FrightFest 2025 Review: DEATH CYCLE is a Revenge Tale That Never Quite Hits Top Gear

It’s obvious that the main purpose of a motorcycle is transportation. It gets you from Point A to Point B, and it does so rather quickly. Of course, it has its drawbacks—you wouldn’t use it to move house, for instance. But Death Cycle demonstrates another unique use: as a murder weapon. The film’s leather-clad killer is just as comfortable murdering people with a motorcycle as they are riding one. Versatility.

The wealthy and controversial Sullivan family find themselves in a spot of bother after one of the brothers accidentally hits two women with his car. Instead of trying to help, he makes things worse by brutally beating the visible survivor to death. He assumes the other sister died in the crash, but she survives—proving that brother Eddy is about as effective at killing people as he is at obeying traffic laws.

The Sullivans cover up the deaths with help from the police. Time passes, and things return to normal—until those involved in the cover-up start to meet a grisly end. The family’s black sheep, Luca (Matthew Ninaber), is drafted in to investigate the deaths. The prime suspect is the surviving sister, Abby (Kristen Kaster), but is she truly a vengeful killer? And how much danger is Luca in as he seeks out who is targeting his family?

Death Cycle has a strange, hypnotic rhythm to it. The action is packed into a concise 80 minutes and, even though it doesn’t waste time on exposition or setup, nothing feels rushed. Shots of people walking, waking up, or simply existing linger and take their time. The performances are understated and mellow, lending an unusual sense of ease—not something you’d expect from a revenge story. Most scenes play out in calm, controlled conversations, often in living rooms or around kitchen tables. The poster for Death Cycle—featuring a leather-clad figure in a dark helmet holding a hunting knife—might suggest a heavy-metal giallo-fest, but the film’s tone is closer to a subdued drama.

That said, the calm and methodical atmosphere is punctuated by several murders, carried out in inventive and grisly fashion. The killer makes creative use of the motorcycle, dispatching victims in novel ways. Interestingly, these murders rarely unfold in real-time; instead, they appear as impartial reconstructions, almost as though they are pieces of evidence in Luca’s case against Abby.

One downside of the film’s minimalist approach is that it doesn’t build much suspense or a compelling case for—or against—Abby being the killer. Events are presented plainly, without much emotional weight, since we know so little about the characters. Hints of Luca’s fraught relationship with his family emerge, but they don’t develop enough to be memorable.

Death Cycle is economical in both production and storytelling. With only a handful of characters and a few settings, the film rides along smoothly enough. But its lack of character depth and development leaves it feeling a little sterile.

It’s obvious that the main purpose of a motorcycle is transportation. It gets you from Point A to Point B, and it does so rather quickly. Of course, it has its drawbacks—you wouldn’t use it to move house, for instance. But Death Cycle demonstrates another unique use: as a murder weapon. The film’s leather-clad killer is just as comfortable murdering people with a motorcycle as they are riding one. Versatility.

The wealthy and controversial Sullivan family find themselves in a spot of bother after one of the brothers accidentally hits two women with his car. Instead of trying to help, he makes things worse by brutally beating the visible survivor to death. He assumes the other sister died in the crash, but she survives—proving that brother Eddy is about as effective at killing people as he is at obeying traffic laws.

The Sullivans cover up the deaths with help from the police. Time passes, and things return to normal—until those involved in the cover-up start to meet a grisly end. The family’s black sheep, Luca (Matthew Ninaber), is drafted in to investigate the deaths. The prime suspect is the surviving sister, Abby (Kristen Kaster), but is she truly a vengeful killer? And how much danger is Luca in as he seeks out who is targeting his family?

Death Cycle has a strange, hypnotic rhythm to it. The action is packed into a concise 80 minutes and, even though it doesn’t waste time on exposition or setup, nothing feels rushed. Shots of people walking, waking up, or simply existing linger and take their time. The performances are understated and mellow, lending an unusual sense of ease—not something you’d expect from a revenge story. Most scenes play out in calm, controlled conversations, often in living rooms or around kitchen tables. The poster for Death Cycle—featuring a leather-clad figure in a dark helmet holding a hunting knife—might suggest a heavy-metal giallo-fest, but the film’s tone is closer to a subdued drama.

That said, the calm and methodical atmosphere is punctuated by several murders, carried out in inventive and grisly fashion. The killer makes creative use of the motorcycle, dispatching victims in novel ways. Interestingly, these murders rarely unfold in real-time; instead, they appear as impartial reconstructions, almost as though they are pieces of evidence in Luca’s case against Abby.

One downside of the film’s minimalist approach is that it doesn’t build much suspense or a compelling case for—or against—Abby being the killer. Events are presented plainly, without much emotional weight, since we know so little about the characters. Hints of Luca’s fraught relationship with his family emerge, but they don’t develop enough to be memorable.

Death Cycle is economical in both production and storytelling. With only a handful of characters and a few settings, the film rides along smoothly enough. But its lack of character depth and development leaves it feeling a little sterile.

Movie Score: 2.5/5