Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss (2020)

Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss is the kind of dark little gem that takes a genuinely creepy setup and spins it into something weirdly delightful, like a sitcom that wandered into a horror movie and decided to stay. Its biggest pleasure is the commitment to absurdism: the film keeps finding fresh, funny angles on escalating dread, and it’s anchored by Kate Micucci’s wonderfully game performance, balancing wide-eyed humanity with razor-sharp comedic timing. The vibe is quirky, off-kilter, and gleefully uncomfortable, with laughs that come from how calmly the characters try to negotiate the unthinkable. The tone can wobble between horror, comedy, and thriller in a way that won’t work for everyone, but if you like your humor pitch-black and your stories unapologetically original, it’s an easy recommendation.

Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss is clearly aiming for a cheeky, off-kilter mashup of cult horror and deadpan relationship comedy, with escalating apartment-from-hell chaos. The problem is the humor often feels loud and indulgent rather than sharp, so what should be absurdly funny can land as outlandish and strangely repetitive. More importantly, its casual approach to ritual suicide can come off tactless or even hazardous if you’re sensitive to that topic, because the movie doesn’t always earn the laughs it’s reaching for. If you enjoy mean-spirited, “how far will they push this bit?” midnight-movie energy, you might find some grim amusement, but if you want clever satire or thoughtful horror-comedy, this may feel like wasted potential.