I Know Exactly How You Die (2026) by Alexandra Spieth

Director: Alexandra Spieth

Year: 2026

Country: USA

Alternate Titles: N/A

Genre: Slasher

Plot:

Trying to finish a new novel, a struggling writer decides to check into a quiet motel to find some inspiration for his latest story about a serial killer stalking a woman, but when he finds the events of the novel coming true must find a way of ensuring his fiction doesn’t come to fruition.

Review:

This was a really likable and effective genre effort. Among the better elements here is the rather fun and simple-minded setup, which manages to inject some life into a generally formulaic approach on paper. The idea of the writer being stuck with his latest assignment and trying to come up with something only to find that the object of his work has come to life and must stop it before it gets out of control manifests itself in a solid way here which hints at something going on in the film with the gradual realization that what he’s been writing is coming true. The mission to find inspiration with the arrival at the motel and meeting the woman who has a complicated life, and deciding to use that for the same backstory of the killer in his novel, which makes him believe that the killer is starting to turn everything around on her, just like how he writes it. Having it spelled out in the way it does and the realization that her life is being followed by what he’s writing makes for some humorous antics and tense confrontations, trying to get everything together.

This makes for a fun time when it starts to move into the scenes of the killer going through the motions of bringing the story to life. The early scenes here focus on the idea of the killer taking out random bodies and setting up traditional stalking scenes involving the killer randomly appearing and taking out victims, perfectly setting up what happens at the motel, where everything starts to come to life, the way he writes it. This is played out nicely in coincidences from the story coming true in her life and trying to rationale what’s going on by trying to trust him to help her get rid of the stalker following her and killing those around the motel to get to her which leads to the wild finale where it tries to mix together a more symbolic take on the confrontations where everything comes together to introduce some intriguing elements. This might be somewhat confusing to figure out at times with the quest to get everyone to agree on what’s going on, but it’s the main issue here.

Overview: ***.5/5

An overall effective and enjoyable meta-style slasher, there’s enough to like here that it manages to hold itself up incredibly well against the few drawbacks on display. Those with an appreciation for this style of genre fare, who are curious about it, or who aren’t bothered by these flaws, will want to give it a shot, while most others out there should heed caution.