My quick rating - 4.0/10. Pay to Die starts with some obnoxiously upbeat music playing over the credits, which is our first warning that subtlety has left the building. We quickly cut to a starlet in a bikini and some, um, guy (trying very hard not to be judgmental here) shooting a commercial for some lube. It is a pretty simple setup for a joke, and whether you find it funny or not will probably tell you a lot about what you're in for.
Charles (Jeff Richards) is the guy who screws things up, then promptly breaks the fourth wall to explain how he always gets kicked around in this messed-up world. Naturally, he decides he needs a change. We're only a few characters in at this point, and I can already report that the acting is…well, horrendous.
Back at his mom's house, Charles decides he is going to make a slasher movie based on his own nightmares. So he and his friends launch a crowdfunding campaign, because the easiest way to make your horror-movie dreams come true is to beg strangers on the internet for money. Things don't go quite as smoothly as planned.
They bring in Jess (Lauren Francesca) to help pimp the project, which is also a convenient excuse for her to hang around in a bikini. Considering she also wrote and directed the movie, I'm sure that is definitely part of the joke here. Absolutely no ulterior motives whatsoever. She does have a nice body, but don't worry, she is fully aware.
I also spotted Teddy, played by and one of the directors, Shawn C. Phillips, whom I recognized from my recent abomination of a movie marathon thanks to Amityville Karen. They manage to lure in Harrison (Robert Miano), who apparently enjoys these B-budget productions, because I had just seen him in Sunset Strip Killers.
And that is really where Pay to Die finds its groove. The movie takes some pretty serious jabs at the crowdfunding process, the actors, the filmmakers, and basically everyone involved in trying to get a low-budget horror movie made. There are plenty of cameos, including some recognizable names, and the whole thing is essentially one long roast of the filmmaking process.
When the killer finally starts knocking people off, at least the kills are practical. One death involving acid is actually pretty damn ambitious and looked surprisingly good considering the budget. Most of the movie, though, is much more interested in making fun of the crowdfunding crew than delivering genuine horror.
The humor is juvenile, and plenty of it doesn't work. Some of it does. When the first body is discovered and the cops arrive, Officer Don is played by the late Robert Carradine, who gets to play a fanboy cop, which is pretty damn funny.
Oh, hey, Bai Ling! After The Crow, I have always adored her, so seeing her pop up was a nice surprise.
Ultimately, Pay to Die is much more a comedy about making a crowdfunded horror flick than a horror/comedy itself. The premise is fun, the filmmakers clearly know exactly what they're mocking, and the best joke may be that they completely embrace the crowdfunding nonsense while simultaneously taking part in it.
The special thanks section of the credits is also ridiculously long. LOL.
A fun idea with some genuinely funny moments, even if the juvenile humor doesn't always land. And considering the movie is basically about the whole “pay to be in a flick” problem, maybe Pay to Die is the most honest crowdfunding horror movie ever made.
Side note: I really hate when the trailer picture is identical to the movie poster.
https://jackmeat.com/pay-to-die-2026/
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