Almost thirty years later, the 1992 film Death Becomes Her is still one of the most iconic cult classic films of all time. The horror comedy is full of surprising twists, memorable moments, and a star-studded cast, all of which make the movie incredibly enjoyable to this day.
As classic movies age, offensive or inconsiderate aspects are rightfully criticized in new lights, and some films tend to become outdated due to ever-changing social progression. In the case of Death Becomes Her, a film all about overcoming the concept of aging, most elements fittingly stand the test of time. Just like the characters themselves, the film has not aged in many ways.
The Concept Is Unique
In terms of concept, there’s nothing quite like Death Becomes Her, a film about women who indulge in immorality in order to preserve the youthfulness they have left. While there are plenty of popular movies about the undead, most of them are dark in tone, full of tense action, and have stereotypical, often gruesome depictions of what the undead look like.
Death Becomes Her subverts all of these commonalities. Instead, the zombie-like qualities of the film are much more light-hearted. The film’s fantasy aspects revolve around potions, parties, and perpetually pretty people. The story is based on quite an intense concept, and yet the story translates to the screen in a fun, enjoyable way.
It’s Tastefully Campy
A major reason why Death Becomes Her is such a hit horror comedy is because of its campy elements. Camp – notably created and largely loved by the LGBTQ+ community – can be defined as the exaggerated, over-the-top essence of a design or art. While loved by some, camp does not appeal to a majority of audiences. But in the case of Death Becomes Her, the film is a perfect merge of drama, comedy, and camp. It is able to lean into the dramatics of the story while straying away from being too melodramatic, as balanced out by its campy and comedic attributes.
One example of this is the infamous scene in which Ernest watches Madeline fall down the stairs. The highly dramatic moment is drawn out in exaggeration and played up for comedic effect, and yet it is a major turning point of the story, making a parody of the drama genre while still actively benefiting from it as well. The movie is campy in many other ways too, as seen through the makeup, performances, and the way that the occult is represented in the film.
It’s An Underrated Robert Zemeckis Film
Robert Zemeckis is a renowned filmmaker, known mostly for his iconic films Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. However, some fail to remember that he was also the director of Death Becomes Her, perhaps one of his most underrated works.
Touches of Zemeckis brilliance are quite evident in the 1992 cult classic, like the way his characters find themselves in grave situations but are met with bouts of optimism throughout the story that keep audiences so engaged. However, many of Zemeckis’ films tend to lean more into the drama than the comedy. This is not as much the case in Death Becomes Her, which likely attributes to why it is more underrated than his other films.
It’s One Of Goldie Hawn’s Best
Goldie Hawn is one of the most iconic actresses of her time. Hawn’s career expands from the ’60s all the way to today, but her golden era was in the during the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. Considering Goldie Hawn’s best movies, which include The First Wives Club and Private Benjamin, her role in Death Becomes Her is one of the most memorable among them.
She gives a wide-ranged performance as Helen Sharp, a perhaps the most dynamic character of them all. In the first minutes of the film alone, Helen goes through a wide variety of life experiences: her husband leaves her for a woman who has a history of stealing her men, she stops taking care of both her mind and body, and she goes through a stint at a psychiatric facility, all while plotting revenge toward Madeline. Her character takes yet another major turn about halfway through the film when she instead teams up with Madeline, and from then on, the rest of their conflicts become one in the same. Hawn’s varying performance is riveting, and her chemistry with Meryl Streep is divine to watch.
Bruce Willis Shows Off His Silly Side
Bruce Willis is best known among movie lovers for his high stakes, often action-filled thrillers, such as Die Hard and Unbreakable. It isn’t too often that audiences get to see the actor in a more upbeat, funny role like his character in Death Becomes Her.
While the stakes of the film are still high most of the time, there aren’t exactly any of the classic Bruce Willis fight scenes within the movie, and his character Ernest is more subdued than the ones he typically plays in his intense action dramas. Ernest is comically high strung and worrisome, and the way he visibly reacts to situations in many of his scenes are sure to cause a laugh or two.
Meryl Streep Steals The Show
Widely regarded as one of the best actresses in film history, Meryl Streep is simply unforgettable in nearly every one of her movies, and Death Becomes Her is no exception. Playing the main protagonist Madeline Ashton, an overly dramatic actress obsessed with maintaining her youthful beauty, it’s almost impossible for audiences to take their eyes off of Streep when she’s on screen with her commanding presence.
From the catty way she delivers her lines to simply the way she sometimes walks, Streep gives a hilarious, beautifully devoted performance as the over-zealous Madeline. It is further proof that she can excel in any kind of genre and any kind of role, and Death Becomes Her is just one of many Meryl Streep movies guaranteed to lift moods.
It’s Fun To Spot The Celebrities At The Party
A major sequence of scenes in the movie is the huge party thrown by Lisle to celebrate immortality with her undead clients. One of the funniest aspects of this is the many real life dead celebrities in attendance, implying that these celebs are secretly still alive because Lisle prevented their actual deaths with her immortality potion.
Some celebrities are more obvious to spot throughout these scenes, such as Elvis Presley and Andy Warhol, but there are countless others that might not even be evident upon first viewing. For many audiences, searching for celebrities among the crowds might be an enjoyable part of a Death Becomes Her rewatch.
It Has Progressive Themes
Though it might not quite pass the Bechdel test, given how the entire crux of the story is about two women’s jealousy of and involvement with a man, Death Becomes Her still makes a progressive statement with some of its major themes at play. Mainly, the film is not afraid to directly call out the unfair beauty standards expected of women and the double standards that come with them.
As an unapologetic early ’90s film led by two powerful actresses, Death Becomes Her has unspurpringsly received many negative reviews from mostly male critics. Despite this, it has persevered as a cult classic among women and LGBTQ+ audiences, likely because of how those viewers can relate to the story and characters, and it maintains its relatability nearly thirty years later.
It Has Amazing Visual Effects
By far, one of the greatest aspects of the film is its consistently incredible visual effects, particularly showcased after Helen and Madeline go through some brutal body transformations upon their “deaths.” There are multiple scenes in which Helen has a visible massive hole in her torso and Madeline’s head is completely on backwards while these characters casually move around and interact with one another.
These crazy visual feats are depicted quite seamlessly and still hold up well today, especially for a movie from 1992. In fact, the film’s visual effects are so impressive that Death Becomes Her even won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 1993.
