Film Review – Helen’s Dead

“Helen’s Dead” is meant to be a wacky murder mystery featuring a cast of characters scheming and screaming their way through a disastrous dinner party. Co-writers Amy Brown Carver and K. Asher Levin (who also directs) have something in mind with the feature, playing into a “Clue”-style atmosphere of frantic people dealing with a murder and their own antagonisms, but it’s a long night with these personalities. “Helen’s Dead” is roughly handled by Levin (“Dig,” “Cougars Inc.”), who’s way too permissive with his cast, encouraging improvisations and overacting to a point where the endeavor feels like a filmed stage show performed for friends and family. The writing adds turns and confrontations to keep things interesting, but the picture mostly tests viewer patience, offering little in the way of inspired madness as things go from bad to worse for the guests at a doomed gathering. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com