Cody Cahalan’s Latest Horror Death of a Yellow Bird (FANTASTIC) Navigates Life and Death

Title: Death of a Yellow Bird

First Non-Festival Release: TBD

Director: Cody Calahan

Writer: Cody Calahan

Runtime: 93 Minutes

Starring: Ari Millen, Peter Outerbridge, Chance Orion Wood

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2026.

Death is the one thing all humans have in common, as it is impossible to outrun the inevitable. Many don’t get the chance to come to terms with their death depending on the circumstances, but others are confronted with the reality much sooner and slower. Grappling with the big feelings that death can elicit, Death of a Yellow Bird seeks to make meaning of the experience.

A man (Ari Millen) with a terminal cancer diagnosis returns to his childhood home after deciding to forgo any continuing treatment unbeknownst to his wife. He hopes to spend his days creating videos for the son he will leave behind but finds himself drawn to a strange video tape that he finds under the floorboards. It depicts a movie of his late brother, Danny (Chance Orion Wood), who died during his childhood. As he is further sucked into the world behind the video tape, he soon learns that Danny has a message from beyond.

Glacially paced and repetitive, Death of a Yellow Bird is a gorgeous, yet dull supernatural horror film.

Slow-burn horror with a ghostly familial twist, Death of a Yellow Bird introduces its setting and mystery without urgency. The man quietly wanders through the house and the surrounding snowscape without direction until he discovers the video tape that stops him in his tracks. The ensuing mystery is both obvious and boring but promises for great payoff if the man is able to truly wrestle with his life and death. This grappling mirrors his understanding and acceptance of his childhood trauma that he has inadvertently let define him for years.

If Death of a Yellow Bird had more meat to its story, this would be a great place to start. Unfortunately, the conversation begins and ends with the man’s desperate search for answers. Danny’s death clearly left a profound impact on the man, but it’s his inability to process what happened and his parents’ secrecy that drives him insane the closer he inches to death. Frustrating his wife with his insistence on forgoing treatment and taking too much time on his own, the man’s journey for answers stops being compelling the more often Death of a Yellow Bird repeats itself. Without substance to the mystery, the film feels perpetually suspended in this glossy haze of dream-like revelations and breakdowns. It’s beautiful but empty.

Bright, sunshine-drenched cinematography depicts a warmer world left barren by the cold of losing a loved one. The man’s winter has lasted his entire life and the flashes of the films Danny and the man worked on as kids serves as a bright reminder of the childhood he still longs for. Conversely, the current snowy setting makes a perfect backdrop for the more muted elements of its ghost story. This lost, nostalgic feeling for simpler days and simpler relationships is what drives the tonal heart of the film.

All these details combine to offer something much more compelling than what Death of a Yellow Bird actually answers. Ari Millen delivers an impassioned performance that fits the themes of the story but cannot do much in a vacuum. His character re-learns so much about himself and his life. It all feels very unsatisfying with how his journey eventually ends, even if the man’s journey itself is well done. Death of a Yellow Bird leaves the audience on a hopeful note but doesn’t reveal anything that isn’t already apparent throughout its molasses-paced ghost story. It always feels like it’s on the cusp of something interesting before defaulting to the safest or most obvious choice. Death of a Yellow Bird isn’t bad per se; it’s incredibly well-shot and acted, but feels redundant in the end.

There are far worse horror films out there but Death of a Yellow Bird hurts because of the promise it shows. A dreamy sojourn into the ephemeral memory of youth and the cold realities of death, it excels in cinematography, character development, and its lead performance while suffering greatly from an unfocused, poorly-paced story. The horror elements are understated and will work based on an audience member’s preferences for fear. Guilt and fear may drive plenty of human decisions but don’t let either stop you from checking out Cody Calahan’s latest in Death of a Yellow Bird.

Overall Score? 5/10