by Celina Eve
I knew little of Canadian made Dead Lover when I went to see the film in Soho, a week or so before its UK release date of 20th March. It premiered at Sundance on January 24, 2025. Just from the trailer, however, I was certain I’d be in for a treat. I arrived expecting the technicolour-inspired theatrics of films like The Love Witch, Death Becomes Her, and Suspiria (1977), and I left the screening feeling amused, lighthearted, but also vaguely nauseous (thanks to the somewhat horrifying scratch-and-sniff cards handed out…). This is not a film to feel impartial to – it is one you either love or are repulsed by. Literally.
The film was screened in ‘Stinkovision’, meaning that scratch-and-sniff cards were supplied to aid the audience in their immersion in the narrative. Personally, I think more screenings should use this gimmick, and I really felt more connected to the characters when I could smell the ‘BBQ Stink’ alongside them, however nasty it was.
Our protagonist, The Gravedigger, whose natural stench resembles that of the corpses she lives amongst, is played by director-writer-producer Grace Glowicki. The Gravedigger is a hopeless romantic, eternally pining for a true love who can put up with her flaws. So, when she meets her dream man (Ben Petrie), who not only tolerates her stinky side but creates poems celebrating it, she does everything she can to never lose him. Even when it means conducting a series of Shelleyan science experiments to bring him back to life from his severed pinky finger, found at the location of an unfortunate boating accident. Smell, senses and repulsion quickly become a key theme of the film. (and, much to my despair, a key theme of the scratch-and-sniff cards… There was even a vomit one).
Just 4 actors make up the plethora of colourful characters that appear on screen, from a lustful nun to a group of gossips. Although the cast all provide entertaining and absurd performances, Glowicki shines in her role as the stinky Gravedigger: she’s fully committed to her character, giving a performance that is simultaneously endearing, cringeworthy, and hilarious. You can really sense that this is a passion project of the cast.
Its visual style lends itself to that of 1930s colour horror films, technicolour, and theatre, all cleverly done on a very small scale. Rhayne Vermette, cinematographer, actually used dollar store lights to compose the vivid, contrasting lighting that is so important to the story. Shot entirely on 16mm using an Arri SR3 and Bolex camera, the vibrant colours of each scene jump out at you. It’s inspiring to see directors investing in the use of analog cinematography, particularly when the option of shooting digital has never been more accessible.
In Dead Lover, Glowicki proves that good movies don’t require a huge budget to be good or authentic. Its (relatively) small budget of less than $350,000 was used for just 16 shoot days at Astrolabs Studios in Toronto, the entire movie shot within the confines of 2 black box stages that were redecorated for each scene. Grace hoped that the film would be reminiscent of ‘DIY, low-budget experimental theatre’ and this definitely comes across: the so-very-obvious wigs, costume design, and homemade-looking designs, from the wolf to The Gravedigger’s monster’s extra-long finger. The prosthetics of the long finger were a particularly impressive feat, allowing it to do things that a finger should definitely not be able to do.
The film opens to a Shelley quote, “there is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand”. It is its own Frankenstein’s monster of genres: an eclectic blend of theatre, horror, romance and comedy that is uniquely its own – a mirroring of the Frankenstein-inspired story. There’s no argument that Mary Shelley’s novel has been the subject of countless film remakes, allusions, and celebrity costumes, particularly as of late, but Glowicki’s film wafts through the noise, evoking modernity and authenticity – and fun! – which are sorely missing from other current Frankenstein-inspired movies. After the intensity of Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 Frankenstein, Glowicki offers us some comedic relief from the seriousness of the Frankenstein motif that has been pervading pop culture.
Essentially, Dead Lover is a classic love story, turned Frankenstein tale, turned love story. It begins as most love stories would, the two characters meeting and falling in love, and immediately takes an ominous turn when The Gravedigger attempts to revive her lover. It is Shelley’s Frankenstein, if there were 2 monsters instead of 1. It is as heartwarming as it is repugnant; it invites you to exist in your ugliest, grossest state (taking a little too much time between showers) and shows that true love can even exist when you are in this state, or especially even.
Dead Lover is a surreal, gothic romance for those in a love affair with the strange. Spellbinding, alluring, and occasionally repulsive, but definitely relatable. There is no surprise that Glowicki’s favourite director is David Lynch. This is not one to smell later – don’t miss out on its release!
Celina Eve is a writer and filmmaker based in Brighton. She has a special love for the strange, sickly, and weird. She can be found through her Substack @celinaeve
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