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''Messages Deleted'' is a 2009 Canadian horror thriller film starring
Matthew Lillard Matthew Lyn Lillard (born January 24, 1970) is an American actor. His early film work includes Chip Sutphin in ''Serial Mom'' (1994), Emmanuel "Cereal Killer" Goldstein in ''Hackers'' (1995), Stu Macher in ''Scream'' (1996), Stevo in ''SLC Punk ...
, with a screenplay by
Larry Cohen Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936 – March 23, 2019) was an American screenwriter, producer, and director of film and television, best known as an author of horror and science fiction films — often containing police procedural and ...
, the last Cohen screenplay to be filmed before his death in 2019.


Plot

A screenwriting teacher is forced to live out the plot of a screenplay idea he stole from an anonymous character, who now seeks revenge.


Cast


Production

Plans to create the film were first announced around September 2004. Filming took place in Vancouver. Larry Cohen was paid $3 million for the script, which he completed in 2004. Multiple changes were made to the script prior to filming, one of which was to change the killer's gender from male to female. The film marked Cohen's last screenplay before his death in 2019.


Release

''Messages Deleted'' was released straight to video in 2009. Per Cohen, prior to its release the movie was leaked online, causing the producers to lose $4 million dollars in investments. This contributed to the production company's bankruptcy and eventual closure.


Reception

Tony Williams criticized the film's script, noting that the edition released in England "contains too many superfluous elements that could have been eliminated making it a much more tightly constructed film". David Nusair reviewed the film for ReelFilm, writing that "there does reach a point at which ''Messages Deleted'' effectively becomes just a little too slick and calculating for its own good. This is despite an unexpectedly strong turn from star Lillard and the inclusion of a few genuinely suspenseful sequences (ie Joel is forced to watch helplessly as a loved one is murdered), with the all-too-brief glimpses into what could have been only confirming the film's place as a disappointing missed opportunity."


References


External links

* * 2009 films Canadian thriller films English-language Canadian films Films shot in British Columbia 2009 horror films Films with screenplays by Larry Cohen 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films {{2000s-horror-film-stub