Rise of the Dead

This movie can be briefly summarized in one sentence: Lionsgate's attempt to capitalize on the increasing popularity of the "zombie" genre.

Viewers be warned: This is NOT a zombie movie!! In the horror genre, it is actually an OK movie. The acting was top-notch for the budget, and the special effects were tastefully done (while the nudity, unfortunately, was not). This movie would have won a 5 from me if not for one simple problem: The poster (and the DVD box art!) and plot synopsis of this movie (and subsequently, the genre it was defined as!) DO NOT match the plot AT ALL. It's almost like they didn't think anyone would notice! I sat down to this film hoping for another Romero-style zombie bloodbath; I left even more disappointed than I was at the new "Day of the Dead." And trust me, I was disappointed.

For a crappy low budget movie, not bad. But it's still a crappy low budget movie. I appreciated the plot and story. This movie actually had one, most horror movies of this type usually barely even try. I also was actually impressed with the special effects, for the budget, they did a good job, didn't look stupid.

This movie also had those two low-budget horror movie mainstays: Gore and tits! I liked the blood and guts gore, and I also liked the nudity. That is basically the whole point of any horror movie anyway. That is basically the whole point of any horror movie anyway. That is basically the whole point of any horror movie anyway.

Yeah, technology and the degradation of the arts have allowed films like this to be made. This reminds me of Guitar Hero in a very round-a-bout way. You see, when I worked at a musical instrument retailer, I'd get kids coming in that played Guitar Hero and instantly thought that would translate into actually playing guitar. They were so convinced that they would be awesome that they'd get their parents to spend thousands of dollars on equipment just so one day the world would be assaulted by talentless crap. Yeah, this movie reminds me of that. I think the directors and writers played a game called Cinema Hero and got a really high score once so they thought, "Man! We'd be awesome at making an actual movie!". Well, they were so very wrong. First of all, this could possibly have the most ridiculous plot in the history of plots. It's not inventive or fresh, yet it's not just a rehash of some other horror film. You see, no other filmmakers would actually agree to make a film if this were pitched to them. The continuity was just thrown out the window. The writers cared so little about what was going on that they actually forgot how many murders had happened in the movie in one scene. People magically change positions, hats magically appear and disappear. Yikes. The acting...well, I guess I shouldn't really call it acting. It's more like...well, I really don't know, but I hope I never have to see anything reminiscent of that again. The cinematography is choppy and even appears that the camera was cocked in some scenes. It's a bit disorienting and terribly unprofessional. The physical "stunts" are mainly done away from camera and literally look like they were done intentionally bad for laugh factor. Bottom line, the crew of the film obviously wrote reviews for their own crap here on IMDb. Yeah, it's cheap as hell and totally unprofessional...precisely like their "film". Really, no matter how much you like movies, just because you have one bad idea and a few grand, it doesn't mean you should make a film. Lesson learned.

I just finished listening to the commentary on this (non-zombie but rather spirit/ghost possession) small little film and I have to say that this thing is quite a freaking achievement! With a total budget of 20 thousand dollars and a crew willing to work basically for free they were able to make this movie, which not only cuts together, it looks completely professional! And has lots of death and murder! Not necessarily some of the best scenes I've ever seen from a horror film but damn: This thing is glossy! It even has a super creepy, twisted and completely original ending (which you'll just have to watch to find out what I mean). In any case, it's creepy and weird but makes total sense for the story (the first kill is specially good and creepy and if anything this scene and the last one make this movie worth watching. There's also a good scene in a church where a women gets her head crushed with a statue of the virgin mary. It's messed up.).

I don't know how many of you out there actually are indie filmmakers yourself but I've had friends who have made 20 thousand dollar films before and they are usually just un-watchably bad. Bad sound, bad acting and bad cuts tend to plague these super-low budget films but this one seemed to gloss over and past those issues to deliver a very watchable, coherent and driven story. Say what you want about the film sucking, being boring, poor production value or whatever other problems the film may have, but don't take for granted that most movies you see are shot for well over 2,000 times this budget (and that's only a 40 million dollar movie, not the giant $150 million dollar movie that blockbuster's like Transformers cost).

I'd recommend this film to anybody who's interested in independent cinema (the film was independently produced with the name Tantrum, which I think suits the film way better, and then sold to Lions Gate for distribution), anybody who's interested in seeing new ideas and scenes in the horror genre and anybody who likes a good old fashioned horror flick complete with all the elements to make for an extremely entertaining Saturday night.

Titles can be so misleading, but I for one, was glad that "Rise Of The Dead" was not just another low budget zombie flick, but instead a well thought out horror experience from Ohio.

Director William Wedig piles on the dread factor that the writing team of Jeff and Josh Crook have layed out for him in this seemingly no budget film about possession and things that go "Thud" in the night... Most films with the words "Of the Dead" in the title means: "Zombie" but Wedig has something else in store for his unknowing audience. This is a well crafted, though provoking, blood bath of a film with solid acting and cinematography through out. Stand out performances by Erin Wilk and a rather comedic turn by producer / actor Chris Ferry make "Rise Of The Dead" a worth while viewing pleasure for fans of the genre. The story itself, paints a vivid picture of how bad things happen to bad people, but does it with a flair not normally explored in this type of film. The gore is honorable, and of course the nudity is always present to reel in even the most frigid viewer. "Rise Of The Dead" is a sign of good things to come from Ohio, and the future of horror in general.