Horror Movie Review: Dead By Dawn (2020)

From director Sean Cain, and co-starring Drew Lindsey Mitchell, Kelcey Watson, Bo Burroughs, Timothy Muskatell, Bobby Slaski, Detra Hicks, and Skylar Dominique, Dead by Dawn will be available on DVD and Digital April 7th, 2020.

Lulu (Drew Lindsey Mitchell) is a meek and mild woman living with her abusive boyfriend Shane (Bobby Slaski). When he discovers she is wants to go back to school, he goes one step too far and hits her. She storms out and hires a driver to take her to her Uncle’s costume party which she was due to attend.

The driver… dressed as clown seems friendly, if not a little inquisitive but as the journey goes on, her discomfort with his behaviour becomes more and more apparent.

Elsewhere, Dylan (Kelcey Watson) is about to put a gun in his mouth and pull the trigger when a banging on his door stops him short. Going to check, he discovers a badly beaten and hurt Lulu who tells him that she was kidnapped and she has managed to escape her attackers.

Shortly afterwards, the kidnappers arrive and after initially pretending to be her friends, drop all pretences and start with the threats.

Dylan isn’t just going to hand Lulu over though but doesn’t have the ammo or weapons to defend the house against the three psychos. The night is going to be long but he is determined to get the girl out alive.

Slow… Dead by Dawn can be very slow at times which in turn makes it a bit boring at times. For large swathes of the movie, not a lot happens and regardless of how entertaining the kidnappers can be, they can’t keep the mind from slipping occasionally.

It is these three (and Kelcey Watson – although we’ll get to him) that make the film worthwhile though. Bo Burroughs is having a blast; the always great Jamie Bernadette is deliciously evil and Timothy Muskatell is a worm but does it so well. You’ll want them to get their comeuppance, especially when a particularly messed up twist is revealed.

The star role though is Kelcey Watson whose character of Dylan is damaged and broken but fights through his own personal pain to help another. Watson delivers a heartfelt and strong performance, the perfect foil to the evil outside his house.

The finale is where the film gets fun but it also has moving moments too. Taking an average movie into the good category on this section alone.