I DIDN'T COME HERE TO DIE

I Didn't Come Here to Die (18) 

Director: Bradley Scott Sullivan / Screenplay: Bradley Scott Sullivan 

​Starring: Indiana Adams, Kurt Cole

Volunteer work can be killer

If you look at the cover art for the UK (and USA) DVD boxes for “I Didn’t Come Here to Die” (IDCHD from hereon in), you would be expecting a generic low-budget slasher. It probably consists of a gang of drunken teenagers being hunted and killed in the woods. Yadda-yadda, seen it all before. However (on the UK release at least), the DVD also contains a number of quotes from Bloody.Disgusting.Com, Billy Chainsaw, and even AintitCool.com. Surprisingly, these are all 4-star ratings and proclaim it to be a triumph. So, to put it bluntly, what gives? And is it worth your hard-earned cash?

The movie itself opens in the fashion of found-footage film or a bloody episode of “Cops”, complete with the obligatory scratches and burns on the celluloid. It depicts a nervous Police Officer creeping along a road and the edge of a forest, with his gun drawn. Coming across the aftermath of several atrocities, he loses his nerve and runs for it, before being confronted by a disfigured person.

Following this Grindhouse-ey opening sequence, we flash-back to the start of the story. A group of humanitarian volunteers are heading into the remote woodland to start construction and clearing of an area, for a forthcoming holiday camp for kids. Led by Sophia (Emmy Robbin, who looks distractingly like Jessica Biel for much of the movie!), they are the expected mixed-bunch of clashing characters. There’s the annoying would-be politician Miranda (Madi Goff), the smart-ass Chris (Niko Red Star … no, really, that’s his name.), and so on. They all have their reasons for being there, and start to bond (or at least try to) over a couple of days as they work on the site.

Then it starts to go a bit awry. There are an unfortunate series of events, but this ain’t no Lemony Snicket! Following an accident, more bad luck follows, some submerged characteristics come to light, as well as some secrets. And then there’s more bad luck, and some violence … and more bad luck.  Alright, I’m being as vague as a Banker’s conscience here, but half the fun of this picture, hangs off on how exactly we get to the opening sequence and just what causes this chain of events.

Suffice to say, this is in no way a slasher-flick or a maniac-on-the-loose picture. It’s way more original than that. What it does do, is make use of its strengths and concept admirably. There’s a real sense of raw-ness to the picture and it certainly has a take-no-prisoners mentality. Some of the impact relies upon a number of really effective gore scenes, which have excellent make-up effects. There’s an eye injury to rival “Zombie Flesh Eaters” infamous scene. Best of all, there’s an excruciating scene with a chainsaw, which will have even seasoned gore-hounds wincing! Incidentally, if there’s a group of people in real-life that deserves to be around power-tools less than this lot, then I never want to meet them!

It’s not perfect by any means. The low budget shows in some areas. The vocal performances are sometimes muffled, and the cinematography is very muted, although to be fair some of this is intentional and adds to the Grindhouse feel. The night time scenes are also very “fuzzy”, however it makes a change to see a “realistic” night-in-the-woods scene that isn’t lit up like a Broadway stage! It has to be said that what Bradley Scott Sullivan has achieved here on a (reported) budget of $100,000 is extraordinary. Especially as he directed, edited, and wrote the whole thing. No wonder that people have compared this feature length debut to the impact that Raimi had with “The Evil Dead”. I for one will be watching what he does next with great expectations.

IDCHD has a short running time of 76 minutes, but absolutely none of that time is wasted. The ending is perhaps a tad too smart-assery for its own good, with major contrivances all over the shop, but it’s done with such a huge wink to viewer and culminates in a touch of splat-stick, that it’s instantly forgivable.

Well worth buying, and another example of don’t-judge-a-DVD-by-its-box-art. I would recommend this to any genre fan, and I think that non-genre fans (that don’t mind gratuitous violence and blood) would also be surprised and get a kick out of it. Perhaps the best summary is this exchange by two characters; “Do you think there’s a reason for all this happening?”... “Nah. Shit Happens, and then you die”

DVD Extras: Getting tired of typing this, but … Absolutely nothing. Again.



Mean-Spirited and playful at the same time, IDCHD defies expectations and provides a real treat for genre fans. Overcoming a miniscule budget, the small cast give entertaining performances and the make-up effects are excellent. Bradley Scott Sullivan is a horror name to watch.