John of the Dead(1978)'s Horror Flick Reviews

Director – Bob Keen

Cast – Craig Fairbrass, Toni Barry, William Marsh, Jennifer Calvert, Robert Firth, Margot Steinberg, Ricco Ross

Release Year – 1995

Reviewed by John of the Dead

My love for creature flicks mixed with a cold boring night lead to my finally giving this a watch and getting it off of my queue after sitting there for about a year or so. Back in “the day” I would pass this film all the time at my local video / rental store but always assumed that it would be a bad film despite it’s cool poster, and it turns out that I was very right about that. The budget is low and so is the filmmaking experience from both writer and director, and it shows in this experience that is not as bad as some make it out to be but is still a pretty bad watch overall despite some cool creature usage.

When a group of heroin smugglers find their boat catching fire they board a seemingly abandoned oil drilling vessel for shelter. Unfortunately for them, their troubles worsen when they learn that the rig is not abandoned but stands as a cover-up for genetic experiments that left the crew decimated by a large creature still on the loose.

I love storylines where criminals with a mission find themselves coming across problems they never foresaw, especially when it involves heinous creatures and a nowhere-to-run scenario (like a ship out at sea). We see all of these elements also used in the much superior late 90s film Deep Rising, which is a film I recommend you watch instead of this one. Writer John Brosnan adapted this screenplay from his very own novel “Slimer”, as he did for Carnosaur a few years earlier, and sadly his screenplay did little to aid the film. While the overall story is cool there is an abundance of poor dialogue and bad storytelling regarding our characters and the mystery behind the experiments going on. He did manage to write in a fair amount of action sequences that involved some sweet-looking creatures, but in the end this story was one that should have been left in Brosnan’s study.

Director Bob Keen did a decent job with this one, giving us great atmosphere and sweet sets that would have been great in setting up good horror but of course the low-budget and low-quality actors kept the film flat. The horror is poorly executed overall, with shotty camerawork and poor usage of the antagonist doctor, however Keen managed to provide good creature carnage that reflected his background in special FX. The look of the creatures was great and most of them were huge (which means more fun) in size, with the only negative feature being that they did not provide good kills despite Keen’s background in FX.

Overall, Proteus is a low-budget mess that despite a cool storyline and good creature action is one that you should avoid. The execution is poor and the writing is just as bad, so just watch Deep Rising instead, OK?

Rating: 4/10

Director – Mark Goldblatt

Cast – Treat Williams, Joe Piscopo, Lindsay Frost, Darren McGavin, Vincent Price, Clare Kirkconnell

Release Year – 1988

Reviewed by John of the Dead

While discussing actor Treat Williams’ role in the recent slasher flick Mask Maker with a few lovely commenters I was made aware of this late 80s horror film starring the famed and under-appreciated horror actor. Going into this piece I expected some heavy cheese (see the poster?) and fun horror, and much to my surprise my expectations were exceeded. I had no idea that Dead Heat would be as brainless and maniacal that it was, leaving my thirst for horror cheese quenched and only wanting more of what Dead Heat had to offer.

Partners Roger Mortis (Treat Williams; Deep Rising) and Doug Bigelow(Joe Piscopo) are two hardened cops with little respect for civil rights when it comes to dealing with criminals, but they will have to really hone their ass-kicking skills if they wish to defeat a new wave of criminal plaguing their streets. They find themselves doing battle with criminals impervious to bullet wounds and eventually learn that the perps are pawns in an evil game in which the dead are resurrected to do someone’s evil bidding, making for the case of a lifetime that Mortis and Bigelow will die trying to solve.

You know what happens when you get a first-time feature-film director paired with a first-time writer? You get cheese beyond belief – and when you throw in two badass actors to lead the cheese you get an incredibly fun experience known as Dead Heat. The storyline is a simple yet effective one, and one that I have honestly never seen used in the genre. We get “cop” films every now and then, but I had never come across one in which the antagonists are the living dead ordered to create chaos for a higher entity. The living dead in this piece are not like the usual living dead we see in traditional zombie films – slow moving piles of flesh – but instead we get hardened criminals back to doing what they did best in their previous life. Following Mortis and Bigelow doing their thing was fun and came adorned with numerous silly one-liners from the smart-lipped Bigelow and the usual brooding from them both usually seen from Neanderthal-ish men with power. Writer Terry Black did a swell job providing numerous fun elements in this story, giving us positive characters that I found enjoyable and used fairly well for the most part. He threw in plenty of action sequences that came with equal amounts of horror as well, giving us good zombie and creature action that I did not expect to come across. He is also obviously at most to blame for the brainless nonsense going on throughout pretty much the entire film, some of which is pretty BAD. There are numerous sequences that will force anyone with a brain to think to themselves “What the HELL? How does that happen?”, and for me (and those who appreciate these films) it only made the experience even more fun. Much to my surprise this simple story contained more than what I expected as we eventually learn the reasoning behind the usage of the living dead and a creative way to even the playing field and help our protagonists beat the living dead and those behind them.

Director Mark Goldblatt, who despite a short career gave us the awesome The Punisher following this film, did a great job in his execution and is the biggest reason behind Terry Black’s ridiculous writing not sinking the film. There are certain ways to execute cheesy stories, and thankfully Goldblatt was on page with them and managed to only further the cheese provided by Black. Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo were great in their roles and carried themselves respectfully despite the zany antics and dialogue they were forced to produce, and much to my surprise we were also given horror legend Vincent Price in a role very much reminiscent of the classic roles he played decades prior. Goldblatt’s execution of the action and horror was exactly what I wanted to see, coming at me via live-action FX complimented with heavy amounts of gore and ridiculous scenes of our protagonists doing some pretty acrobatic feats not taught at the police academy.

Overall, Dead Heat is an awesome and uber-cheesy experience that despite complete nonsense going on throughout the piece we are given great horror thanks to a fun story and great direction from Mark Goldblatt. Tons of gore and action adorn the screen and make for one of the most fun horror films of the 1980s and one you should check out if you enjoy flicks like these.

Rating: 7/10

Director – Paul Andrew Williams

Cast – Andy Serkis, Reece Shearsmith, Jennifer Ellison, Steven O’Donnell, Danny Nussbaum, Logan Wong

Release Year – 2008

Reviewed by John of the Dead

As fun as they are I tend to stray away from horror/comedies due to them normally not providing as much horror as I’d like. Every now and then I get an itch for the blend of two of my favorite genres, and that this time that itch brought me to The Cottage – a fun UK gem worth more than the light attention it has received. Coming with the usual witty and dry British humor, The Cottage also brings us good horror and fun antics that made for a pretty enjoyable experience in the end.

After fumbling the kidnapping of a crime boss’ daughter, brothers David and Peter find themselves with even more deadly problems when they learn of a dark rural secret plaguing the countryside.

One element I do not see too often in the horror genre is the usage of crime, specifically a heist. I saw this employed wonderfully in Botched, and a year later The Cottage also used it to positive advantage. The genius of it is that the characters, first deemed antagonists due to their ways, soon find themselves in trouble they never could have planned for, which then turns them from “bad guy” antagonists to the only “good guys” we have to root for. Writer Paul Andrew Williams did a great job giving us fun characters, from the bumbling brothers David and Peter to the bratty girl they kidnapped, Tracey, the brothers’ sidekick Andrew, and of course…the killer himself. Each of these characters involved provided well for the story as none of them were useless, however we did get a few thrown into the mix that could have been done away with. Things start off as they should,with the two brothers executing their demands for the kidnapping (which took place before the film started) and while fun things stay safe for a while until the horror finally kicks in towards the halfway point of the film. What I really saw as a brilliant idea was the location change involved with the discovery of the dark secret held within the countryside, which not only brought a fresh change of pace but added to the mayhem and the ever-worsening day for those involved in the kidnapping. As the film progresses you know that something is definitely wrong with the area the brothers are in, brought on mostly by the odd townsfolk, and while I knew to expect something antagonistic I had no clue that we would be given a maniacal killer with a large stature and hideous face. He managed to provide many zany and gory kills, which resulted in a fun climax and lots of great character play (deaths) that show Williams has a knack for drama in his horror.

Williams manages to replicate his positive writing with great direction, giving us awesome sets and good atmosphere in a film that takes place entirely at night – and we all know nothing good happens at night when you’re out in a rural area. His execution of the characters was great, giving us surprisingly believable (given their antics) performances and in very fun fashion. The actors involved were great, as was the killer who brought his own level of fun as well as terror. At first glance the killer is menacing and epic in his looks and mannerisms, but right away Williams pokes fun at that by making it inherently obvious that the guy’s disfigured face is obviously a mask, and in pretty hilarious fashion. The kills were fun to watch and contained enough gore to please horror buffs and gore hounds alike, although I did wish we had more characters to result in more kills, but that more of a story-related issue.

So how is the comedy in this horror/comedy? I enjoyed it. As expected it is a bit dry and simple, but it is always classy despite some ridiculous scenes here and there. Also, the fact that the horror played well into the comedy (especially via the kill sequences) made for comedy that I can definitely appreciate.

Overall, The Cottage is a fun UK horror/comedy that gives us a fun tale following several bumbling characters whose bad day only gets worse and worse. The horror is good and the comedy compliments it with sweet kills and fun execution, making for a recommended flick if you are looking for a nice mix of horror and comedy.

Rating: 7/10

Director – Philip Ridley

Cast – Jim Sturgess, Clémence Poésy, Noel Clarke, Luke Treadaway, Justin Salinger, Fraser Ayres, Ruth Sheen

Release Year – 2010

Reviewed by John of the Dead

I heard mostly positive remarks about Heartless ever since its festival releases in 2009 and its official release in 2010, but I took my time getting to this one because I just did not trust what I read. Many unsettling remarks were made that lead me to assume I would be going into a love/hate film, and after finally viewing this film I can see why those remarks were made. Heartless is much more than the usual horror experience as it gives us a heavy drama element and keeps you out of the loop over what is really going on for almost the entire film, but in the end this was an experience that I found some joy in whose faults kept it from being a truly positive experience.

We follow Jamie Morgan(Jim Sturgess), a young adult plagued with a large heart-like scar on his face. For his entire life Jamie has seen his scar as a social hindrance, especially with the opposite sex, and one day after encountering a gang of demons living in his neighborhood he is presented the opportunity to repair his ailment, but with a heavy cost that he never sees coming.

I expected a unique experience from Reflecting Skin director Philip Ridley’s first film in 15 years, and he gave me just that coupled with a few elements that I did not expect to come across. From the get-go we are thrown into the awry world that Jamie lives in, developing his photography work and cherishing the only person his this world who truly cares for him, his Christian mother. He first notices the demons in his neighborhood while walking home late one night, and after they commit a heinous act that hits close to home he seeks to exact vengeance on them in any way possible. At this point in the film I was thinking “awesome, we have a revenge element going on”, but Jamie’s vengeance only lasted a short while until the film’s next development kicked in, involving a devil-like figure with whom he makes a deal with to remove the hindering scar from his face. I did not see anything wrong with him making a pact with the devil, but I really wish we would have been given more of the revenge theme, especially given how traumatic the original act against Jamie was. It is at this point that the film somewhat turns into a love story when Jamie meets a girl who in turn falls for him and his new appearance, but of course his happiness is short-lived when the devil comes calling for payment. Jamie is forced to exercise heinous acts upon innocent people to repay his debt, and when he refuses to continue the devil’s bidding we are given a sweet revelation that I never saw coming but one that sure made a lot of sense out of the film. I did find a few faults in this piece, with the most prominent of them being the pacing which left me a bit bored at times, but that could also come from the fact that this is more than just a horror flick and partly a drama as well. At times the confusion played a hinderance on this experience, and while the climax made sense of it all in fairly beautiful fashion it did come with its own cliches that I cannot mention without delivering some heavy spoilers.

Philip Ridley did well with this piece, giving us great cinematography and awesome sets that made for great gloomy atmosphere to compliment the film’s sad and somber tone, and his musical score improved the atmosphere even more. We get mostly-positive performances from those involved, especially from Jim Sturgess(Across the Universe, 21) as Jamie. Jim expertly portrayed the kind-hearted and socially-awkward lad as if he really had been plagued with a hindering scar on his face for his entire life and he also managed to get nasty when the film called for it. Ridley’s execution of the horror was good, giving us some gut-wrenching scenes at times, although the overall horror in the film is not overly scary. The demon scenes are definitely the scariest the film has to offer, and they are few and few between and leave the viewer going through long bouts without anything horrific going on. That may play more on the storyline than Ridley’s direction though, but in the end his pacing made for a slightly boring film at times and one that could have been much better had it found its identity early on in the experience.

Overall, Heartless is a film that I really want to say that I like, and while I did find this to be a beautiful piece in its own right this is not a horror film that I can outrightly recommend. The story is one that will take you through several twists and turns until the climax makes sense of it all (in astronomical fashion), but the constant horror vs. drama going on in this piece, as well as the side-effects (poor pacing) of such a mix of ideas held it back from being the great film that it could have been. You won’t waste your time with this one unless you are looking for a non-stop horror trip, but Heartless is a flick that lives up to its name at times.

Rating: 6/10

Director – Rodrigo Cortes

Cast – Ryan Reynolds, José Luis García Pérez (voice), Robert Paterson (voice), Stephen Tobolowsky (voice), Samantha Mathis (voice)

Release Year – 2010

Reviewed by John of the Dead

I wanted to see this film for quite some time, but it never debuted at my local theaters and I instead had to wait for this to hit DVD for me to get my hands on it. While I did not expect this to be outright horror, because it is not, I did expect good tension and horror-esque elements to emerge during this piece, and that is exactly what I was given. Few truly miniscule films carry a punch with them, and Buried breaks the odds by giving us one of the most highly tense films of 2010, albeit not being an actual horror film.

Ryan Reynolds (The Amittyville Horror remake, Blade: Trinity) stars as Paul Conroy, a civilian contractor in Iraq who after being ambushed by gunmen finds himself in a fight for his life when he awakens in a coffin buried underground with only a cell phone and a lighter at his disposal.

The story is simple, and this film is simple. I have come across films in which people wake up in rather unfavorable places, I.e, every Saw movie, but never have I seen one that leaves the protagonist in such a place for the entire length of the film. Yes, that is right, the entire film takes place inside Conroy’s home away from home…a coffin. Thankfully there is much more going on than the overall storyline, and that is where things really get interesting and the tension alleviates to supreme levels. As Conroy awakens we are immediately thrown into the same dark and claustrophobic mess he is in, a brilliant idea given by our filmmakers that really lets us feel as if we are in his shoes. As panic begins to kick in we are exposed to just how horrifying it must be to find yourself in such a situation, and things only become worse for us (and Mr. Conroy) when he learns that his captors have unsavory plans for him if their demands are not met within a short amount of time. The race against time speeds up from then on out as Conroy desperately tries to dial anyone that will listen to him and can provide the right resources to the right people in order to free him from his subterranean prison. At times I really felt sad for Conroy and the pain he was feeling, both mentally and physically (although more the former), and that plays out thanks to a superb writing job from first-time feature film writer Chris Sparling. Now, Buried does not come without faults, which I expected to be inevitable given we are watching a 90 minute film that occurs in only ONE location. There are a few instances of downtime that I felt could have been polished a bit to give us better pacing, however overall the pacing of the film was great and Sparling did much with what little he left himself to work with. Of course, Sparling really outdid himself with the shocking climax that left me with such a sick feeling that I will chalk this down as one of the best horror climaxes of recent memory. This is definitely not an outright horror film, but the elements of horror are very much present in this piece and ring true until the very last moment of screen time.

Director Rodrigo Cortes did a fantastic job with this effort, giving us supreme atmosphere from the get-go and employing awesome sets that combined kept me much in the same cramped and confused mindset as our protagonist Conroy was. His camerawork was tricky and creative in making us feel right at “home” with Conroy, who was also expertly portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, a man not commonly known for good acting performances. I felt his pain and his anguish, as well as his fear and his hatred for the helpless situation he found himself in (which he did to aid his struggling family), and for once I never really found myself laughing AT him. Cortes’ execution of the horror is great, which albeit not ever really “scary” in terms of spooks was downright scary if you place yourself in Conroy’s shoes, and Cortes’ direction sold these scares and highly tense scenes in awesome fashion. The fear is real, the tension is real, the claustrophobia will engulf you, and in the end Buried is a fine horror experience.

Overall, Buried is a highly-recommended film that gives us what we horror fans show up to see but without the horror title. More of a supreme suspense thriller, we are given a great storyline with numerous developments and awesome character usage that made for an engaging experience from an actor I would not expect such things from (for this type of film). Cortes’ direction is awesome and he provides us with the scares and tension that we seek, making for a horror experience you should not pass over.

Rating: 7/10

Director – Sean McConville

Cast – Brittany Murphy, Thora Birch, Tammy Blanchard, Marc Blucas, Claudia Troll

Release Year – 2009

Reviewed by John of the Dead

I never really had an interest to watch Deadline, although it has been on my queue for quite some time, mostly due to the constant negative remarks I had come across regarding this final film of actress Brittany Murphy. Despite the bad reviews I decided to finally give Deadline a watch due to its recognizable status within the genre, and surprisingly found this film to be much better than expected. This is not a positive film by any means, but in the end Deadline gave me an end-result better than the numerous reviews bashing the film.

Suffering from writer’s block and with a deadline approaching, screenwriter Alice takes a producer’s offer and shuts herself in an old secluded home in hopes of her new environment allowing her to bypass the distractions of her life and focus on her work. Little does she know, the home harbors a terrible secret that slowly transcends her psychological state to full breakdown.

I can understand how horror fans may not enjoy this film, but the horrid reviews it has received on other sites are not as warranted now that I am able to form my own opinion of this piece. My initial thoughts during the first act were “Wow, this doesn’t suck at all.”, due to the engaging material and fair execution as well. I know I mention this often, but it never fails that a film involving someone moving/residing in a new home and coming across the horrors associated with that home will always appeal to me, especially when a supernatural element is thrown in. The horror is subtle at first, however it was quite engaging if you enjoy ghost or haunted house films, and thankfully as the film progressed so did the horror – which you would assume should be the case but I have come across numerous films where the horror stayed minimal throughout, and hes I’m talking about YOU Apollo 18. Sadly, it is when the horror really surfaces that the story-related faults surface as well. As Alice begins to uncover the mystery behind the haunting events taking place we are given very cliched developments that lacked creativity and inspiration, and furthermore consisted of material that I really did not care about. It was unique in a sense, but not my cup of tea, and ultimately brewed into a shocking climax that I saw coming miles away, although it was still a nice twist due to the dread it brought with it.

Writer/director Sean McConville did an OK job executing this piece, giving us fantastic atmosphere and creepy sets that kept me mostly-interested in what was going on thanks to these visuals. His execution of the horror was so-so, with most of the real spook going on early on in the film when we were exposed to minimal paranormal events, and sadly once things really got going the horror itself began to lag. I mentioned that the storyline lost its steam when the bulk of the horror surfaced, and that was also when the horror began to die down as well given the subject matter was not the least big scary and in fact quite silly. Brittany Murphy did well in her final acting role, which sadly had to come via film that could have been much better and lost whatever potential it had when :gasp: the horror kicked in.

Overall, Deadline comes with plenty of creepy atmosphere and sweet sets, and the horror at first is genuine and scary, however once the story kicks in and the real horror erupts we are given nothing but the usual run-of-the-mill DTV crap that left an ever-lasting skidmark as the exodus of Brittany Murphy’s career.

Rating: 5/10

Director – Ruairi Robinson

Cast – Max Records, Jenni Fontana, James Nardini

Release Year – 2011

Reviewed by John of the Dead

While looking for something to watch I came across BlinkyTM, which I had never before heard or read about, and immediately jumped on the opportunity to give this a watch when I noticed its “short” status as I have been aiming to watch and review more horror shorts. I have always had a strong love for robots in horror films, and seeing this was going to be a killer robot flick I went in with high expectations, and my expectations were met.

Alex Neville is a young boy with few outlets to deal with his parents’ crumbling marriage going on before him…until he comes across the newest sensation in best-friend-technology, Blinky. All is great at first, but when Alex takes his anger out on Blinky he makes the mistake of a lifetime.

Coming in at only 13 minutes in length, BlinkyTM gives us a story that covers numerous emotions and occurrences for such a short runtime, which I applaud writer/director Ruairi Robinson for. Set in a world not too far into the future, robots are being used for anything and everything, and Alex’s Blinky is used to full potential to serve as best friend, maid, and psychotic killer. We watch Alex as he struggles to cope with his parents constantly arguing and disintegrating their marriage, and we feel wonderful joy when he finds the companion he has been looking for, albeit one that lacks a soul. It does not take long for Alex to become tiresome of Blinky, who only wants to help and play, but is unable to be a serious substitute for a human being, who can show affection, love, and give advice at the right times. We then are exposed to Alex’s breakdown over Blinky, which then kicks the horror in gear, and with pretty fun results.

Robinson’s direction was great, and his background in SFX really shows as he makes great usage of Blinky with very good CGI and plenty of action utilizing him. The performances are not overly believable, but each actor involved plays his/her part well, and much emotion is provided for the viewer to witness as we go from lows to highs to lows again, although most of that involves Alex. The horror itself is great, and slowly builds until the film’s gore-inducing climax. Robinson’s execution of the horror was great in its slow development, which never felt rushed nor poorly paced in this short piece, showing that this man from Ireland really has the talent to deliver an enjoyable horror experience.

Overall, BlinkyTM is a sweet horror short that gives us a cool story coming with plenty of emotion and well-executed horror. The SFX are great and Robinson provides good horror for the type of film this is, making for a recommended watch if you can find it.

Rating: 7/10

Director – Gonzalo López-Gallego

Cast – Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen, Ryan Robbins

Release Year – 2011

Reviewed by John of the Dead

The very first moment that I heard of Apollo 18 I was hooked, and the trailers only furthered my interest. Despite some pretty bad efforts (Atrocious) I do have a love for “found footage” horror films because I enjoy the mystery associated with the footage, and combined with my love for horror in space, as well as horror combined with factual events, I went into Apollo 18 with high expectations that were sadly never met. While the overall storyline is an interesting one that also comes with a few decent chills, Apollo 18 is a failed effort that never delivered the solid horror that I expected, making for one of the biggest disappointments of the year.

Decades after the top secret mission Apollo 18, nearly 100 hours of video shot by the astronauts was found and edited into a film displayed on the internet. The contents of the film contain the deadly events that occurred when Apollo 18 astronauts landed on the moon and found something they never knew existed.

Sometime’s it’s the story, other times it’s the direction – this time it’s both. Unsurprisingly, I loved the overall storyline due to the numerous elements it mixed, but the screenplay itself is what really had this film doomed from the start way before production kicked in. What doomed the film so early? The answer is simple: a lack of horror. Good “found footage” films tend to start off small with the horror and slowly build into awesome horror that kicks you in the face during the final act, but Apollo 18 missed out on that. The film started off with the small elements of horror (as I expected) but never developed into the truly scary experience that I was expecting and of course hoping for. We get a few cool scenes here and there, along with a few jolts, but when the end credits hit me I immediately thought to myself “Seriously? That’s all?”, while overhearing couples saying “We should have seen Shark Night 3D instead”, seriously. In addition to the failure to reach horror potential, writers Brian Miller and Cory Goodman(Priest) threw in some heavy cliches that I saw coming with ease, which were not necessarily bad in their own right but did nothing to help look past the films other faults, which they could have done. Their screenplay is not without its positives though, which includes good character play/dialogue, interesting developments involving the moon, and an antagonist that I had never seen before. Too bad he screwed everything else up.

Director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego has hit and miss with his direction of this film, giving us awesome atmosphere throughout the film with his usage of awesome sets, namely the surface of the moon and the claustrophobic scenes of our astronauts making themselves at home in their small shuttle. While I usually enjoy the look of POV filmmaking, I was not happy with his execution of this filmming style, which came off quite grainy and lagged a lot as well. Now, I know this film was meant to come off that way so that it can appear that the footage was really shot back then, but I heavily disliked it because it held back the horror, which is the hole point of the darn movie. Lopez-Gallego managed to deliver a few good jolts here and there, and in fairly good fashion, but despite his overall execution of the horror being mostly positive there is just not enough horror in this film. The acting performances are good, each coming from “uncredited” actors, and the usage of the antagonists was positive, although the FX could have been much better (which would have also been scarier) had the film come with a higher budget.

Overall, Apollo 18 is a film with a unique storyline that suffers from a poor screenplay and mediocre execution that kept it from achieving full potential. This really could have been a very scary film and one of the best of the year, but in the end the horror is limited, seldom scary, and nowhere near the level that it should have been.

Rating: 5/10

Director – Kevin Munroe

Cast – Brandon Routh, Sam Huntington, Peter Stormare, Anita Briem, Taye Diggs, Kurt Angle, Andrew Sensenig, James Hébert, Kent Jude Bernard

Release Year – 2011

Reviewed by John of the Dead

When word hit that there would be a live-action adaptation of the Dylan Dog story, a popular Italian comic series from the mid-1980s (which Cemetery Man is a spinoff of), I thought to myself, “Great, another iconic horror story ruined by Hollywood”. The film suffered a limited release that did nothing to aid its poor critical reviews, but I still went into this piece hoping to enjoy it and that is exactly what happened. Yes, that is right, I enjoyed this one. Sure it ventures from the original storyline and does not give us anything we haven’t seen, but Dylan Dog: Dead of Night was a fun and well-crafted effort that gave me pleasing results despite what the “critics” say.

Brandon Routh(Superman Returns) stars as Dylan Dog, a supernatural private eye who has since left his supernatural doings and now focuses on private investigation. When he receives a call from a woman whose father was brutally murdered by a werewolf, Dylan sees the need to go back to his old ways and save the city of New Orleans from a war between warring monsters who have grown tired of hiding in the dark.

I will admit now that I am not overly familiar with the entire Dylan Dog series, as I have not read every issue or any of the “specials” and am mostly reviewing this piece as a film of its own, not an adaptation of previous work. From the other reviews I have read it seems the film is constantly lambasted by the writers comparison of the film to the original work, and while I may touch base on that slightly and tell you the differences I noticed, this review is not a compare and contrast, but a simple review of this horror film.

For starters, I love the Dylan Dog storyline of a paranormal investigator taking on the monsters that hide within his city, New Orleans (London in the comic series). While cliché and overused in the superhero sub-genre, Dylan Dog left his work as a paranormal investigator for a reason, but as usual the work of a hero catches up to you and he is forced to once again take on the monsters that blend in with mankind so easily, but this time the stakes are higher. There is a war brewing between werewolves and vampires, and Dylan Dog’s journey to keep the warring parties at bay takes us for a joyride through many different elements of horror, such as zombies and the lore behind werewolves and vampires, all with favorable results and that Dylan Dog “wit” that fans love. Numerous action scenes adorn this piece, giving us plenty of monster ass-kicking and the kicking of monster ass via a crafty arsenal at Dylan’s disposal, namely a sweet revolver often loaded with bullets designed to take down certain types of monsters. His sidekick, Marcus(Sam Huntington; Superman Returns), provides most of the comic relief for this film, giving us non-stop dimwitted actions that eventually result in him becoming part of the undead, which only furthers the comic relief he provides. Some may balk at the usage of Marcus instead of Dylan Dog’s comic book sidekick, Groucho Marx, but the studios simply could not acquire the rights to the character, so there you go. We get many worthwhile characters used in this piece, some creatures and some human, and they all provide positively to the film and its pacing, leaving me to marvel that Sahara and A Sound of Thunder writers Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer could deliver a solid 107 minute watch that never left me bored or un-entertained, although the film did lost a bit of spice during the final sequence, but not enough to deter a solid positive rating.

Director Kevin Munroe did a swell job executing this piece, giving us great atmosphere and consistently awesome sets that made for the fun visual experienced that I hoped this film would deliver. I was iffy on whether or not he would succeed given his only feature film prior to this was TMNT, an animated piece, but he proved that he has the talent required to give us a good horror experience, and a fun one at that. The fight scenes were great and we were not given any more CGI than what was needed, and each of the actors involved, Brandon Routh, Sam Huntington, Taye Diggs, Peter Stormare, Anita Briem, and Kurt Angle provided good performances that fit their roles very well and aided to my enjoyment of this piece that I strongly feel has suffered unjust criticism.

Overall, Dylan Dog: Dead of Night is an enjoyable adaptation of the famed comic series that despite pissing off numerous fanboys by not following the storyline to the “T” still provides a great horror experience for those who can watch this with an open mind. The story is cool, fun, witty, and contains numerous elements of horror and horror lore, and Munroe’s direction solidly delivers each element in enjoyable fashion, making for one of the most fun horror films of recent time.

Rating: 7/10

Director – Jim Mickle

Cast – Connor Paolo, Nick Damici, Danielle Harris, Kelly McGillis, Michael Cerveris, Sean Nelson, Bonnie Dennison

Release Year – 2011

Reviewed by John of the Dead

While I thought writer/director Jim Mickle’s debut film Mulberry Street was a borderline-positive watch that could have given us much better results, it was very obvious that he had some great directing talent and the ability to deliver some unique writing ideas. Because of that, I went into Stake Land, his sophomore effort, with expectations of enjoying the piece, but I had no idea that I would enjoy this unique vampire tale as much as I did. Giving us a great modern day take on the vampire sub-genre that bleeds artistic beauty and great horror, Stake Land is a breath of fresh air for the horror genre that delivers a great experience – once again proving that Hollywood really needs to give these undeveloped directors a shot.

When a vampire epidemic spreads across the land and turns America into a wasteland, Martin(Connor Paolo; World Trade Center) and “Mister”(Nick Damici; “Law and Order”, Mulberry Street), who Martin owes his life to, travel across the wasteland in hopes of reaching what was formerly Canada, now deemed “New Eden”. This wishful thinking will not come easy for the two, as the epidemic is far from over – however they have more to worry about than just vampires as mankind often latches on to drastic decisions when faced with economic and political turmoil.

If you know me then you should know that I am not the biggest fan of the vampire sub-genre. In all honesty, my reason for my disinterest in the sub-genre is that they simply do not scare me, at least the traditional vampires we get in horror films. Stake Land changed my perception of the vampire sub-genre, at least regarding modern day vampires, and that lies much in the fact that this film delivers great horror and played off much like the films we receive in possibly my favorite horror sub-genre…zombies.

The storyline takes off quick, immediately throwing us into the horror resulting from the vampire onslaught, and the film’s heavy drama element also kicks in early as well. The young Martin is forced to grow and toughen up quick if he wishes to survive the ordeal, forced to abandon his dying parents and allow himself under the wing of a master vampire killer, “Mister”. I loved that the overall storyline was simple, simply focusing on our characters as they try and make their way towards a safe haven that they believe still exists despite reports from others they have come across, but this film offers much more than just a simple journey. They come across numerous obstacles along their trek, most of which are vampires although we do get non-vampires that are still just as dangerous, namely religious fanatics who feel the vampires are sent from God to cleanse the earth and cannibals who take the easy way out in searching for food. Each of the numerous encounters Martin and Mister come across inflicts them emotionally as they are forced to kill in vicious stake-to-the-heart fashion, save someone, or find someone who provides them comfort in this dark day and age. This storyline played off like most great zombie films, focusing mostly on the survivors and how they react socially to the epidemic and then focusing on the horror at hand, while still delivering good horror of course. I really enjoyed the heavy drama element mostly because of how well executed it was, but also because it did not detract from the horror like the drama we get in other horror/drama films. The take on the vampires was great as they were not the typical vampires we see but savage beasts that resembled the “infected” seen in 28 Days Later, except they can only be killed via a stake to the heart, which just ups the tension and the ante given the kill sequences must occur up close and personal. At 98 minutes this screenplay was well-crafted and superbly executed to give us awesome pacing and just the right amount of horror and drama at just the right times, and I applaud writers Nick Damici(who also portrays “Mister”) and Jim Mickle for this great story.

Jim Mickle’s direction is fantastic, expertly selling this film to us via great atmosphere in beautifully shot fashion. I first noticed his amazing cinematography in Mulberry Street, and he continues this artistic approach with this piece, giving us constant gloomy settings very reminiscent of the subject matter the story delivers and an amazing score whose music really aids the atmosphere. The horror is great due to this fancy camerawork, which gives us a full-frontal approach to the vampire kills and vampire killing provided by our two protagonists (among others), and Mickle does not shy away from the live-action gore or creature FX, leaving me already wishing he’d come out with another horror film and continue the progress he has shown. The usage of the vampires was great, and I had no problem with them running around at full speed and acting like maniacal maniacs. Their look was great and gritty, and most of them did not possess the super powers (although they were impervious to gunfire) that most vampires possess, which made for another unique take on this vampire sub-genre that I heavily enjoyed. I was very elated to see such great action scenes thrown into this piece, and although most of them consisted of Nick Damici kicking the ass we did get a fair amount of badassery from the young Connor Paolo as well. Horror fans should marvel at the inclusion of female horror icon Danielle Harris(Halloween 4: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and many others) in this film, who plays a fairly prominent role that aided in the drama element, as well as producer Larry Fessenden (and his forehead) in his cameo appearance as a bartender. The performances from everyone involved were awesome, which was another reason the film’s heavy drama element was so darn enjoyable, and it rounded off this superbly executed effort from one of horror’s hopefully formerly under-appreciated directors.

Overall, Stake Land is a great addition to the vampire sub-genre that not only gives us something unique but a damn good horror effort from a strong up-and-coming filmmaker, Jim Mickle. Perfectly blending horror and drama, Stake Land is sure to please those who want a serious effort that delivers the goods in awesome and high intensity fashion, making for one of the best horror films of the decade and one of the most enjoyable vampire films I have seen in a long while.

8/10