All You Need Is Death (2023) – Film Review

Director: Paul Duane
Cast: Olwen Fouéré, Charlie Maher, Simone Collins
Certificate: 15

By Roger Crow

A young couple on a journey for dark, forbidden knowledge travel rural Ireland to record and collect songs, believing that the secret to modern alchemy is contained within them. However, when they meet an elderly, mysterious woman who sings songs that have never been heard before, they open the door to a powerful, ancient evil.

That’s the premise of writer/director Paul Duane’s fascinating, unusual and unique chiller with a fine cast including Olwen Fouéré, Charlie Maher, Simone Collins and Gary Whelan.

“Beautifully shot”

The mix of horror, Irish folklore and musical traditions is a compelling blend, and some of the performances linger long in the mind. A guy in a wheelchair’s speech patterns are extraordinary. It’s like David Lynch nipped to Ireland and did what he does best. And yet All You Need Is Death is not just another Lynch homage.

This is one of those slow-burn thrillers that is unlike anything you’ve seen before. It’s far from the haunted doll movies which seem to dominate mainstream horror flicks these days, but more akin to the A24 indie horror brand. It might not do massive business in the coming weeks, but like the music at the heart of the story, some films are best discovered.

Good performances by the main cast, and beautifully shot. All You Need Is Death should strike a chord with anyone who loves great chillers.