The R.I.P. Man – 2025

R.I.P. Man is a film somewhere between a slasher and a thriller. I think the tone makes it a little more kitchen-sink real than most slashers. Perhaps this has something to do with its origin – it’s British. I don’t know about you, but I feel like British film compared to American ones are a little more observing and a little less opportunist. Which means that the violent scenes are not so over-the-top, and the investigation is closer to reality.

It is the best of worlds and the worst of worlds. What do you really want from a slasher? Do you want the kills to be inventive and bloody? Do you want the clichés of sinful teenagers die while those who can resist the urge to have sex get to live? Well, I kinda want that. At least I want the kills to be inventive, I want them to be humorous without falling into the trap of making the ridiculous.

Also, as a side note. Do you want the other people around the whole thing to be so stupid that they don’t understand that there’s a serial killer on the loose? Do you need a “Crazy Ralph”? Well, it’s kinda the point with a slasher that the police don’t believe it’s happening. Maybe you don’t need a “Crazy Ralph” though.

In R.I.P. Man, an investigation is initiated, and we get to follow the police trying to catch the killer at the same time as we see him getting hold of his victims and killing them. I think he’s more of a serial killer than a boogeyman like Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers. He seems to have a special purpose. It’s not just killing for the sake of it. He steals the teeth of his victims, or, if we are going to be precise, one tooth.

There is a point to it, and the killings are gruesome, yet not over the top. Meaning that they are still believable, not that fantastic and illogical as you have seen in plenty of other slashers. On the other hand, there aren’t so many where I was laughing due to the circumstances. You know situations that are so typical for a slasher killer to hit in that you’re just waiting for the method.

As I was saying. The killer is more of a serial killer. He’s kind of mysterious, but at the same time, portrayed as a real person. We get to see his face early on, and he’s not hidden behind a mask. Therefore, it’s only logical that the police get involved and conduct an investigation. I think this part works really well; it feels like a genuine investigation, even though some of the deductions made might be a little too easy. It may not be totally logical all the way through. In other words, it’s quite simplified, which is fine. We don’t need to know every little aspect of what the police are doing. What we need is to know that they have a clue and are chasing after the right person.

So, what is the bottom line here? As a whole, I think R.I.P. man works pretty well. I’m not as entertained by the kills as I would have wanted to be, but I can take that. On the other hand, I get a more realistic story of something that actually could happen; it’s not so far from the truth as a regular slasher flick would have been. I also get a very mysterious ending that I cannot quite figure out. Maybe I’ll get that answer in the sequel!