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.

That’s tough to navigate, and even tougher when you have a main character whose philosophy boils down to “I don’t want to talk about it”. This film didn’t have a high budget, either (not necessarily a demerit, of course, but it does mean less resources are available to it), and there are times its tone crosses into comedy. Yet, despite the challenges it faces and inflicts on itself, one is never bored by what Writer-Director Jason Krawczyk has managed to put together. You can tell Jason and his team were almost willing this film to be more than the sum of its parts. And it worked.

When Jack starts down the long trail toward the movie’s end game, what started out morbid and disturbing becomes violent and somehow satisfying. Jack is an irresistible force, and seemingly immortal, and one of the great pleasures of the film is the way it dangles what Jack is just out reach until near the end of its run time. I had several ideas, but the explanation that came forward knocked me off my feet. If you’re going into the film blind, as I did, you too will find this end reveal to be a wonderful surprise. It’s as original an idea as they come.

This review is shorter than many of the others in this series, largely because I didn’t want to spoil the way He Never Died goes about its business. This is a film best savored raw and unprepared, like how Jack prefers his meat. To come in armed with details spoils all the fun, so my recommendation to an audience is to find it and watch it. The less you know before the title screen appears, the better.

Our last review in this series is coming up, and just in time, as we near Halloween itself. Stay tuned as we take one last foray into this genre’s underappreciated gems.