DINNER TO DIE FOR
Starring: Shamilla Miller, Steven John Ward, and Nina Erasmus
Director: Diana Mills Smith
This film has been reviewed by Nick and Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of Fantastic Fest 2025.
NICK
Dinner to Die For just didn't do it for me. It feels like an unnecessarily drawn out short film, has the look of a well made commercial, and doesn't provide a particularly engaging plot. I understand there's budgetary limitations (this was in the Burnt Ends section of Fantastic Fest), but the struggles of this one go beyond that. It’s no excuse for the sluggish pacing and pedestrian performances (which give this the feel of a high quality student film), nor the film's rushed conclusion that was wholly unsatisfying. Nothing to die for here, in fact you’re lucky if you feel anything.
QUENTIN
Playing as part of Fantastic Fest’s (low-budget) Burnt Ends section, I can’t be too hard on Dinner to Die For because it probably does more with less than most of its competition. However, at only 75 minutes, the film is caught in no man’s land between being too long for a short film and too short to sustain itself as a feature. As a result, the pacing is laggy and the story’s stakes aren’t adequately fleshed out to create the suspense required. Director Diana Mills Smith seems to have a decent eye, but the general cheapness made me wish I had skipped this meal.