I received an early screener for We Bury the Dead, and before we go any further, let me remind everyone of something very important: I am historically a giant scaredy cat. Horror has never been my comfort zone. So when I tell you this movie had me, I mean it fully grabbed me by the collar and didn’t let go.
Now let’s get into it.
We Bury the Dead follows Ava, played by Daisy Ridley, in the aftermath of a military disaster that goes horribly wrong. The world feels post-apocalyptic, with zombie-like entities roaming around. Yes, this has been done before, but there is more to it. Through all of this chaos, Ava is on one mission. She sets out to find out what happened to her husband. That quest is the emotional engine of the film, and it’s what makes this story hit harder than you might expect.
Yes, this is a horror movie. There are jump scares. They got me. There are sounds these creatures make that are deeply unsettling. I can still hear them in my head. The scares are effective, tense, and genuinely spooky. But what surprised me was how grounded the story felt emotionally.
This film has a real emotional backbone rooted in grief. Not the neat, tidy version of grief either. It’s the messy, obsessive, all-consuming kind. The kind that makes you push forward when logic says stop. The kind that makes you go to uncomfortable places because closure feels like oxygen. That theme runs through the entire movie, and it worked on me more than I expected.
From a storytelling standpoint, it is a good and compelling new angle. Addressing grief through a horror lens is not easy, and this film does it in a clever, thoughtful, and unsettling way. The scares serve the story rather than overpower it, and that balance matters.
Daisy Ridley deserves serious credit here. She is excellent. I believed every emotion she was selling from her fear, determination, heartbreak, and exhaustion. Her performance anchors the film, and without her commitment, this story wouldn’t land as well.
Technically, the film looks good. The pacing kept me engaged, the cinematography worked for the tone, and the color grading? Absolutely gorgeous. The color choices elevated the mood and atmosphere significantly, and they deserve to be called out.
When it was over, I didn’t walk away, shrugging it off. I walked away thinking about my own grief and the things I’ve endured. Any film that gets me reflecting stays with me. Any horror film that does that feels especially impressive.
We Bury the Dead is a solid, thoughtful, emotionally charged horror film that proves the genre can dig deep and still scare the hell out of you.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 out of 5 stars
We Bury the Dead hits theaters January 2nd. Go check it out.
