“Over Your Dead Body” follows a dysfunctional married couple who retreats to a secluded cabin to repair their relationship, but each secretly plots to murder the other. It’s an American remake of the 2021 Norwegian film, “The Trip.”
Entertaining. If you’re looking for a movie that perfectly sums up that word, it’s “Over Your Dead Body.” Not because it’s cinema at its finest, but because it keeps you on your toes. It’s a horror rom-com, and… a home invasion thriller?
For the first half of the runtime, “Over Your Dead Body” is one thing. Then, it shifts in a completely different direction. However, through it all, it’s the central relationship between Dan and Lisa that remains at the forefront.
On paper, Jason Segel (Dan) and Samara Weaving (Lisa) don’t seem like the “dream” couple — and they’re not supposed to be. The early stages of the film are at times challenging to invest in, as their chemistry seems off. But this is by design. As chaos ensues, the strength of the onscreen relationship actually grows stronger.
Their performances play a big part in this. If you’re a fan of “How I Met Your Mother,” you’ll get to see Segel deliver many “Marshall-isms” here. Whether he’s conveying ordinary lines or in the middle of an action-packed scene, he’s always goofy. While this could subtract from the tension in other movies, it blends with the comedic approach here. Weaving is equally as funny, just in very different ways. She’s able to succeed in subtle humor bits that never feel forced. When the two are bouncing off of each other, it’s electric.
Especially in one exchange of dialogue that is bound to go down as one of the funniest scenes of 2026.
Also appearing are Juliette Lewis (Allegra), Timothy Olyphant (Pete), Keith Jardine (Todd) and Paul Guilfoyle (Michael). While these actors may not share equal screen time as Segel and Weaving, they each bring their own distinct flavor of comedy.
Despite humor being the film’s primary focus, there is some heart within. It explores marriage at a breaking point — distrust, resentment, poor communication and relationship fatigue in general. While it’s taken to the extremes, the core messages that eventually come from these ideas will likely remain relatable for many.
“Over Your Dead Body” takes a scatterbrained approach to the story. Some may label Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney’s script as “messy,” but it’s certainly not. The film is very upfront in its plot, meaning it has to find various ways to surprise. And somehow, it manages to more than once.
As the 105-minute runtime progresses, however, some liberties are taken. Much like other horror entries, the film asks the audience to suspend disbelief. Characters are put in life-or-death scenarios on repeat, yet their lives somehow continuously prevail.
There are also a number of creative choices in the narrative that are… bizarre. At times, “Over Your Dead Body” doesn’t know when to stop. In these extended sequences, some of the jokes go too far.
Nonetheless, this is the loudest theater experience I’ve had in 2026. Whether it’s through one-liners, dark humor, bloody mayhem or non-chronological storytelling, “Over Your Dead Body” generates laughs. Some jokes don’t land along the way, but more often than not, they do.
Director Jorma Taccone gives the movie a clear identity. Even with jarring tonal shifts between simple dark humor and over-the-top graphic violence, its end goal remains: make the audience laugh. The work from editor Jeremy Cohen and director of photography Matthew Weston plays a major role in this as well.
To horror fans, “Over Your Dead Body” may seem tame at first. But here, patience is definitely rewarded. The film goes much further than you would expect in terms of gore. Both through practical and visual effects, it shows off torn limbs, blood splatters, bruised faces and more. While many movies lose consistency as the set pieces grow bigger, this one doesn’t. The effects remain effective throughout, elevating simple scenes into moments that will have fans of carnage roaring.
Segel and Weaving make it easy to fall in love with this horror rom-com. “Over Your Dead Body” delivers plenty of laughs and plenty of blood to go along with it. If general audiences decide to “take a stab” at this, they will likely be satisfied.
Rating: 4 out of 5
