Review by Chris Rennirt
I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU DIE (directed by Alexandra Spieth) gets off to a promising, blood-soaked start with a hapless victim, bashed in the head repeatedly with a brick, his skull crushed to a pulp, his face no longer recognizable! With this, we know something most important, fast. This one won’t skimp on the gore! Quickly, we know we’re in for a visually horrific slasher (or basher), even if all else fails, at least worth the price of admission! What’s more, the subtitle “Writer’s Block Leads to Bloodbaths,” in my earlier article about I Know Exactly How You Die, was NOT an exaggeration! Imagine that!
Rushabh Pateln (as Rian) and Rawya El Chab (as Naja)
What’s it all about? Rian Burman (Rushabh Patel), a struggling horror novelist losing his girlfriend and ideas for writing, checks into a hotel in a remote area, looking to “self isolate,” as he says. There, hopefully, he’ll find solitude and inspiration enough to finish a book his cantankerous, bitch of an agent wanted yesterday. (And trust me, calling this woman a “bitch” is NOT hyperbole or misogyny–it’s fact). But, will his plans and accommodations bring the needed muse for his work? Of course not. This is a horror film! Soon enough, the details of his novel come to life around him vividly, physically, and violently and, worse yet (better yet for us), the story develops a will of its own. And with that, the possibilities for “novel horror” have never been more literal and doubly defined. Imagine that–a horror novel guiding itself, with zero conscience, no limits, and no regard for its human author!
Rushabh Patel (as Rian)
I Know Exactly How You Die is also a very effective and often funny (as it should be) dark-comedy horror film. Mostly deadpan horror, it is punctuated with a balanced amount of humor throughout, mixed together, in unexpected moments. The hapless, disorganized, impulsivity and clumsiness of the main character, Rian (Rushabh Patel), is the perfect vehicle of personality for the movie’s comedic tone, from the beginning–and Rushabh pulls the weight of it throughout. Without giving away a spoiler, the greatest of the film’s dark-comedy is saved for last!
Rushabh Patel (as Rian)
AND, the actress who plays the film’s protagonist and arguable second main character, Stephanie Gomes Homan, is a show-stealer for sure, if she was not intended to be so! Full of energy, expression, and captivating, natural beauty, Homan brings life to a movie that, with all its pluses, would not fare so well without her. Homan easily gives her character Katie a personality that is memorable not just in the movie as you watch it, but even after the credits roll. With such acting ability, striking beauty, and on-screen power, Stephanie Gomes Homan is indelible. I’m still thinking about her now.
Stephanie Gomes Homan (as Katie)
Related to Katie (Homan’s character), there is a standout scene–truly unforgettable–in which Katie says “Fuck Me!” repeatedly, with distinct enunciation and force. NO! It is NOT said in a sexual context. It is instead said to express frustration towards herself for what she believes she has allowed to happen to herself–the exact opposite of saying “Fuck You!” expressing frustration and anger towards another person. Nonetheless, the “Fuck Me!” said so distinctly, with more of a begging tone, rising to the end, is, I believe, a well-timed injection of sexual energy and suggestiveness that is most effective. Ingenious it is of the writers, whether planned for the character or not, to serve (retroactively identified) a precursor of something physically sexual to come. Why am I devoting a paragraph about a beautiful movie character saying “Fuck Me” repeatedly and forcefully in a horror movie? Why not, especially when it stands out, screaming for attention so much, and getting it so easily.
Speaking of bloodbaths and Stephanie Gomes Homan…
Also effective and welcome, thank God (or the gods of horror) is a story that includes plausible reasons for otherwise dumb things characters do. How often do victims of violence, serial killers and such NOT call the police in horror films, even when there is ample opportunity to do so? All the time or way too often is the answer! Of course, calling the police would, if done promptly, put a quick end to most any horror film, cutting out most of the horror…and we wouldn’t want that. I fully understand. But, how difficult is it to write, contrive, create as you chose (as the writer in charge of it all) your own rules, circumstances, contrivances, etc. to avoid such crushing cliches? Not difficult at all, as writer Mike Corey proves. I won’t say how it’s done to avoid a spoiler; but how refreshing it is to see an otherwise good movie NOT ruined again by dumb writing.
Bloody feet, after a bloodbath? Of course!
Speaking of writing, I Know Exactly How You Die is made exceptional again with most happenings–most importantly, the ending–being totally unpredictable. I never really knew what was going to happen next, even though it seemed like a familiar story at times. Most things came out of nowhere, with the ending, I must stress, being especially so. Humor in stories of well-deserved revenge, served unexpectedly and brutally, always puts a smile on my face. And what a good way it is to end the best of dark-comedy horrors!
Stephanie Gomes Homan (as Katie)
“What else about the gore, beyond the head bashing and bloodbaths?” you ask. Gruesome kills with bloody, on-screen payoff are treats served up fast, from the beginning, using mostly practical effects–as described in my opening, “head-bashing” introduction. Scenes with off-camera violence compensate more than enough (or perhaps make it more horrifying) with the sound of it happening. CGI effects with digital gore occur mostly, if not entirely, in dreams, where above-reality visuals are excused as excesses of REM sleep and imagination, rather than special-effects shortfalls. Specifically, a digital-effects scene where blood gushes from the eyes is unrealistic in appearance and excess, but again, occurs in a dream where anything could happen. Here, possible lower-budget limitations are managed in a way that works in the film, giving it the benefit of the doubt (as I always do).
Finally (or second to finally), as an added bonus, a comically-impulsive, albeit deadly budding romance is added, just when you don’t expect it–depending on how you fixate on “Fuck Me”, and consider it foreshadowing. Ironically, even though I obviously fixated on it, I still didn’t see it coming! It’s actually clever that a novelist whose writing becomes reality may control such favorable events for himself. But, is that what’s really happening? As the story progresses, we wonder if Rian is really in control of anything…and if he’s really so fortunate.
In conclusion, I Know Exactly How You Die is fan-service horror that delivers the goods in all areas, even if it isn’t 100% original in its ideas, kills, and overall plot. What it does deliver is an unpredictable 88 minutes of mystery, psycho-stalking, graphic gore, dark comedy, and deadly romance–“everything but the kitchen sink” in horror. For lover’s of the genre, it’s a regret-free use of your TV time with a female protagonist who (in my opinion) makes it worth repeat viewings, with or without her not-sexual/sexual use of the F word and drop-dead good looks. As sure as a beautiful woman in a bathtub full of blood–or a good ole head bashing with a brick–is enough to pique your interest, so is the movie. A definite launch at Space Jockey Reviews! Recommended!
I Know Exactly How You Die debuts on streaming services April 7, 2026!
Rocket Rating – 7
Chris Rennirt is a movie critic and writer in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as editor in chief at Space Jockey Reviews. He has been a judge at many film festivals, including Macabre Faire Film Festival and Crimson Screen Film Fest, and he attends horror and sci-fi conventions often. Chris’ movie reviews, articles, and interviews appear in Effective Magazine and are published regularly on Space Jockey Reviews.