Directed By Gregg Bishop
Review based upon the Ghosthouse Pictures US DVD release
Similar in tone and style to “Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer” (review here) comes this intriguing mish-mash of Romero zombie flicks blended with John Hughes’ 80’s comedies (especially “Pretty in Pink”). “Dance of the Dead” is a great horror-comedy, drawing arguably obvious comparisons with “Shaun of the Dead” but managing to easily stand on it’s own twisted legs through a distinctive teen atmosphere.
The film opens with the preparations at Corsa High School for the annual prom. Focussing on impoverished joker Jimmy (Jared Kusnitz) and his well-to-do girlfriend Lindsey (Grayson Chadwick), the story builds the dynamic of the seemingly mismatched couple only to see them split up on the day of the prom after Jimmy gets into trouble in a Science class. Lindsey asks the Chairman of the student council to be her date, and on the big night the two take a drive to the local cemetery to spend some time alone before it begins. However, being near to a power plant has had seriously adverse effects on the residents of the graveyard, causing them to rise from the ground to wreak havoc on the town and eventually the school prom itself. Pairing up with local bully Kyle (Justin Welborn), Jimmy is forced to accept that for the first time he may have to fight back to get the girl and save his classmates from being more undead than dead…
“Dance of the Dead” is filled with enough riotous teen humour and slapstick gore to keep all viewers happy. Director Gregg Bishop creates a lavish look with a low bud
get, and screenwriter Joe Ballarini uses the stereotypes of the teen sub-genre to maximum effect, whilst at the same time employing the traditional rules of zombie lore to create a picture that still manages to be respectful to both. In combination with this the script focuses on character, giving us people to care about during the crazy events that unfold.
On the whole, the performances are solid from a cast of total unknowns, and this casting decision heightens the impact of the surprises on offer. At no stage is it entirely clear whether Jimmy will succeed in his goal or even survive, and this allows both Bishop and Ballarini to have the creative freedom to throw in several curve balls. Most of these moments tend to arrive with an onslaught of humour and violence in equal measure; the gross yet hilarious love scene in a toilet between two zombie teens being a particularly good example.
In addition to the mayhem, there are some very impressive touches of observational humour. The opening sequence where zombies are literally spat from the ground to immediately start running towards their victims is very striking, as is the moment where a student rock band has to play loud music for hours to keep the hungry corpses at bay. Like “Shaun of the Dead” before it, this is a film that stands up to repeat viewings, even if only to spot the complex sight gags.
“Dance of the Dead” is an interesting horror experience, as it manages to cross boundaries of age and taste in order to serve a concoction that will appeal to both casual genre viewers and those considerably more fami
liar with the material. Of course, an understanding of zombie cinema helps to get some of the more subtle jokes here – for example the final riotous onslaught bearing more than just a mild similarity to Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead”, and the scene where a key character comes back as a zombie only to have the living (no pun intended) daylights beaten out of him is a great tongue-in-cheek reference to “Night of the Living Dead”. Crucially however, such knowledge does not matter (it was perhaps more key with “Shaun of the Dead” than here), and as such this is a great and fun flick which will appeal to anyone whose humour is a dark shade of red.
Bishop’s picture has been very successful, and I for one can only hope that if a sequel is imminent that it stays true to this original, a film that raises both a laugh and the undead in equal measure. Thoroughly recommended.
7 out of 10
A riotous horror-comedy that deserves to gain solid cult status
Similar in tone and style to “Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer” (review here) comes this intriguing mish-mash of Romero zombie flicks blended with John Hughes’ 80’s comedies (especially “Pretty in Pink”). “Dance of the Dead” is a great horror-comedy, drawing arguably obvious comparisons with “Shaun of the Dead” but managing to easily stand on it’s own twisted legs through a distinctive teen atmosphere.
The film opens with the preparations at Corsa High School for the annual prom. Focussing on impoverished joker Jimmy (Jared Kusnitz) and his well-to-do girlfriend Lindsey (Grayson Chadwick), the story builds the dynamic of the seemingly mismatched couple only to see them split up on the day of the prom after Jimmy gets into trouble in a Science class. Lindsey asks the Chairman of the student council to be her date, and on the big night the two take a drive to the local cemetery to spend some time alone before it begins. However, being near to a power plant has had seriously adverse effects on the residents of the graveyard, causing them to rise from the ground to wreak havoc on the town and eventually the school prom itself. Pairing up with local bully Kyle (Justin Welborn), Jimmy is forced to accept that for the first time he may have to fight back to get the girl and save his classmates from being more undead than dead…
“Dance of the Dead” is filled with enough riotous teen humour and slapstick gore to keep all viewers happy. Director Gregg Bishop creates a lavish look with a low bud
get, and screenwriter Joe Ballarini uses the stereotypes of the teen sub-genre to maximum effect, whilst at the same time employing the traditional rules of zombie lore to create a picture that still manages to be respectful to both. In combination with this the script focuses on character, giving us people to care about during the crazy events that unfold.On the whole, the performances are solid from a cast of total unknowns, and this casting decision heightens the impact of the surprises on offer. At no stage is it entirely clear whether Jimmy will succeed in his goal or even survive, and this allows both Bishop and Ballarini to have the creative freedom to throw in several curve balls. Most of these moments tend to arrive with an onslaught of humour and violence in equal measure; the gross yet hilarious love scene in a toilet between two zombie teens being a particularly good example.
In addition to the mayhem, there are some very impressive touches of observational humour. The opening sequence where zombies are literally spat from the ground to immediately start running towards their victims is very striking, as is the moment where a student rock band has to play loud music for hours to keep the hungry corpses at bay. Like “Shaun of the Dead” before it, this is a film that stands up to repeat viewings, even if only to spot the complex sight gags.
“Dance of the Dead” is an interesting horror experience, as it manages to cross boundaries of age and taste in order to serve a concoction that will appeal to both casual genre viewers and those considerably more fami
liar with the material. Of course, an understanding of zombie cinema helps to get some of the more subtle jokes here – for example the final riotous onslaught bearing more than just a mild similarity to Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead”, and the scene where a key character comes back as a zombie only to have the living (no pun intended) daylights beaten out of him is a great tongue-in-cheek reference to “Night of the Living Dead”. Crucially however, such knowledge does not matter (it was perhaps more key with “Shaun of the Dead” than here), and as such this is a great and fun flick which will appeal to anyone whose humour is a dark shade of red.Bishop’s picture has been very successful, and I for one can only hope that if a sequel is imminent that it stays true to this original, a film that raises both a laugh and the undead in equal measure. Thoroughly recommended.
7 out of 10
A riotous horror-comedy that deserves to gain solid cult status
