The R.I.P Man (2025) | Film Review
- Adam Williams
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
A slasher with an unsettling smile that almost has teeth.
There’s horror, and then there’s horror with a drill in its hand, a soundtrack that squeaks like wind-up chattering teeth, and a premise weird enough to make you check your own mouth reflexively. The R.I.P. Man doesn’t reinvent the genre wheel, but by God, it gnashes its way through familiar slasher tropes with a creepy grin and an appetite for body horror that lingers long after the credits roll.
From the opening moments, Jamie Langlands his claim on the slasher sub-genre with something that feels less like a recycled knock-off and more like a midnight drive past a closed carnival that still has one light blinking. A small town, a series of grisly murders where each victim is robbed of a single tooth, and a killer whose fixation on dental souvenirs gives the film its macabre identity.
So, let’s break down what I felt worked, and what I felt didn’t. The film’s villain, Alden Pick, is standout. With his peculiar oral condition and those disturbingly deliberate tooth-gathering habits, he’s a villain you don’t easily forget. Owen Llewelyn’s performance, especially in silence and glare, carries more weight than the film sometimes does. It's interesting this all stemmed from Langland catching a documentary about an oral condition.
“The concept for the screenplay was inspired by a documentary I found myself watching late one evening about a rare oral disease called Anadontia. I've always liked the idea of creating an antagonist that is unique in appearance and one that is memorable for the audience... I also think avid horror fans will appreciate the antagonist's backstory and where his twisted ideology comes from. The concept will definitely play on the minds of people that fear the dentist. Beware The Dentes Clan!” - Jamie Langland
The atmosphere & sound design throughout was another of the film’s stronger aspects. This isn’t flashy horror-fest gore at every turn; it’s the sound design—the drill (ugh- that f*cking drill....it's horrendous. I hate the dentist), the chattering toys, the eerie quiet—that really gets under your skin. Additionally, for a modest production, the inventive kills and mood-heavy setup are braver and cleaner than most indie slashers I’ve seen recently.
So, onto what didn’t work for me. The plot and pacing felt somewhat off throughout. When the film veers into prolonged investigation scenes (hello, detectives on the trail), the tension slackens and you find yourself waiting for the next set-piece rather than living in it. Some character beats feel packaged rather than earned. I’ll also admit I know there’s a lot of idiots in slasher films that do stuff without any sort of logic involved, but Christ some of the decisions these characters made infuriated me.
Lastly, Langland never really fails to use most of the supporting cast in this film. They all felt under-used and under-utilised. Friends, family and assorted teens feel mostly like slasher fodder instead of fully realised people, which lessens the emotional punch of their demises.
The R.I.P Man (2025) | Film Review
The film isn’t a “jump out of your seat” type of film either. More in the “don’t want to think about what he does next” way. It’s like creeping into the killer’s dream logic with purpose, rather than being shoved into it by cheap shocks. Overall, The R.I.P. Man isn’t perfect, but its weirdness works in its favour. If you’re there for a fresh villain and unsettling practical touches over CGI splatter, you’ll find it worth your time.
The R.I.P Man is out digitally on most major streaming services. You can check out the trailer below.
