Jason Segel rarely strays away from the comedic genre. From 2000s classics like Forgetting Sarah Marshall to childhood reboots like The Muppets, Segel understands where he excels as an actor and stays in that lane. His newest feature, Over Your Dead Body, once again sees him messing with the comedy genre, but is arguably more of a horror film, making for a more subversive experience than we’re used to from the traditional Segel feature.

Over Your Dead Body follows Segel as Dan, a down-on-his-luck filmmaker whose lost love for his career and his wife, Lisa, played by Samara Weaving. Constantly bickering with him and criticizing everything he does, Dan is ready to end his relationship with Lisa. While on a vacation to a remote cabin in the woods, Dan plans to murder Lisa, but during his time of scheming, he finds out that Lisa also plans to kill him on their trip, leading to a bizarre turn of events that none of them could see coming.

Acting as a remake of the 2021 Norwegian film The Trip, it doesn’t stray too far from the original. Littered with similar twists and delving into similar themes of relationships, Over Your Dead Body could easily be accused of lacking a reason to exist. However, the film finds justification in the dynamic direction by Jorma Taccone. His comedic roots appear in the perfect spots throughout the film, finding humor in the most insane circumstances, making for an always-entertaining experience. Despite lacking any background in horror, Tacconne delivers some truly brutal images, especially in terms of body horror. Limbs are being ripped apart, nearly every character is stabbed and shot, and people are thrown out of moving vehicles. While this wouldn’t be surprising in most horror films, it is extremely shocking to see this from someone whose last directorial outing was Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. If this movie exists for any reason, it is for Taccone to show off his range as a director.

Taccone added tons of energy to the film, but most of the film’s freneticism comes from Jason Segel and Samara Weaving. The way the two exude hatred for one another, both physically and emotionally, makes many moments of satisfying horror/comedy. Whether the two are simply having a conversation or have guns pointed at one another, Segel and Weaving make it extremely easy to buy into their characters and their issues. This is far from Weaving’s first venture into horror, as is apparent throughout in her confident, badass performance. Known for his small, sensitive performances, one wouldn’t think Segel would work in a horror movie, but the way he sells his character’s frustration with the world makes for a solid transition into the genre. Although their characters aren’t the most original, it’s hard to see anyone who would do a better job in the roles other than Jason Segel and Samara Weaving.

Part of what makes the original film so beloved is its unpredictable structure, and that once again carries over beautifully in Over Your Dead Body. The film does a good job of setting up the story’s pieces, but it still takes many unexpected turns that keep it evolving throughout. A horror film set in a remote cabin in the woods is about as derivative as it gets, but the subversive nature of the screenplay makes the film feel as refreshing as ever.

Like many horror/thrillers, there are many occasions where characters make silly decisions. Characters run upstairs instead of out the front door, point weapons at one another without ever using them, and trip over things that they shouldn’t have. On some occasions, these common genre clichés can make it hard to connect with the story, but if you can accept the silly moments, you’ll likely come away feeling positive about the film.

The film may have a simple concept and a fine enough depiction of relationships, but the subversive story structure and lively performances from the two leads make this a blast of a movie experience. It may not be reinventing the genre by any means, but it delivers more than enough thrills and humor to keep audiences entertained from start to finish. It’s delightful to see Jorma Taccone and Jason Segel appear in something outside of comedy, and hopefully, they continue to stretch their filmmaking capabilities.

Over Your Dead Body is now playing in theaters nationwide.

Rating: 7/10

Oscar Prospects:

None