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(Brooklyn Horror Film Fest 2026) POSTHUMOUS Tries Its Best to Tackle Grief With Too Much Exposition

By. Vanessa Maki

POSTHUMOUS makes its East Coast premiere on October 21st at Brooklyn Horror Film Fest.
 

 

Since the 2010s we’ve gotten more and more horror that focuses on grief, mourning, and trauma. While those topics shouldn’t cease to be explored, it’s hard to come across horror media that manages to say something new about the nature of grief. POSTHUMOUS, directed by Josh Tanner, joins the long line of horror films about grief with a side of entity madness. But it doesn’t have anything different to say that you’ve never seen in grief horror prior to this.

POSTHUMOUS is set in Australia and follows Zoe (Sophie Lowe), a woman who returns to her childhood home for her birthday and uncovers family secrets regarding her birth and death of her mother. As Zoey continues to dig deeper and watch a VHS tape that she shouldn’t have, she unleashes something that causes harm to her and those around her. From the beginning of the film, it’s abundantly clear that Zoey has struggled with her mother’s death for her entire life. And Neil (David Roberts), her dad has failed to grieve properly himself. There’s a clear friction in their relationship and an emotional distance that Zoey herself can’t figure out.

The film doesn’t waste time showing us that this house holds a lot of pain and mournful energy. Nobody has been the same since the passing of Zoey’s mom, especially as Zoey never got to meet her. Zoey decides to watch the VHS tape that her mother recorded for her over a course of time, as she knew that she was sick. POSTHUMOUS does a decent job at capturing who her mother was through the tapes, which only makes the tapes more interesting than anything that’s going on in the present day.

Zoey as a protagonist is quite frustrating, and it’s certainly understandable because she’s dealt with a lot of pain and struggle regarding her mom’s death, not to mention her dad becoming distant over the course of her life. She pushes everyone away, including her boyfriend Alex (Remy Hii), who seems more supportive than anything. But her prying into the past, especially as her dad seems adamant about her not doing that, causes a plethora of issues. Which doesn't even lead to the film taking much in the way of risks in regards to the events.
 

Once Zoey decides to investigate after seeing some old pictures of people that her parents were friends with, she begins her disastrous journey. After stealing an old VHS tape from Brenda (Doris Younane), the mysterious next door neighbor’s home, it brings forth an entity that’s been wanting to claim her for ages. This is where the story especially gets predictable because we’ve seen horror films like this before. There are a lot of jumpscares, poor decision-making, and the film stretches longer than it needs to be.

 

Apparently, the camera is having a much better time at Brooklyn Horror Film Fest in I LOVE PARIS. Vanessa Maki finds plenty to enjoy in this vampire mockumentary, where an aspiring underground musician embraces her newfound bloodlust with considerably more enthusiasm than Zoe approaches her family's past.

POSTHUMOUS isn’t found footage and is a traditionally filmed supernatural horror film, but the VHS portions might make you wonder if it should’ve been. The way the ominous vibes are captured throughout the VHS footage are much more effective. Especially as the film relies too heavily on a boatload of jumpscares for not only Zoey, but other characters as well. And while jumpscares can be effective, leaning too heavily on them can become repetitive.

 

As the film stretches on, the exposition dumps become more frequent to the point where POSTHUMOUS is overexplaining. Rather than showing us what’s going on, the script has the characters providing explanations that don’t necessarily aid the film. In supernatural horror, there does need to be some explanation as to what’s going on. However, the mystery and creepiness shouldn’t be a hand holding experience for the entire film. Which is unfortunately what POSTHUMOUS does in its script.

 

When we finally get to the back half of POSTHUMOUS, that’s when the runtime is increasingly felt. Instead of capturing the audience by taking big swings, utilizing startling imagery, and shaking the audience to its core, the film simply drags as it builds up to a climax that is too syrupy sweet. You’re left scratching your head at the clashing tones throughout the film.
 

Visually the film does best when it’s not relying so heavily on jumpscares in moments that may not need them. The color schemes work for various scenes and help establish what mood viewers should be getting from them. And the entity’s design is intriguing if nothing else. However, there’s only so much to revel in from POSTHUMOUS on a visual standpoint if you’re not focusing on the VHS footage.

Once we get closer to the ending of POSTHUMOUS, it becomes clearer that the characters relied on the plot more than anything. There wasn’t enough to cling to with either Zoey, Neil, Alex, or Brenda as characters. The ending leans too far into an unearned and mismatched saccharine tone. And once it’s over you’re wondering what you were supposed to take from POSTHUMOUS.

POSTHUMOUS might work best for folks who are interested in indie horror with lo-fi aesthetics, as well as a departure from traditional demons being involved in stories about grief. If you happen to be someone who prefers a horror film with a tight runtime and less jumpscares, POSTHUMOUS may not be the supernatural horror film to tune into.

 

Grief isn't the only way motherhood can become a horror story. In NIGHTBORN, Radek Velicka ventures into the Finnish wilderness, where the anxieties of new motherhood take on a disturbing life of their own. Hanna Bergholm's film offers the unsettling imagery and ambiguity that Vanessa finds missing from POSTHUMOUS.