Director – Sean Weathers (Ace Jackson is a Dead Man)
Release Date – 1998
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “Banned worldwide for 13 years”
I have now been writing reviews for 4 years and that has lead to me getting to know a lot of different filmmakers. This has also helped me get to know the type of films they make and how to prepare myself for what I am about to see. A few years back MVD sent me two copies of Sean Weathers film Vault of Terror. One for review and another for a giveaway.
This lead me to discovering the films of Weathers where his films really impressed me. Weathers is a man that can take a story with no budget and tell it in such a powerful way that the viewer can not take their eyes off the screen. Around the time MVD sent me Vault of Terror, I was sent a second film titled They All Must Die! The film looked absolutely insane but it is a touchy subject to watch around my wife so I had to wait until I could check it out while she was away. Damn, was this film insane!
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows three street thugs who notice that a white lady just moved in on their street. She is a writer and moved there to draw inspiration for her surroundings. One of the men makes a pass at her and she turns him down. This pisses the three men off and they set in motion a plan to get some of that white ass. They wait until the man she is staying with leaves and they enter her home and nab her.
They take her back to their place where they take turns fucking her. They do this over and over again. When they are done they physically and verbally assault her before tossing her in the shower to clean her up before she leaves. She cleans herself up and then sets out to exact her revenge on the three thugs.**Spoiler Alert**
I had seen several of Weathers flicks by this point and most are the perfect examples of modern exploitation. They remove the campy humor and kung fu action that most of the blaxploitation flicks of the 70s are known for. He then implements the modern obstacles that the black population currently faces while tossing in a little political correctives. I assumed that would be the route They All Must Die! would go but I was dead wrong.
The acting in this one is indie good. That’s a phrase I use a lot anymore but it still serves it’s point. The cast in this one tries very, very hard and show a great deal of promise but the experience is just not there and many scenes fall short due to this. They all show talent in front of the camera but they have a hard time responding to their co-star’s reactions. Sadly, I am unable to credit the cast properly because there is no record of who was in the film. The DVD does not have a credit scene and IMDB is blank. This may be due to the film’s subject.
The story for this one is a rough one to watch but it is something we have seen before. The story is almost a blaxploitation remake of the classic I Spit on Your Grave. Both follow a young woman that moves to a new area for a change of scenery only to become heckled by some local men. After turning them down they rape her brutally and leave her behind. Once she regains composure, she sets out to kill them all. Both are the same but They All Must Die! turns it up a notch and amps up the rape scene to the point the viewer feels uncomfortable watching. Though the rape scenes are carefully shot to prevent from over doing it, they are still hard to watch for those that find that type of thing unwatchable.
Finally, those looking for amazing kills or original kills like I Spit on Your Grave (dick cut scene) will not find them. The films focus is to test the viewer and not give them kill scenes. Overall, They All Must Die! is a film that is going to push the boundaries of the viewer. The film was made to shock and it delivers on that. Check it out but keep in mind what I told you!
