Fantastic Fest 2025 Review: Theater Is Dead

Decker Sadowski and Shane West in Theater Is Dead, Catherine Dudas’ horror-comedy set in the world of backstage rivalries.

Horror and comedy collide in Katherine Dudas’ Theater Is Dead, a sharp, chaotic ode to theater kids everywhere. The film stars Shane West as the magnetic and menacing director Matthew Malvigo, with Decker Sadowski leading as Willow — a newcomer desperate for her first shot at the stage. Alongside her best friend Ben (Jacob Nichols), Willow is also developing a menstrual care product, adding another layer of pressure to her chaotic life. When she joins Malvigo’s production, she finds herself caught between ambition, rivalry, and something darker lurking behind the curtains.

The ensemble cast — Olivia Blue, Madison Lawlor, Colin McCalla, Zach Adler, and Stephanie Sundanami — lean into the backbiting, jealousy, and passion that feel familiar to anyone who’s lived backstage. The comedy is on point, the banter fast and biting, and the horror kicks in with a wild inventiveness that balances the film’s more theatrical flourishes.

If the movie stumbles, it’s in the final stretch, where explanations come a bit too heavy-handed, spelling out what audiences have already pieced together. But the film’s energy, humor, and ensemble chemistry more than make up for it. At its best, Theater Is Dead is a love letter to the escape theater provides while warning that ambition and charisma can mask something sinister.

With its mix of laughs, blood, and backstage drama, this is horror-comedy tailor-made for artists and audiences alike. A bloody good reminder that theater has always been a stage for both dreams and nightmares.

3.5 out of 5