How Did This Get Put On Netflix?: Aftermath (2021)

If you follow me on Letterboxd you’d have seen my less cohesive review that gave this movie ½ a star and only used the tag: “bad lol”.

Okay, so this movie is just wow. It's on Netflix, it's called Aftermath, and it stars Ashley Greene and Shawn Ashmore, who insanely is not the bad guy even though his face just screams "don't trust me". This review is going to be all over the place because the movie itself was also ALLLLL over the place. Much like the close-up of splattered brain matter in the opening scene. :)

If you haven’t seen it, basically it starts with a brutal suicide/murder, and then one of the guys who is hired to clean the guts and brains off of the walls decides it is the best location for him and his wife, who recently cheated on him, to start their new lives together……. Classic set up for a happy ending, obvi.

Anyway, The editing really launched this movie into failure right out of the gate. And when careless mistakes like that that happen, personally I have trouble getting past it, assuming it will be terrible for the rest of the duration, leading me to actively look for more mistakes. It certainly wasn’t good enough, later on, to look past the shittiness in the beginning or redeem itself. So. Reading on, you can just expect negative comments only. Sorry…

The first issue I think I had was the use of different audio takes for mismatched shots. There are weird laughs that happen when mouths aren’t moving, and when Ashley Greene says the word “yeah” you see her say a completely different word that I can’t remember because it was so shocking, and I refuse to go back and look for it because 1, I’m not being paid to write this; and 2, it was so traumatizing the first time, I don’t see the need to damage my soul further… Okay it’s not that bad, but FUCK. Seriously? No one caught the fudged audio on your Netflix-level professionally staffed set/editing room/family you showed it to??? Not even someone’s mom was like, this film is so fucking bad, can you at least make them say the words I’m hearing?

I feel like that’s just not asking for too much.

I feel bad for whoever produced this with their own money.

On top of technical aspects, the story was also just… loose. That’s the word I feel when I think back to it. So many holes or randomness that could have been left out or noticed and fixed by literally anyone involved????

For example, [*SPOILERS*] why was the brother-in-law (Alexander Bedria), the husband of the woman (sister of alleged murderer) selling the house in the beginning, involved in the drama of this at all? So, brother-in-law gets arrested for having terrorized Ashley Greene throughout the movie, I guess, but you find out it was actually a creepy ex lover of the wife who was murdered in the very beginning, not her husband, and brother of house seller lady/brother-in-law of the guy who got arrested.

So the actual murderer and exlover had been living in the basement this whole time. Which was so odd to me, but is how he started harassing the new couple in the first place. (Side note: he could not have been living in that basement for more that a year, MAYBE like 3? But they made him this raggedy, insane, animal-man, that didnt know how to speak or communicate. And he was apparently only living there because he loved his gf (woman murdered in the beginning) so much, even though she ultimately chose her husband, but it seems like she let her crazy secret bf still live in her basement? And even after crazy basement guy killed said husband and two-timing gf, he chose to stay in that same home? Like why didn’t you leave and just find an apartment somewhere. And then he kidnaps a new lady (Ashley Greene) who was already married, and randomly decides he is in love with her or something? Or at least once he captures Ashley Greene, his first instinct is to give her the grossest most tender kiss on the lips ever… so you tell me if that’s some level of love. But if youre so crazy all because you loved that first gf so much that you have to kill her and her husband, then why are you immediately kissing this new random girl??? IM SO CONFUSED WHY WAS HE STILL LIVING THERE LOL. and also. WHY DIDNT HE SHOW UP ON THE HOUSE CAMERAS?? he was proven to not be a ghost, as we were led to believe the whole time, he was a real person lolll. So. I guess he just moved sooooo stealthily that he knew exactly where the cameras were pointed?? He still showed up on Ashley Greene’s own secret camera so that’s the only explanation I have. But still… unrealistic.)

Here's a pic of him btw. I, too, would let him live in my basement.

ANNNNNYYYWAYYY, the murder was actually done by this crazy basement guy. We know this. The new couple winds up killing him in self defense. Great… But the brother in law - the seller of house guy - was arrested…. And terrorizing the new couple, too... Sooooo, was he aware that crazy basement guy lived in the house? Or was he just mad about the house being sold? But his motive was too small for what he did to Ashley Greene. He is absolutely demented, and I think this is why he’s arrested, but like WHY did he do this!!! Okay, so, this same brother-in-law hired some guy from craigslist, pretending to be Ashley Greene’s character, to believe that she was a lonely housewife looking for some “stranger surprise sex” - so a guy legit shows up at their house, thinking she posted the ad online, and tries to rape her, thinking she wants that, but its legit rape because she didn’t put that ad up. Like literally for what reason did the brother-in-law go to that extent to harass her? For why? Why was his FIRST attempt so fucking violent and dangerous lmaooo. And the explanation he gives the police is just something like “Idk I just wanted to scare her”. LOL WHAT?? She had to stab the craigslist guy with scissors to get away, you’re fucking insane!!

Also the sister? LOL how was she pulled back by someone (ultimately found out to be crazy basement man) like that in a closet. She was just YEETED backwards like there was a huge portal behind this closet wall, as if there isn't just a wall right there? How did he fit behind all the clothes to pull her back at all? Who insisted on that shot to be filmed like that? I just wanna talk…. Also no one really cared she was gone / dead. Was not addressed at all. Ever. Even after all the chaos was resolved and everything is happy with a new puppy. Like no grieving, so mention of it…

ALSO. PUPPY. THE CRAZY BASEMENT GUY POISONS THEIR FUCKING DOG AND KILLS IT. LIKE. WHAT?? THE DOG NEVER EVEN ATTACKED HIM OR ANYTHING, WHY DID HE HAVE TO KILL IT. IMMEDIATE BAD RATING WHEN YOU KILL DOGS IN MOVIES. BYE.

Okay, on top of all that - Ashley Greene cheated on her husband, Shawn Ashmore, right? Some guy named Nick. He is weird and deceptive but ultimately harmless if for not reason other than he doesn’t turn out to be the killer. Shitty, cheating, yes, okay whatever, but the couple is still married and going to therapy, so they’re clearly trying to work on it. The story is supposed to be that they’re doing much better by now, and yet, every single time she expresses a concern about the paranormal(!) or someone maybe legit sneaking into the house to terrorize them, his only response is basically summed up with: Okay you crazy slut, go back on your meds and also it’s probably just your little boyfriend you cheated on me with!

Like???? Even if it was the guy she cheated with, she is expressing fear and saying he is sneaking into the house and scaring her. Lmao, like in what way does that sound like she’s cheating again? It sounds like you should probably help her or call the police… which they eventually do and then never mention Nick to anyone… not that it’s him, but like, if the husband thought it was him and keeps bringing it up to her - why would you not mention it when it mattered… He’s really just like - you're seeing demons? it MUST BE BECAUSE YOU CHEATED ON ME. the entire time. like? Where’s the correlation? Dumb.

One thing I did LOVE, was the husbands classmate, Avery!!! It was set up to be sneaky; you think maybe he’ll cheat on his wife back, but Avery’s literally so cool and nice. She’s just there to be his friend, and she’s like, go work your shit out with your wife, also here’s tequila while we study because homework sucks but I have no interest in you. What a swell gal.

Kay, lastly. The ending. The final shot is the eerie, notorious basement door moving on it’s own again… implying the survival of evil, probably the crazy basement man… but like, he died, is not Michael Myers, and they allegedly just cleared the house to move out, so wouldn’t they have seen if he was still living there? That ending is either not needed, or you need to think of a better wya to make your cliff hanger work.

So many things, man. How did this make it onto Netflix???

I digress. Just use this shitshow to fuel the belief that dreams come true. If this can be put on a popular streaming site, so can your shitty movie.