Obituary

OBITUARY is a captivating, suspenseful TV movie from 2006, starring Josie Bissett, Craig Olejnik, and Grant Nickalls, directed by Johanna Leed and distributed by Lifetime. The movie is mainly about family secrets, untold truths, and vengeance.

Josie Bissett, previously known for her role as Jane Mancini on the popular 90s drama “Melrose Place,” is the lead, portraying a character named Denise Wilcox. Bissett casts a convincing, emotionally charged performance as a woman dragged against her will into a dangerous whirlpool of events. Denise is a scrapbooking mother of two and wife to David who is played by Grant Nickalls. Nickalls gives a strong performance with a character who stands as the backbone of their seemingly perfect family life.

The actor Craig Olejnik plays the character of Peter Campbell, a young, ambitious newspaper editor, who plays a significant role in twisting the storyline. Campbell has a strange, uncomfortable fascination with the obituary section of the newspaper, which serves as a catalyst and important turning point in Denise’s life.

The movie commences innocently enough, with Denise enjoying her quiet existence and living an ideal suburban life with her family. She works with her equally enthusiastic children on creative crafting projects to showcase their life and good times. However, her peaceful, mundane world is disrupted when she starts seeing disturbing obituary notices in the local newspaper. To her horror, Denise discovers that the obituaries are not of the deceased, but rather of people who are very much alive, well, and close to her.

Her worry compounds when it transpires that the obituaries seem to predict the deaths of the people mentioned therein, and the obituaries eerily start coming true, one by one. Not knowing who to trust and where to turn, Denise begins questioning everything she knows and everyone she trusts.

Craig Olejnik, known for his role in "The Listener," gives an unnerving portrayal of Campbell, the newspaper editor who seems to know more than he’s telling. He doesn’t initially come off as menacing, but as tensions heighten and the plot thickens, Campbell’s aura becomes increasingly disturbing. Is he truly obsessed with obituaries simply because he is an editor, or is there something more sinister at play?

As a mother and wife terrified for her family's safety, Denise starts struggling against unseen odds and insidious threats against her family, and she goes into protective mode. Will she be able to get to the bottom of this bizarre happenstance and safeguard her family before it’s too late? The movie revolves around this tantalizing question.

The progression of OBITUARY is filled with suspense and the aura of the mundane turned deadly. The narrative consistently keeps you on the edge of your seat and in anticipation of the next turn of events. The film makes efficient use of the setting to build a slow-burning tension, which keeps the viewers engrossed in the plot, pondering the truth behind the uncanny obituaries and their revelations.

Overall, OBITUARY acutely explores a twisted journey of a family from a peaceful life to being entangled in a grievous mystery. The strength of the movie lies in how it balances the elements of a family drama with its main theme of suspense. It paints a convincing picture of an ordinary family drawn into the extraordinary, resulting in an enjoyable, thrilling viewing experience. Through its remarkable performances, particularly by Bissett, Olejnik, and Nickalls, OBITUARY offers a chilling tale that’s sure to stick with viewers. At its core, it is a movie about uncovering the truth, fighting for one's family, and the lengths to which one would go when their loved ones are in danger.