Dead Mail Is a Grimy Retro Horror Thriller Well Worth Seeking Out

In a random Midwestern town in a nondescript moment in the 1980s, a man wrapped in chains bursts out of a home and crawls toward a blue mail collection box, barely managing to slip a scrap of paper in before he’s recaptured by a blurry figure behind him. Thus begins Dead Mail, a refreshingly unconventional horror film made in a deliberately downgraded analogue style that perfectly captures both its setting and the quirky mood that runs through it.

Instead of immediately following up on that grabby opening, Dead Mail—which unfolds with a great attention to detail, including retro cinematography and production design that feels completely organic and correct to its world—then introduces us to Jasper (Tomas Boykin), a dead letter investigator who’s the superstar employee of his postal branch. Not that you’d know it by looking at him; he keeps to himself in a back room, methodically tracking down the proper owners of valuables that would otherwise have been lost in the mail.

But his detective skills are CSI-level amazing: you almost wish the entire plot of Dead Mail followed Jasper as he phones the National Weather Service checking precipitation levels to see if a smudged letter came through a certain location, or dialing up a foreign hacker to check car registrations to narrow down lists of potential names. His co-workers Ann and Bess (Micki Jackson, Susan Priver) think he’s a genius, and as soon as we see him work, we understand why. But this isn’t a movie only about Jasper; there’s that blood-stained scrap of paper that eventually winds its way onto his list of mysteries, which Jasper initially tosses aside, insisting “they don’t pay me to be a crime detective.”

While Dead Mail is certainly invested in the plight of the chained-up man who sent that desperate letter, it takes its time crafting the series of events that lead up to his written call for help. And much like the offbeat but fascinating Jasper, the characters that emerge in the film’s main drama feel both specific and singular. There’s Josh (Sterling Macer Jr.), a talented synthesizer engineer who isn’t sure how to level up the musical innovations he knows he’s capable of—and Trent (John Fleck), the older loner who slinks up to him at a demo and asks if he’s ever thought about collaborating with a partner.

We already know where this is headed, having seen Josh as a prisoner and Trent’s involvement in some extreme behavior to try to reclaim Josh’s letter. But Dead Mail wants to dig into the dynamics between these two, as we watch Josh tinker on his prototype while Trent buys him cutting-edge equipment and giddily learns to cook his favorite meal. Josh may not realize it, but the audience already knows Trent’s interest has already skipped over the line into something very unwholesome, and we must wait as the tension rises ahead of that inevitable mail-box moment—and whatever happens next.

Throughout, Dead Mail makes perfect use of its synthesizer plot to use electronic music both in its score and as part of its diegetic soundtrack; this creates a haunting and nearly funereal effect, since Josh’s particular interests include recreating the sounds of pipe organs as well as woodwinds. The longer the two men work together, the atmosphere of unease grows heavier and heavier. But Trent’s self-perpetuating psychodrama doesn’t exist in a vacuum; there’s always the idea that (despite some circumstances getting in the way of Jasper’s usual process) Josh’s small, blood-stained missive has raised an alarm in the outside world.

While tales of dangerous obsessions are not unfamiliar, Dead Mail places its peril in a setting that could not better illustrate the idea of the “banality of evil.” Sometimes an obsequious stranger might have a creepy stare you don’t notice in time—or a dead letter investigator and his intrepid co-workers might be the best “crime detectives” of all. 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—so all hail co-directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy for coming up with this one.

Dead Mail arrives today, April 18, on Shudder. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.