The Horror Show
He Never Died
by Jason Krawczyk
Sometime last year I found myself lost down the rabbit hole that is the Internet and stumbled upon an article about some upcoming Henry Rollins horror movie. I raised an eyebrow but I mean, come on, they had me at Henry Rollins. So I dove in, interested in finding out more, and as soon as I was finished with that article, I scoured the internet for more information on this film called He Never Died and patiently awaited the day that I would be able to watch it for myself. When that day finally came I was like a little kid on Christmas. I couldn’t help but wonder what poor, sad sack wouldn’t have been excited to watch a Henry Rollins horror film about an immortal with an affinity for Bingo and a serious case of antisocial personality disorder… but alas, on to the film.
We meet Jack, an aloof man whose hobbies include watching TV, playing Bingo, hanging around a diner, and cannibalism. You see, Jack is no ordinary man, it’s inferred early on that our main character is probably some sort of vampire and so it makes sense that he mainly stays inside his apartment and limits his interactions with others. But, unfortunately for Jack, the outside world wants in, and he can’t keep to himself forever.
An ex-girlfriend contacts him to let him know that he’s got a daughter and he has to track her down. Not only that, but his supplier for, ahem, food, is in trouble with the mob so naturally Jack’s gotta help the poor kid out.
After Jack rescues his supplier and tracks down his daughter, things seem like they might just get back to normal for our beloved immortal protagonist. He begins bonding with his daughter who notices the waitress at the diner has a crush on him and convinces him to interact with her more. But as Jack’s luck would have it, the mobsters aren’t quite finished with him yet and the movie takes our characters down a dark path of violence, death, and destruction.
Unfortunately I can’t give much more away plot-wise as the movie has a lot of mystery laced throughout. What I liked specifically about the mystery surrounding Jack was that quite a bit of it was left open to the viewer’s interpretation (assuming those watching are able to come to their own conclusions). There are a few answers that we are downright handed, but for the most part this was a brilliant film with an interesting depth to it.
Throughout He Never Died there are some great laugh out loud moments and Henry Rollins does one bang up job in his role as Jack. The nonchalant attitude of “been there done that” as he faces dilemma after dilemma is as entertaining as it is to be expected. I think far too often we’re given these action/horror flicks where immortals end up not knowing how to solve a problem or nearly get finished off by the villains in the end and they’re ridiculously predictable. With He Never Died it was refreshing to see that not only did the invincible Jack seem bored by all the pitiful humans attempting to kill him, but he’s been alive so long that he’s seen it all and ultimately can overcome any obstacle placed in his way. Jack’s struggle was more of an emotional one. Considering that he’s so blank and bored with a life he’s cursed to live forever, now he’s got this daughter to worry about. The film does a fantastic job of driving home that Jack’s got to come to terms with a responsibility that, in all the years he’s spent on this earth, he’s never had to worry about before.
I hear that a television series is in the works and that Henry Rollins is on board. I don’t think they’d ever find a better actor for the job in my opinion. So do yourselves a favor, folks: as soon as the opportunity arises, watch He Never Died. There’s no lack of action, blood, or dark humor with this one, and it’s sure to entertain Rollins and horror fans alike.
Stevie Kopas, HMS
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