by Charles Kirkland Jr.
A blood-stained piece of mail finds its way into the hands of the dead letter office of the local post office
and begins a deadly search for truth in Dead Mail.
When an ominous cry for help on a blood-stained piece of mail is received at the local country post
office, it starts an investigation by Jasper, a diligent mailroom clerk with an auspicious knack for solving
the undeliverable mail that the post office calls “dead letters.” When Jasper turns up dead as well, two
other smart and dedicated members of the “dead letter department aided by a Scandinavian hacker
friend pick up the investigation into both their co-worker’s death and the mystery of the bloody letter.
Written and directed by Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy, Dead Mail stars Micki Jackson, Susan Priver,
Sterling Macer Jr., John Fleck, Tomas Boykin and Nick Heyman.
This movie is an incredibly well-delivered, intentional throwback. DeBoer and McConaghy must have
created this film as an homage to the eighties. The style is extremely retro. From the old 35mm film
that is used to the synth-heavy soundtrack, to the excellent costuming and set decoration. Everything
about the film screams old-school, docu-drama re-enactment. The only thing missing is the voice-over
from Robert Stack or maybe Jessica Fletcher poking around. The directors even include a fake, end-
credits roll of information about the characters’ lives after the movie’s “incident”.
It is easy to overlook the cleverness of the film and want to turn away because it seems so dated. The
creators so quickly hook the audience into solving the case and getting justice for those killed that it is
almost impossible to not want to see how it all turns out. Because the whole incident hangs around the
creation of a perfected synthesizer, it is a super smart idea to have a synthesizer-heavy musical
accompaniment to the on-screen drama.
The screenplay of Dead Mail feels like a throwback to intensely suspenseful thrillers like Misery and
glorifies an older time when people were more personable and technology was simpler. It is an
allegorical testament to simplicity.
Dead Mail is a very engaging film. It is a stylish and fun thriller that holds a lot of promise. So stylish
that it is curious to see where DeBoer and McConaghy go next. This film is so stylish and interestingly
crafted we are left to wonder what their follow-up can be. Nothing as good as this.
Grade: B-