#dear david movie

[that-horror-girl]

Short review of Dear David:

It was ok.

We need more gay people writing for horror tbh, there's so much trauma amongst us it could fuel the industry for decades. /half joking

Overall: Cool concept, too much about Adam, not enough focus on David and the emotional impact of being bullied.

4/10

[frecklesandpoverty]

31 Nights of Halloween Horror: day 18

My choice for today was: Dear David

Ok I remember reading the original tweets, and they were so creepy, that's why I'm so disappointed with this movie. I rated this 4/10. It started off fine, had potential, but in the end it just ended up a mess. David wasn't even scary, and the effects they used were laughable. He comes for whoever's rude on the internet, so I guess he'll be coming for me now since I thought his movie sucked lmao. Really really a let down, because I had been so excited for this movie for a while. I have to say I did like the lead actor playing Adam Ellis. He was likeable. Other than that, meh. Meh meh meh.

[gothhobbithoe]

Anyone else disappointed after watching the trailer for The Dear David movie

Like why havent they stuck with the oh he comes in your dreams and instead HE FOLLOWS YOU ON TWITTER

[fanofspooky]

Scream King - Justin Long

[gayvecchio]

[haveyouseenthishorrormovie]

SUMMARY: After responding to Internet trolls, a man becomes haunted by the ghost of a dead child named David. 

[ftm-megamind]

okay but like i love the idea of jack being all flustered about his feelings for david. like he may just automatically initiate physical touch as often as possible but when it comes to taking another step in the romantic direction he's such a mess. probably took him 3 days to build up the courage to actually use his words and tell david he's pretty or something. you know right. and i love the thought of david being the one to kiss jack first because jack was just too scared. like. david being less shy about it than jack in general. yeah? yeah

[lillies-antiques]

me

[this-is-macy]

Body slams in musicals mean so much to me.

[extraintrosortavert]

The world doesn’t deserve Campbell Bain.

[utter-disgrace]

if I ever write a horror piece where the haunted character miraculously has all of their questions answered by a single internet article ala deus ex machina, just take me out, it’ll be too late for me by that point

[icarusflightplan]

Typical homo reaction 🙄

[sincerelyang3l]

🌸 Top Three’s 🌸

Movies

The Exorcist (1971)

The Lords of Flatbush

The Outsiders

TV Shows

RuPaul’s Drag Race

Full House

The Office

Songs

Love, Me Normally - Will Wood

I/Me/Myself - Will Wood

ASMR Lover - RuPaul

Bands/Singers

Will Wood

Hozier

Olivia Rodrigo

Subjects

Speech and Drama

English

Science/Biology

Books

Haunting Adeline - H.D. Carlton

Priest - Sierra Simone

The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood

Musicals

Phantom of The Opera

Dear Evan Hansen

Newsies

Actors

David Tennant

Michael Sheen

Timothee Chalemet

[anchovy]

The new dear David trailer

[skellebonez]

What are your favorite movies you watched that came in 2023?

I put off this question to think about it more and FORGOT TO ANSWER IT KJGKFDJ.

But in no particular order, here are my 9 favorite movies from 2023 (because I only watched 12 movies from 2023 in 2023):

Barbie

Five Night's At Freddy's

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Cocaine Bear (this one may be my favorite)

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Nimona (second favorite)

V/H/S/85

It's a Wonderful Knife (not actually that great, but it was FUN)

Trolls Band Together

I also saw The Monkey King on Netflix, it was fun but mostly just ok, imo. And... Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Loved April and the Turtles, did not enjoy the story or what they did with Splinter. It's ok.

Also. Dear David. Holy shit. That is the worst movie to come out in 2023. It's HORRENDOUS. Watch it drunk with friends or not at all.

[fearsmagazine]

DEAR DAVID - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Lionsgate

SYNOPSIS: “Shortly after comic artist Adam responds to Internet trolls, he begins experiencing sleep paralysis — while an empty rocking chair moves in the corner of his apartment. As he chronicles increasingly malevolent occurrences in a series of tweets, Adam begins to believe he is being haunted by the ghost of a dead child named David. Encouraged by his boss to continue the “Dear David” thread, Adam starts to lose his grip on what is online…and what is real. Based on the viral Twitter thread by BuzzFeed comic artist Adam Ellis.” -Press Release

REVIEW: Filmmaker John McPhail takes the helm on DEAR DAVID, a genre film inspired by the events behind the 2017 “Dear David” Twitter thread. Created by cartoonist Adam Ellis, who was working for BuzzFeed at the time, the film presents a complex character who, in dealing with this supernatural force, must deal with his own personal demons.

Remotely familiar with the “Dear David” Twitter story, the film sets up the premise of David being a child who is bullied online. Something transpires. As Adam digs into the story, David is presented with a murky disposition and may not be innocent. Adam is initially drawn in when David responds to one of his tweets and what ensues feels a bit like “The Ring.” What is interesting is Adam’s character arc. As he becomes consumed by this nightmare, certain traits surface that have his friends and love drawing away from him. One could easily believe his supernatural predicament might be an extension of his stressed-filled job, but the story builds the foundation of David’s story and it clearly becomes a menacing force in Adam’s life. The film opens on David’s story, but DEAR DAVID is the story of Adam Ellis and his struggles with real life and supernatural forces as he fights to take control of his life.

Actor Augustus Prew is a veteran actor who carries the weight of the narrative. He creates a charming character who begins to take on darker tones as the supernatural entity complicates his life. He manages to maintain a level of sympathy and never presents an unlikable character. His performance provides access to a wide audience and easily takes them along for the ride. Actor Cameron Nicoll plays David. It’s an effective performance, but I don’t feel he gets enough screen time to present a rounded character. We become aware that the character has a darkside, but it is not fully formed, or presented as pure evil as Samara in “The Ring.” Still, it is creepy enough to add a sense of dread to the character.

There is an element to the production values that left me feeling that the film was a made for tv project. That is not a bad thing when you consider the state of the art of made for tv movies. There is something fresh and stark to the look of the film. There is nice interplay between light, shadows and colors, and there is this grounded look to the city and locations. The film captures many exteriors that clearly make this a New York Story and I believed it. McPhail creates a tone and atmosphere to the film similar to that of “Anna & the Apocalypse.” There are horror elements and keeps the film grounded. There are these extraordinary, supernatural elements, but they exist parallel to “reality.” Adam has entered David’s nightmare but he still moves through daily life. The special and visual effects are subtle touches, and this is not a gory film, relying on more traditional scares. Composers Tommy Reilly & Roddy Hart’s score nicely accentuates those moments adding another level to the atmosphere and playing on the viewer’s expectations.

DEAR DAVID is an interesting and engaging take on the story behind the events of 2017. What easily could have been a typical genre film looking to inspire a franchise, John McPhail delivers a character driven tale that presents a story arc that is influenced by the supernatural elements. It is not as in depth character study as any of the films based on Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting,” but McPhail’s film has more in common with that type of cinematic thriller. It’s great to see him still working in the genre and I look forward to some of his other potential forthcoming films.

CAST: Augustus Prew, Andrea Bang, René Escobar Jr., Cameron Nicoll, and Justin Long. CREW: Director - John McPhail; Screenplay - Mike Van Waes; Producers - Richard Alan Reid, Michael Philip, Jason Moring, Naysun Alae-Carew, & Charlotte Walsh; Cinematographer - Stephen Chandler Whitehead; Score - Tommy Reilly & Roddy Hart; Editor - Glenn Garland; Production Designer - Joshua Turpin; Costume Designer - Olga Barksy; Key Makeup Artist - Daniel Lee; Prosthetics - Daniel Baker; Special Effects Coordinator - Derek Liscoumb; Visual Effects - LUSA VFX OFFICIAL: www.lionsgate.com/movies/dear-david FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/dpb3ah3Cgg0?si=yd0TyZUhoFyXpERb RELEASE DATE: In Select Theaters, On Demand and Digital on October 13th, 2023

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri