The Death That Awaits (2024) – Film Review

The Death That Awaits is an indie horror film that centers on the events that happen after a young woman accepts a job caring for a troubled teenage girl, called Nina (Megan Lawless), who is allegedly suffering from night terrors. However, you don’t have to get far into the film before it becomes apparent that the Nina has bigger issues to contend with, and may have the potential to be extremely dangerous. The first indication of this occurs during a short introductory section where Nina interrupts her parents, who are having a heated discussion. Her fingers are dripping in blood, causing her father (Ron Yuan) to gasp, “What did you do?”

The film proper begins with Cassie (Katya Martin) arriving at a remote house in the country, where she is greeted by the Nina’s mother (Sharon Gardner), who explains Cassie’s duties, which include exiting the house before dark and making sure all the doors are locked, so Nina cannot get out. Nina enters the room during their conversation and her attitude makes it easy to see she’s not happy about the situation. However, it’s clear from the start that Cassie is keen to help Nina, and it isn’t long before she and Nina to become friends.

Nina has one older brother, named Micah (Tim Gabriel), who visits the house occasionally to drive Nina to medical appointments and do the food runs. He’s not a nice guy, and it’s immediately apparent there’s no love lost between the two siblings. Micah’s instant attraction to Cassie is equally obvious, but any designs he may have on her involve neither love nor respect, so there is an almost immediate personality clash.

Dr V. also visits the house, providing Nina with an unconventional treatment plan that causes her to scream so loud Cassie, who sleeps in the guest house, has to listen to loud music to block out the sounds of her friend’s agony.

During their conversations, it becomes clear Cassie understands what Nina is going through, and tells her she has friends who can help. She also suggests Nina drink animal blood to help keep her urges under control. Meanwhile, Nina can’t understand why Cassie is not scared of her.

At the time of writing, there don’t appear to be many The Death That Awaits film reviews available online, and most of the ones I can find are extremely critical, but, I like the film and will probably watch it again. I think part of the problem may be The Death That Awaits attracts an audience that expects a scarier type of film and become disappointed. The Death That Awaits is more of a dark fantasy film than a traditional horror film. It focuses on the interactions between the characters, especially Cassie and Nina, rather than trying to shock viewers or instill a sense of fear. There are also mysteries to be solved, such as the fate of Cassie’s former best friend and the reasons why she appears to be haunted by his ghost.

The Death That Awaits will be more appealing to viewers who enjoy films with interesting plots than those seeking thrills or shocks. That’s not to say these things can’t go together. They often do, but not always, and, in this case, the most horrific thing is Nina’s situation because, although they claim otherwise, her parents don’t really have her best interests at heart. Instead of caring for her, they see her as problem that needs to be solved, and Cassie’s presence in her life turns out to be a game changer.

The Death That Awaits has a runtime of 102 minutes and, although some of the characters are less than likeable, the quality of the acting is predominately good. The scenes featuring just Cassie and Nina rank among the best in the film, while the scenes featuring the other cast members help ramp up the tension, raising doubts about Nina’s future and well-being.

Some reviewers state they don’t like the way the film ends. Again, I am going to be different by saying that I do. It ends on a high note and doesn’t leave any loose ends. The Death That Awaits does a good job of putting a fresh spin on a well-used horror trope instead of trying to reinvent the wheel or cash-in on proven and well-used formulas.

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