User reviews

I should probably start this one on a positive note, thus, lovely little such examples as The Dead Center should get the proper praise for what they managed to do with a tiny budget. On the other hand I have seen even better such productions, Session 9 for me, so I won't be able to go all the way up with it.

Ok, so all in all, the acting here belongs in a far better movie no doubt about it, it is a result that simply has to be acknowledged, so bravo for those who picked the actors, also the dialogue they were given to work with. It all seemed quite on point, nothing too dramatic, mostly simple, effective, natural lines. The plot, even tho not original, cause let's face it, what is nowadays, was very well executed, and managed to keep me interested all the way. Amazing really what they did with a little budget, and a small idea, and yet, we got a terrific horror, that works in the psychological genre as well.

Kudos to you people, involved in the making of The Dead Center. Looking forward into seeing more of your work.

Cheers!

When I saw that Shane Carruth is the lead in this I already knew it's probably going to be something dark and messy with the mind & I wasn't wrong. These type of movies, mood and atmosphere wise, are my favorite. Having said that, "The Dead Center" is not a perfect movie.

It's pretty obvious the director didn't have a lot of money to work with, but that was compensated with some creative, atmosphere building cinematography, editing solutions and practical gore effects. And not only with the technical side - acting also was, for the most part, impressive and believable. The place itself, the hospital, is as authentic and sinister feeling as the characters living and working there. I especially enjoyed the performance by Jeremy Childs, as the otherworldly possessed and troubled mysterious patient. Acting's on point, but I was the most impressed by the atmosphere, hopeless and evil, the aforementioned aspects of filmmaking plus sound design & original score worked together well and made the movie stand out. So far so good, but the problem lies within the story, or the plot. For the first half the mystery goes on, new things happen - a slow burner but a rather great one. Around the middle the story starts slowing down, stumbles, stops surprising. At the end it leaves You kinda unsatisfied and craving more & You start thinking is there some message there you didn't quite catch. If that's the case, can a movie be built on one metaphor? Now, I may not know the full meaning of this movie, but it was mentally extreme & I enjoyed that.

You have to be able to enjoy movies with dark atmosphere, mean spirit, art-house antics, movies about mental illness, and such - if that sounds like a yes to You, I do recommend it. My rating: 7/10.

This obvious low budget film certainly didn't skimp on actors. A very effective thriller/horror with solid acting and an interesting story. Very creepy and a bit unsettling at times.

Don't expect too much from this horror mystery movie. It isn't a big budget movie but to me it's certainly worth a watch. I liked it more than my wife did, aspecially the slow pace that added to the mystery. You can't help it to be interested the whole time about what the hell is happening and that's a good feeling when you watch a movie in the mystery genre. The horror passages are mild but still interesting enough for a low budget. The acting wasn't bad at all and the storyline is worth a watch, why should I complain?

"The Dead Center" is a solidly executed low budget flick that doesn't rely upon cheap jumpscares but grabs your attention through atmospheric eeriness!

The excellence in cinematography and the sound department is commendable! As they indeed help creating a unsettling, creepy vibe. Lots of gore, violence does help regarding the disturbing factor. Some scenes are filled with lots of blood that can be too much for a faint heart! There's your warning! Acting isn't the strongest point; however the guy who played the patient has given a strong performance! Even though the characterization still feels bleak on many aspects! The storyline is unpredictable but also doesn't go much deeper in terms of flashbacks nor any sort of depth. A bad choice in my humblest opinion.

In brief, as an Indie production with constrained budget allocation; it impresses with its capable execution and brilliance in situational horror elements!

A rock solid recommendation for fellow horror enthusiasts!

Technically, The Dead Center is a good story waiting to be told, and in the hands of a better director with a little more money, it would've probably killed at the box office. As it stands now, though, it's a slow burner fraught with unrealistic happenings. To say what those were would be to create spoilers; nevertheless, this is one of those movies you watch when you want don't want to make a bad film, so in that respect, I suppose it's okay. Side note: the song over the end title sucks. Must've been the director's brother's band or something.

The movie makers deserve credit for making the most of what they had. Despite one reviewer's comment the acting wasn't bad at all. Good story too, it certainly kept me watching until the end. 90% of horror films these days are utter tripe, this one isn't.

The usual supernatural hook of flashing lights to denote pending doom is getting old. The dead arising from the morgue is also an overused hook, but give credit for this corpse being a little dead different this time. Props for, at least in the beginning, realistic psych staff behavior. Not clear what was the source of our evil - alien, demonic? Ending was rushed & also not clear.

Sure it obviously had next to no money for spectacular stunts, lush sets and exotic exteriors, but those things weren't needed here. The story was good and creepy, the acting was awesome, and it is an enjoyable film. Worth a watch.

Pretty nice slow,dark,atmospheric horror! Everything is very well done in this film,but somehow I couldn't really connect with the story and actors...Sometimes ,everything is perfect with the film,but I just can't feel it...Recommended one time watch.

Quite incredible low budget mystery thriller. Some good acting and clever writing. Stays interesting till the end. Recommended if you like dark, claustrophobic, mysterious, subtle horror without plenty of gore.

If you enjoyed "The Autopsy of Jane Doe", it's safe to say you'll find the premise for this one frightening enough as it's a tiny bit similar in its approach. Both films are pretty darn spooky in their own right. The Dead Center was good, though I found Jane Doe to be slightly better, this is still worth checking out. It definitely goes in its own direction once you realize where they are going with it, and you can sit back and try to figure it out.. (Though most likely you'll see where it's headed.) The acting is solid, the movie is well shot and the hospital setting makes for an eerie atmosphere. This really isn't anything new to be honest, but it held my attention and that's high praise for a slow burn, B horror flick. 6.75/10

It's really bizarre and morbid. I didn't enjoy it. I felt it ripped off a couple of movies as well. I like horrors but this was just not good. Also it's painfully slow. Avoid.

It's unusual to see a horror, with a really scary buildup like this one, that doesn't rely on swimming pools full of blood. Pleasantly surprised!

Very slow going film, doesn't grab your attention straight away, not very frightening or gory for a good horror film so was quite disappointed.

I saw this film because Shane Carruth is in it and it was awesome to see him in a movie again. Carruth plays Daniel Forrester, a psychiatrist who encounters a patient who has a little more than problems-in-living, like the supernatural. Carruth is a good casting choice as psychiatrist, he is both believable and likeable. That's pretty important if you work in a psychiatric ward where patients would already feel apprehensive. But that is not to say Carruth's character always makes good choices, such as brandishing a blunt object at a supernatural force not bound by physical laws. (It would be doubtful if a proton pack would work, even.) There are a few, 'huh?' moments in this film, so you need to suspend belief at times. The musical film score could have been eerier and the director could have slowed-down some scenes to build a deeper sense of dread and creepiness (The Mothman Prophecies by Mark Pellington did a great job at this.) The pace is pretty quick, maybe too quick, so the viewer gets engaged. The actor who played the patient (cannot find his name) was also a good casting choice. I dug the film, the supernatural entity is ambiguous and the film feels unresolved, in a good way. This means there could be a sequel. It's an okay-to-good horror/supernatural thriller and fun to watch. Lots happens and though you may not be 'blown away', you will not be bored either. I will further go out on a limb and say this is teen-friendly, so go out and scare some kids with this.

The actors did a good job in fact it was a good job all round it was just missing something that would make it something memorable . There wasn't a lot of dialogue which may of been the problem Worth a watch to make up your own mind

A missed opportunity, not that far away from being a great film.

'The Dead Center' is told, at least for the majority, through the eyes of psychiatrist Daniel Forrester, who comes across and attempts to treat an unusual John Doe. That premise works nicely across the first and second acts, as the mystery begins to unfold.

That's about it, though. There isn't really an ending per se. It builds and builds well, before wrapping things up rather abruptly. We never find out what or why, despite being shown that what is happening is occurring on a much, much larger scale.

The aforementioned Daniel is played by Shane Carruth, who produces an effective performance. Jeremy Childs is good, as is Bill Feehely; though his character is completely unfulfilled, much more could've been done with Edward.

I very much was enjoying this, until it all falls flat during the third act. Disappointing.

I liked a lot of things in The Dead Center, but unfortunately I don't think they did it quite right, and I didn't really enjoy myself. I'm surprised at the high ratings, but I was torn between 4-5/10.

The setup for the demon and imagery around it is *very* cool. Unfortunately, after some pretty nice setup, they didn't escalate it in a satisfying way and it never developed as much as I thought it would. If they'd really hit home with this, then I probably wouldn't have minded most of the downsides.

The ending was very unsatisfying for me. It felt like they built up some cool mystery with two related stories and then none of it mattered and it ended quickly. They clearly had a twist in mind for the end, which could have been great, but they sort of handwaved it in place instead of really delivering it, which added to some of the logic problems.

There were a couple logic issues that I just couldn't let go of as the movie progressed, but probably would have ignored if they were really ramping things up for a punchy ending. Since it felt like in plateaued for a while, it didn't give me enough to keep me sucked in.

I always go in to a horror/thriller flick with an open mind. I realize some folks are way more particular than I am, but I really enjoyed this one. The plot was a bit different than the usual which is a plus, and was well acted throughout. A few jump scares, but nothing too disturbing, although the cadaver scenes were very realistic and all the effects were well done. It has a somewhat grainy atmosphere, which adds to the overall creepiness. It kept my attention, and I thought it was a great little movie.

Others have referred to 'THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE' as a similar film. Well, as I mention in my title and this is a good comparison towards that, 'TAOJD' is a 'Fun' Horror film. This one is not...

BUT... even though I personally didn't really care for the tone of the movie, and, quite honestly, some of the acting was pretty dodgy, especially the woman doctor, and I REALLY did not like the constant ULTRA-close ups, I still have to give credit that it is indeed a VERY unsettling and I felt disturbing movie.

Heh, but FWIW, for my personal taste I don't watch Horror films to be unsettled and disturbed, at least not usually. I like to be 'Entertained' and for me I like my Horror movies to be somewhat a bit more on the 'Fun' side. Creepy is great! But. Relentlessly disturbing for me is not...

So yeah, I'll give it a '6' because for those who happen to like this type of more 'Realistic' and gritty type Horror film, I feel it probably accomplishes what it sets out to do. It just isn't my kind of Horror movie that I enjoy.

So, like I have mentioned many, MANY times in other reviews where people here have totally trashed a film just because 'They didn't like it', but it was a well made movie, I am not going to do that : )

If you like your Horror films where they are truly unsettling and almost what I feel is depressing, then yeah you might 'enjoy' this one. Just not really my kind of thing...