The Reaper Man (2023) Review: Indie Horror Plays the Grief Card and Scares Only a Little

Grief has always been one of the most potent vehicles for horror in cinema. It is a messy emotion that can ripple into the more complex emotional territory of vengeance. The Reaper Man (2023), written and directed by Jaron Lockridge, is an indie horror movie that builds itself on the premise of grief, betrayal, and faith – some of the most fundamental human emotions.

The film begins with Jessica (played by Jessica Jai Johnson) and her husband, Joseph (played by Kenon Walker), eagerly awaiting the approval of a loan possibly to buy a house. Unable to secure one, they return home feeling sad and dejected. As evident from Joseph’s words, Jessica really wanted the loan to materialize and is particularly sad. However, they soon realize that they are not alone at home. The intruders demand money from the couple, and Joseph is shot and killed while attempting to flee.

The story then follows a grieving Jessica, who decides to visit a voodoo practitioner and demand that she returns Joseph to her. Joseph returns, but he seems to have changed. How does Joseph’s return endanger the lives of everyone who has hurt them? The plot of Lockridge’s film is as clear as crystal; perhaps the opening scenes foreshadow the upcoming tumultuous time in the life of the couple.

Before I talk about the elements of horror used in this movie, it is important to talk about the low-budget production of the film. In one of the scenes, two characters are talking over the phone, yet they somehow appear to be present in the same room, clearly observable because of the structure and the color of the wall paint. In another scene, to help mark the disappearance of a ghost, what appears to be white smoke seems to take the place of the actor as you noticeably understand them moving outside the purview of the camera.

Or, in scenes where the ghost of Joseph is pulling out the internal organs of human beings, it is strangely bloodless and tidy. The budget constraints desperately affect the movie’s production quality, keeping it from achieving the kind of horror it sets out to spook its viewers with. Therefore, it forgets to horrify or engage the audience during its almost 100 minutes-long runtime.

With a tiny budget, Lockridge relies on his actors to deliver expressions of horror. Thankfully, it is no less than gruesome to watch Joseph constantly sway between his undead and loving husband selves. His morbid physical appearance itself is scary and framed as he is in the doorways of houses, he instantly reminds you of the popular supernatural figure of the Candyman. I liked how the film is interspersed with happy nostalgic moments from the lives of Jessica and Joseph. It fuels the reason why Joseph’s ghost wants vengeance on the people who caused them to separate. 

Further, I did not see that climax coming. The plot of the movie is so well-knit that it makes me wonder how good a horror movie this could have turned out to be, production value-wise, at least if it had the right budget to hire solid technicians for the film. The idea to show each of the house invaders in their own domestic spaces before their deaths is also an ingenious move, helping them act as direct foils to the married life of Joseph and Jessica.

However, the rest of the script is anything but new, including the idea of detectives going around in circles because it is a ghost doing all the killing and no conventional human victim. There’s a lot of talking in The Reaper Man (2023). Unfortunately, the dialogues aren’t compelling enough to keep your attention grounded on the screen.

The Reaper Man (2023) has potential. I sincerely wish it didn’t have any budget constraints imposed upon it. It does fairly well with the resources at hand, and it may come off as a senior high school project for class presentation. I shall look forward to watching Jaron Lockridge come back with a bigger, better horror film that will send shivers down my spine as I enjoy the ride.

Read More: The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou (2023) Review: Pastoral Realism Gets A Lycanthropic Spin In This Wonderful Debut

The Reaper Man (2023) Movie Links – IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes
The Reaper Man (2023) Movie Cast – Harley Lowder, Kenon Walker, K.J. Baker

Where to watch The Reaper Man