When I began this review series, I promised I’d also be raising zombies from way out in the back of the graveyard, highlighting some of the more independent and lesser-known horror films out there. Well, based on what I’ve seen, He Never Died escaped notice from quite a few people, and it’s the perfect time of the year to rectify that as best I can.

The film stars Henry Rollins, who most of you reading recognize instantly, because Rollins is one of those people so distinctive that if you see or hear them once, you’ll remember them the rest of your life. Rollins hails from a background in punk and hardcore music and these days runs a number of acerbic columns and shows. He’s a brooder; the kind of man who seems physically uncomfortable when he smiles. His character, Jack, is compelling from the moment he appears on the screen, and some of the troubling and downright grisly things we see him doing somehow don’t make the character any less interesting.

That’s good, because the plot is all over the place. I can roll with it, but for viewers looking for a cogent series of events this film might come across as a bit baffling, at least for long lengths of its run time. The writing is almost gleeful at withholding information. Consider the following threads we’re asked to keep track of: Illegal blood sales. Mobsters. Cannibalism. Former relationships. New love (dis)interests. Bingo. An enigmatic figure. Prophecy. Read the rest of this entry →