Director(s) – Adam Freeman and Roman Jossart (The Campground, Nigrum Corvus)
Starring – Roni Jonah (Secrets of the Witch, Bigfoot Exorcist), Adam Freeman, and Jessa Flux (Space Babes from Outer Space, Voorhees: Night of the Beast)
Release Date – 2022
Rating – 3/5
It’s good to see indie horror begin to flourish again after the initial shut down due to the pandemic. When the world shit the bed in 2020 and continued to follow new guidelines and protocols throughout 2021 and most of 2022 left a lasting impact. The last two years saw just a percentage of the films get released that we were accustomed to which was a bummer. It seemed that indie productions got hit the hardest as many were unable to travel out of state due to their day jobs and restrictions. However, it seems that things are slowly getting back to normal in some capacity and new indie productions are hitting the streets.
A few weeks back, possibly around Halloween, Adam Freeman’s Deadly Dealings received a limited YouTube run for the holiday. I was unable to watch it during that time but after speaking with Adam I was sent a link to check it out when I could. I want to thank Adam for allowing Horror Society and myself the opportunity to see your film.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a young woman who is struggling with losing her brother. Her family tries to hold it together but deep down they are all missing a huge part of their lives. Her roommate turns her on to a spirit board and that night she has a dream that she can trade her dream for her brother’s life. The next day when she awakens she learns that it was more than just a dream and she bit off more than she expected. **Spoiler Alert**
Deadly Dealings is not going to be for everyone. In fact, a good portion of horror fans will not fully appreciate what Adam and his team gave us which is a damn shame because it does need to be seen. The story for this one was lacking but the film more than made up for it with colorful characters and beautiful cinematography. I love watching a film, especially an indie production, and every scene is a work of art. You can pause Deadly Dealings at any time and the still you have on screen is gorgeous.
The acting in this one is solid for the most part but there was a few scenes that felt a little awkward. The characters are a lot of fun, especially once the film picks up, and the cast does a fantastic job with the exception of a few scenes.
The story for this one is where I draw my biggest complaint with the film. The film has a solid baseline for a story featuring a broken hearted sister who is dealing with the traumatic death of her brother that lost his life protecting her. Mix in the black magic angle and you have something unique but it’s not fully explored like most genre fans would have liked. Instead, it’s mentioned in passing and we focus more on the distraught sister missing her protective brother. It’s a solid start but not enough to hold the viewer’s attention for over an hour. More development around the demon in her dream along with the why it was happening would have answered so many questions the viewer may have.
Finally, the film has some blood and some solid practical effects but what really impressed me is the make-up effects and cinematography. I loved the look of the “person” that visits her in her dream and his make-up prosthetics is fucking perfect. I could only imagine what they could have accomplished if they tackled blood and gore with that same skill set. Overall, Deadly Dealings is not what you would expect. I hate to be so cliched as to call it unique and different but it is. It’s not a film that wants to shock the viewer. Instead, it offers up beautiful camera work, likable characters, and a story that has potential. If you are open minded I highly recommend checking this one out.
