“Write what you know” might just be the oldest adage in the business, and that’s probably why meta horror narratives are so popular among genre fans. After all, it makes sense that genre writers would produce some of their best and most personal work when weaving tales about the unique thrills involved with dedicating your life to crafting fictional nightmares.

Of course, there’s always the risk that these ambitious stories will end up consuming themselves like a pretentious ouroboros, and that’s why I was only cautiously optimistic when I first heard about Alexandra Spieth‘s sophomore feature, the self-aware thriller I Know Exactly How You Die. Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to watch the film for its official world premiere, and I’m pleased to say that the movie has a lot more up its sleeve than merely pointing out genre tropes.

In the film, we follow the struggles of Rian (Rushabh Patel), a down-on-his-luck author who decides to isolate himself in a remote motel so he can finish writing his latest horror novel and process a recent break-up. Things take a turn for the bizarre once it’s revealed that the events of Rian’s book are unfolding right next door as his protagonist Katie (Stephanie Hogan) also checks into the motel in order to escape a psychotic mailman-turned-serial-killer. Rian must then team up with Katie in order to help her confront her stalker and complete his story – all the while uncovering the dark secrets of the motel itself.

Horror doesn’t get much more meta than a writer being forced to confront problems that he himself created, and I Know Exactly How You Die excels when it leans into the general absurdity of our protagonists’ predicament. Unfortunately, an unfocused screenplay and uneven performances sabotage what could have been a genuinely great mystery, which is a huge shame when you consider just how much effort went into making this ambitious little indie flick feel as eerie and atmospheric as possible on such a small budget.

While Patel makes for an undeniably charming lead and Hogan really sells the paranoia that haunts her character’s every waking moment, the story can’t quite make up its mind about who these characters are as people. It initially seems that Spieth is trying to depict our main duo as emotionally complex individuals with contradicting qualities, but the film doesn’t seem to know whether or not we should be rooting for the likable yet admittedly toxic Rian, or if Katie’s refusal to call the police is meant to be seen as brave rather than stupid.

The inconsistent character motivations and overall tonal confusion are only exacerbated by the flick’s strange sense of humor. I often got the sense that Mike Corey’s original script was meant to be much more of an over-the-top farce than Spieth’s somber direction made it out to be. That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate the film’s grungy digital photography and lived-in atmosphere (they really got their money’s worth out of the motel), but it’s a shame that all this effort was put into telling a story so conflicted about its own mood.

For instance, the extremely tense soundtrack only makes the flick’s humor seem even more out of place, but it simultaneously pairs perfectly with the lo-fi visuals and our characters’ deteriorating mental states. In fact, almost all of the individual ideas that make up the screenplay are excellent, and I even loved how Rian’s treatment of Katie (and her own experience trying to deal with an all-too common form of harassment) raised questions about how folks are fascinated with female suffering in horror while often choosing to ignore it in real life. And while I wasn’t a fan of the rather abrupt execution of Rian’s character arc, I appreciate the subtle hints at the narcissism lurking beneath his overall affable demeanor.

I was also surprised by the story’s attempts at justifying the film’s meta elements by hinting at how the motel has an Alan Wake-inspired history of bringing writing to life. However, I wish this detail had been explored further, especially since firmer worldbuilding would have helped the film in the tension department (while also making Rawya El Chab’s character much more interesting). In fact, the lack of a logical set of clear-cut rules makes our antagonist even less intimidating, as the movie never makes it clear if he’s aware that he’s in a story or not despite inexplicably gaining control of the narrative at one point – and that’s not even mentioning the disappointingly flat performance that sucks away any tension from what should have been a climactic encounter between Katie and her stalker.

Ironically enough, it feels like I Know Exactly How You Die was a mere draft away from greatness, as all the ingredients were in place to craft a memorable meta-thriller examining the cruel treatment of women in both fiction and reality. Unfortunately, these ideas were never properly combined into a cohesive whole. Though these blemishes aren’t enough to make this a bad film due to Spieth’s clear sense of style and a pair of likable protagonists, audiences will likely be left with an underlying feeling of wasted potential by the time the credits roll.

Of course, with such an interesting cocktail of meta inspirations behind the scenes and a memorable ambience that verges on neo-noir, I’d still recommend I Know Exactly How You Die to horror fans curious about what might happen when an artist can’t separate himself from his art.

I Know Exactly How You Die made its premiere at NYC’s Dances With Films on January 17. Release info TBD.