In a landscape saturated with formula, Dead Mail feels bracingly singular. A modest triumph, posted first class straight to the heart.

| May 2, 2025

Willing to risk their lives, government workers go above and beyond to care about their work, their coworkers and strangers in this timely heroic tale.

| Apr 22, 2025

It’s rare to see a movie with such a carefully considered point of view and style that it doesn’t remind you of anything you’ve seen before.

| Apr 21, 2025

An effective, twisty thriller with a singular edge of off-kilter black comedy.

| Apr 18, 2025

There’s some nice packaging to this low-budget project, but the box is a little empty.

| Apr 18, 2025

Great care is given to aesthetics, and period detail; what’s accomplished visually on (one assumes) a limited budget is remarkable.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 18, 2025

[O]nce the filmmakers dismiss the most persuasive part of their story, the movie becomes an uphill battle to try to be anywhere near as effective.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Apr 18, 2025

Dead Mail is a rock-solid crime thriller horror, the exact kind Shudder is such a great advocate for, and one I hope we will see much more of.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Apr 15, 2025

The movie plays its fun, spooky premise as straight as possible, while winking at the absurdity of its analog aesthetic.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Apr 15, 2025

To think of Dead Mail primarily as a “horror movie” is doing a disservice to its deep, abiding weirdness. There are flashes of nail-biting suspense in this utterly unique feature, but for every sharp intake of breath there’s as much unexpected tenderness.

| Original Score: 7.9/10 | Apr 11, 2025

Audacious in its narrative structure, thrilling in its execution of shocks, and unexpectedly poignant in its rich characterizations, it’s a gangbusters debut.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Feb 5, 2025

They seemingly set out to create a dead letter investigator and maybe show that they are heavily influenced by the work of the Coen brothers.

| Oct 21, 2024

An intriguingly offbeat thriller that feels like it was unearthed from the depths of the 1980s, complete with a synthesizer-heavy score and a distinctly retro aesthetic.

| Oct 17, 2024

Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy's tactile, lo-fi thriller weaves disarming melancholy into this Misery-framework, infusing unwarranted empathy.

| Sep 25, 2024

An expectedly thrilling, and unexpectedly moving, ode to public servants.

| Sep 17, 2024

It’s Fargo by way of Misery, and those who enjoyed the visual element of Longlegs should find much to like here too, even if it favours absurdism over scares.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 26, 2024

An utterly unique affair boasting great visuals and sound design, terrific performances and thorough exploration into its main theme, Dead Mail is an interesting new release that’s worth a viewing.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 24, 2024

Dead Mail is a textural 80's throwback that gives an intimate, even empathetic view of the drastic measures one man will take to avoid loneliness.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Apr 12, 2024

It’s hard to ignore this charming tale of kidnapping and death. By the end, you’ll see a vision of human darkness with few peers.

| Original Score: 9/10 | Apr 6, 2024

Dead Mail marries the aesthetic of a cold institutional documentary with a slasher flick and, in its best moments, is one of the most exciting horror films of the year.

| Original Score: B | Mar 26, 2024