to be worth watching for Seimetz's performance and for the unhurried, reflective storytelling. What's good here will stay with me, which makes the misjudgments that much more frustrating.

A serial killer does his usually stchick on unsuspecting characters after he escapes from jail. His ex-girl friend is in hiding and under witness protection because she testified against him.But, the cinematography was so bad, it was hard to follow the story.I think the director got a string of Christmas lights and decided to use them in an out of focus foreground for a 'anxiety' effect. Really? A very poorly conceived decision. 'Shaky cam' was used on Blair Witch and a few others. You might try a tight story line, good actors, and scenes and presto a movie and a tripod.Rather than move you into the story, such techniques take you out of the story since you are very aware of the effects and fail to follow the story. But maybe the cinematographer had the d'ts'Pulp Fiction had very little 'artsy out of focus lights' as an effect to get the audience in a tipsy mood.Story line wasn't bad, but ruined by the constant use of out of focus lights and jumpy camera work. Did you not have access to a pair of sticks?Plot at the end was good though and should have been extended instead of endless AA meetings.

in my opinion, people have too narrow of a view on what's considered a 'horror movie'. so when it comes to a lot of people, A Horrible Way to Die will mostly likely disappoint because it doesn't follow a humdrum and redundant horror movie formula: blood, guts, haunted places, monsters, deranged psychopaths stalking people, etc...watch this movie if you're looking to watch a GOOD movie in general. it's the kind of horror movie that shows you a glimpse into a somewhat practical situation. a lot of movies out there tend to skimp on one vital part of making a movie: the story. and because the horror genre is vast, it seems too many people make horror movies with only blood and guts in mind (which isn't always a bad thing). the story in this movie is attentive to appreciating the craft of MAKING a good story.generalized example horror plot (that has nothing to do with this film):a movie about someone breaking into a house and terrorizing the family inside.it's a basic concept that's been done a million times and will be made a million more times. BUT, that doesn't mean you CAN'T make a good movie about that specific scenario. it's a terrifying concept that isn't too outlandish to conceive. unfortunately this makes a lot of filmmakers lazy. they slap together a 'screenplay' and depend on generic situations that other people have done over and over again to do the work. fortunately, there are some great films out there using that concept. and those films involve a well thought out story. instead of throwing buckets of blood around hoping the more blood, the better the movie, some people would rather switch the buckets of blood with an actual STORY. the horror springs from the reaction of characters involved, and how they react towards each other.THIS is that kind of movie.

I was actually compelled to watch the film, as it has a claustrophobic feel and was genuinely disturbing. The increasing feeling of dread reminded me of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).The theme of the recovering alcoholic girlfriend was realized about as well as someone mostly unfamiliar with AA could make it. I imagine the screen writer and director spent a few evenings at a "high bottom" AA club, as the drunks were all pretty nice people and not criminalistic, rude and violent. You felt genuine concern for the fate of the alcoholic girlfriend.The killer himself was largely ordinary looking and acting, which left you off guard, when he showed his true colors. The kill scenes are fairly graphic and paced well. Some things are done off screen like the Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which for me added to the suspense.The dialogue, pacing, non-linear plot and the stark Midwestern landscape (mid-Missouri it seems as the bar where one of the killings happens is off "old 63") complete the feeling of desolation. You actually could run into people like the people in the film and probably have. I don't see where Blair Witch comparisons are made by other reviewers.My main problem with the film, however, is the terribly trite, Wes Craven-like ending. It seemed almost plagaristic of Scream, where you could tell where it was going but hoping they wouldn't be dumb enough to go there. A serial killer "fan club"? What? Why? I was glad to see the fan boys get offed, but that also was completely predictable.The terrible last scene actually ruined what could have been an iconic horror film for the 21st Century like the Exorcist, Halloween and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre were for the 1970s. If I were the director of this film, I would remake the film with an alternative final scene.