[FrightFest Glasgow '26] FILM REVIEW: Deathkeeper

Deathkeeper - FrightFest Glasgow World Premiere Review

Director: Tristan Barr

Starring: Charles Cottier, George Pullar, Isabella Rosa Procida, Yasmin Bouzas

Written by: Tristan Barr, Sandra Sciberras, Caleb Sciberras Scott

Produced by: Tristan Barr, Sandra Sciberras

Cinematography by: Julian Panetta

Original Score by: Mike Forst

Synopsis:

Cursed to age decades each time he saves a life, a reclusive angel is drawn to a possessed woman hunted by a charming demon in disguise, forcing him to confront the only way to reclaim his youth: killing.

Thoughts:

Starting a film with a heavy drop of lore can be a difficult uphill battle to get the audience on your side. The perfect example of it for me is 'The Fellowship of the Ring'. We are welcomed into a world with multiple different sides, fighting for one goal. It’s important to stick to the “Show, don’t tell” rule, and it’s also important to make your “show” interesting. Why do I say all this? Well, let’s just say 'Deathkeeper' isn’t very good...

Director Tristan Barr crafts a story of angels vs demons, heaven vs hell with a 'Highlander' or 'Dorian Gray' type central character called Luke (Charles Cottier). Barr tries to explain this world in the opening 5 minutes, and while it is a lot of information, you do sort of get the gist if you’ve seen other films of the same genre. The main problem here is that the story isn’t unique and just feels like a regurgitation of better stories. It also doesn’t help that our main character Luke, is a charisma vacuum.

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Cottier starred in the Australian soap opera 'Home and Away', and it feels like he hasn’t shaken off that acting style. The acting plus the way his character is written, as this holy perfect Christ-like figure, drags the plot to a sudden stop every scene that he’s in. The writing on the whole is a mixed bag, jumping from genre to genre from scene to scene. One minute, it’s a horror, the next it’s a meet cute rom com. Of course, this can be done perfectly under a decent director, but Barr middles in every genre. 

'Deathkeeper' does have some fantastic cinematography at times. Julian Panette captures some beautiful shots, with great use of lighting and shadows, especially during the more horror focused scenes. A lot of the standard dialogue scenes are serviceable, but it’s clear that Panette got to flex from time to time in more of the establishing shots. George Pullar is great as the bad guy, Malagor. His acting is very hammy and over the top at times, but it works for the character of an evil demon. You can tell that Pullar had a lot of fun in the role, and he’s a definite stand out in the film. The other standout is Isabella Rose Procida as the love interest, Julie. Procida brings a real charm and likability to the role and I look forward to seeing her in more roles in the future. 

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'Deathkeeper' tries to be a lot of things and unfortunately, doesn’t do any of those things very well. The movie has some bright spots in some of its actors and cinematography, but a weak script and a terrible central performance make this film feel like a drag to watch. 

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️

-Adam Neeson

'Deathkeeper' received it's World Premiere at FrightFest Glasgow on March 7th