User reviews

I write this review with serious doubts that anyone will have kept reading through all the 50-odd previous comments to get here. There is, however, the problem that this movie is getting some seriously mixed reviews here. In order to do my part, I cast my vote for "It Sucked!" and hope I can save someone the depression that follows renting a movie with glowing quotes on the box, only to wonder if those quotes weren't from the people who actually made the film.

I'll give it this; it's an educated film. Made for horror fans, by horror fans (who have a shoestring budget and no sense of continuity). Throughout the movie you'll see various references to influential directors (I saw the "Stab" poster, and as far as I know "Nails" cigarettes don't exist outside Kevin Smith movies) and various homages to previous zombie movies (like, all of them). This is, unfortunately, one of it's downfalls because much of the movie is extremely predictable. Also, the director tries to run with what works in the genre (anxiety, extra gore, handy power tools {Where the hell did that chainsaw even come from?}), but it is often executed poorly, regardless of budget. I didn't expect Citizen Kane here, but I also didn't expect a home movie made in a weekend.

For horror fans who think they can look past the directorial mishaps, think again. The zombie volume is next to nothing (2 henchmen zombies and a couple dozen shady figures in cobwebs), the special effects just remind you how crappy the film is (if someone is getting electrocuted, sparks will do nicely, we don't need this crappy cgi fireworks display that looks like a screen saver), and the death scenes are mostly tame (1. character vanishes in mist, throw bucket of blood from off camera. 2. Character has head removed, off screen. Carry crappy fake head back into scene. etc.). The irony here is that the characters in the movie were in the process of filming their own horror movie which actually looked better than the one they got caught up in.

So why did I give it a 3/10 and not a 1/10? Well hell, I can't make a movie. The effort alone is always worth something, no matter what the outcome.

I liked SCREAM as much as the next guy, but it's all but ruined horror films from 1996 and beyond. It's a shame to see it rub off on so many young horror filmmakers and an even bigger shame that they allow an overabundance of film references and endless blabber about various horror films to take the place of a plot and REAL dialogue. It's really a lazy way to construct a movie and really just a way to demonstrate the filmmakers know their s**t. Who really cares? And if they DO watch and love the horror films of Romero and Fulci, they'd know that nothing is worth sacrificing atmosphere, scares and a true sense of humor over. This movie is also derivative in its style- it is well photographed and richly colored in different shades, but even THAT aspect is just copycatting Dario Argento.

Everyone has already summed up the confusing "plot," of this Full Moon feature, so I won't waste time on it, just to say that THE DEAD HATE THE LIVING is made up of so many different elements from so many other zombie/horror movies that its OWN identity becomes lost in the shuffle and it doesn't quite make it as a comedy, a parody OR a horror film. However, I think some of the cast members (Jamie Donahue, Brett Beardslee..) have the potential to make an impression in the horror genre given the right opportunities.

Score: 3 out of 10.

I'm so tired of supposedly clever, overly self-conscious horror films. I know there are generational differences and a lot of people find this type of thing humorous and hip. In the early 90's, there was a film called "There's Nothing Out There" which was about a slimy green monster from outer space killing vacationing teens at a house in the woods over Spring Break. There was a horror movie nut who bothered everybody by making references to other horror films. At the time, that seemed funny and the movie itself is a ragged, messy charmer. I believe this is the film Kevin Williamson used to help him along in writing the script for "Scream", which while I did enjoy it, has hurt the horror genre through it's lazy deconstruction of modern horror. "The Dead Hate The Living" is a bandwagon film that only goes to show that even with a larger than usual budget and good intentions (but obviously pandering to the "Scream" demographic), a horror movie you cannot make.

I do have a theory that maybe people who like horror a little too much and are too eager to please cannot make a decent, serious horror picture. I do have a problem with people who like references to Warbeck and Campbell and Fulci. Do you like being patronized? I don't think you do. Why do you make special concessions for filmmakers who obviously take the easy way out by making you feel superior because you can pick up on what are basically pop-culture references? All the horror films of the past we champion have none of these obvious references. Are we so devoid of creativity or original thought (or filmmaking prowess) that we cannot make(or get to see) a good horror film anymore? I think they got us in a box and we can't get out.

A group of young filmmakers break into an old abandoned hospital to shoot a film and inadvertently open a portal that unleashes zombies on the hapless cast and crew in this horror-comedy. Mixing horror with comedy is a VERY tricky thing. The ones that work do so amazingly well (Dead Alive, Return of the Living Dead, Re-animator, bad taste, etc...). The movies that don't work are usually total ass.This self-referential name-dropping, scene stealing film is part of the latter and ranks down there with "Dead Heat" as far as what NOT to do to succeed. Horrible acting, music, lame jokes, stealing scenes outright from far better films, dime-store special effects, and an unengaging, unoriginal story all add up to a putrid stench-filled film.

My Grade: D-

DVD Extras: Commentary by Writer/Director Dave Parker, and actors Eric Clawson, Matt Stephens, Brett Beardslee, & Jamie Donahue; photo gallery; production art; a 20 minute behind the scenes featurette; Music video; a ad for the puppet master toys; and theatrical trailer

Gripes: If you have the commentary turned on and then go to the extras NONE of them will play sound. word of warning

Yes, the plot is cheesy, but the makeup isn't bad for the small budget. I'm not saying this is a masterpiece. It's a fun low -budget zombie movie. The CGI fire at the end was terrible, but they probably did that for safety reasons.

i hoped that this movie would be good.......I really, really hoped....But it isn't....In fact, it turned out to be bad. It wasn't campy enough to be a "good bad movie", and it wasn't serious enough to be a "thriller horror" movie, so it turned out to be junk....too bad.....I do love the references to all of the horror greats~

Ewww! What a hideous mess of a film. I understand the movie was deliberately made to be bad and littered with scenes and references from horror movies, but come on! When the best line of dialogue in a film is "Hmmm. What would Bruce Campbell do?" you know its time to leave. However, luckily for you, I was paralysed with disbelief and unable to leave before it was done.

The film is just awful on so many levels. Crap acting, crap story, crap dialogue, crap make-up and crap errmm crap. The main bad guy, who resembles Rasputin, is found inside some techno-gizmo that opens a gateway to.....aaaaargh! Good God! Why am I even trying to explain this? Explanation would imply that a lot of thought went into this production, which it clearly did not.

See, the thing about truly good, bad movies, is that they don't usually know what they are. Someone made them with the thought that the film would be really good and it turned out so bad that it was just a priceless gem waiting to be watched. But with this atrocity, they set out to make a "so-bad-its-good" movie. And it just fails. Fails so awfully that it just makes you cringe to watch it.

In fact, nothing remotely like action occurs for 45 minutes. Instead we're treated to what I'll very generously label "character development". A series of scenes between the different characters that only serves to make you hate them with a passion and to highlight their lack of acting talent.

Then we get to the techno-gizmo and Rasputin and the gateway to Hell etc. etc., yadda-yadda, boring! Seeing the characters killed one by one was not nearly as satisfying as I had hoped. In fact the ultimate horror (and, in fact, the only real horror this movie offered) was the ending which hinted at a sequel, for God's sake!

Rent another zombie movie rather than this one......any one, it doesn't matter. I guarantee it'll be ten times better than this dross.

Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, had some nice shout outs to classic horror directors etc. The story wasnt amazing but the effects were fine and it kept me entertained. Very early 00s ha ha

I'm a big fan of zombie movies, but this low budget fan-made stuff doesn't tend to appeal much. It's not that I don't enjoy the splatter, it's that recycled ideas can only go so far before you're completely watching someone else's film; albeit regurgitated. The Dead Hate the Living isn't a complete dead loss, and it's easy to see what the filmmakers were trying to achieve - but it suffers from the common problem with films like this, in that it doesn't have enough ideas in it's own right to be fun enough to completely keep the audience going with it. The film definitely has it's moments, though, such as the ending which brilliantly pays tribute to Lucio Fulci's "The Beyond". The constant name-dropping gets tired after a while. It's not bad at first, as you can see that the film is made by fans of this sort of stuff (people like me and, probably, you) but once the point has been made; it doesn't need to be made again. And again, and again. The plot is typically thin, and it follows a film crew making a no-budget zombie movie in an old abandoned hospital, which also happens to be a resting place for a doctor that wants the dead to take over the Earth.

This plot probably took about five minutes to think of, and the same again for script writing time; but funnily enough, the plot is what gives the film it's main point of originality in the way that the characters are making a film, which turns out to be about what's happening to them. What makes this idea fun is the way that the film almost spoofs itself with the way that we see the crew making their film, and then ending up getting butchered for real. While the plot isn't bad, the plotting will no doubt get on many people's nerves. The gore doesn't turn up at all in the first half of the movie, and even when it does it isn't thick or fast and the result isn't all that fun to watch. It's also ironic that you spend the first half of the film waiting for the zombie mayhem to start, and when it finally does; you realise that the first half of the movie was actually better! The Dead Hate the Living is a film that I would recommend to zombie enthusiasts only. There isn't enough about it to appeal to people who aren't zombie fans, and in that respect even zombie fans may be a little disappointed. A note to everyone; beware of the truly awful CGI towards the end!

This is a surprisingly good horror flick which can be sort of viewed as an updated version of the Evil Dead. While the film doesn't really hold a candle to the Evil Dead it's a fairly good time. The Dead Hate the Living does have many flaws such as cheap visual effects, a not so threatening Rob Zombie - like clone villain, and the background plot of the film isn't completely clear, but remember this is a low budget horror film. An attractive cast, decent acting, and unendless references towards various horror films and celebrities keep the momentum going. It's quite clear that the film makers are huge horror buffs (The end is an obvious ode to Fulci's The Beyond) and any serious horror guru should at least appreciate the film for that.

Director Dave Parker makes a credible film debut with THE DEAD HATE THE LIVING - the latest horror offering from Full Moon Entertainment. While most of Full Moon's recent releases have been tragic misfires (the awful SHRIEKER, TALISMAN & BLOODSTORM: SUBSPECIES 4 come to mind), Dave Parker and crew actually made an attempt to create a quality film that stands out as the best Full Moon release in years!

A ragtag group of low-budget filmmakers are holed up in an abandoned hospital to make the ultimate zombie film. As they begin to explore deeper inside the building, they stumble across an actual corpse and decide to use it in the film. When they accidently revive it, the lines of reality begin to blur as the group suddenly find themselves trapped inside the building with an ever-growing number of the undead.

THE DEAD HATE THE LIVING is low-budget, but Parker obviously tried to get as much mileage as he could with what he had.

Even though the film isn't as graphic as past entries in the zombie subgenre (like the Lucio Fulci flicks of the late 70's/early 80's, from which this film drew some influence), there's still plenty of effective bloodletting and well-crafted zombie make-ups to satisfy horror fans. The film also benefits from a great location, a decently-written script and one of the best ensemble casts ever to grace a Full Moon opus.

However, the film's not without its shortcomings. Fans of zombie flicks may be disappointed with the relatively small number of zombies in this film (I assume due to budgetary restraints). The film generally (and wisely) avoids computer-generated effects, but it occasionally uses them...and they're among the worst I've ever seen. I'm not kidding. They completely destroy the mood and effectiveness of the scenes they're used in. Fortunately, they're sparsely used, so they don't ruin the film completely.

Overall, I was impressed with this one. The film stands out with Full Moon's DARK ANGEL - THE ASCENT and CASTLE FREAK as examples of quality genre filmmaking. I just hope Full Moon doesn't screw things up by turning this into a crappy series!

I just finished watching it,and all I can say is that this film is "hurtin for certain"!!!This film is so corny, it makes "Raiders of the Living Dead" look like a brilliant,action-packed cinema innovation.My favorite part was after the film,when they showed "the making of".The loser Director and no talent cast sit around talking about how different this film is then all the other films that are out there.They discuss the original approach they took when writing this!!!!!!!!This film contributes nothing new,nothing impressive,and has no business asking $4.00 to be watched.

This is one of those movies that you don't see very often. It was good and bad. The good parts in this movie are the deaths and violence. The bad parts are that there was a long boring beginning. If you like zombie movies, rent it. It's not the best, but it's alright. I gave this a 8.

The Dead Hate the Living is a zombie movie. One would think the formula for zombie movies would be rather simple. Walking dead, scared individuals, head shots ensue as the dead lumber after the scared protagonists. Instead we get a meandering film that is likely to bore an individual to death. The plot is straightforward enough dumb, young, filmakers in abandoned hospital open one of the Gates to Hell mentioned in Fulci's The Beyond aka Seven Doors of Death. A couple of zombies come out of said gate and mediocre mayhem begins. A lame film that stumbles around not unlike a walking corpse and never really finds its feet.

Oh my!!! What a terrible movie. I'm a fan of "B" films but give me a break. The director/writer does not have a clue on how to tell a story. This movie is very slow, the editing is all over the place, and the dialogue stinks. Director/writer "Dave Parker" thinks he's clever, instead he just insulting to his audience. He tries to pay homage to Fulci, Argento, Carpenter, & Bava but fails in doing so. In addition, the commentary track on the DVD is shameful. I have never heard such an arrogant selfish person in my life. I would not be surprise if any of the good reviews on this service came from the director himself.

Hollywood hear my cry!! Don't let this boy direct, write, act, or edit a film again.

Do yourself a favor and give your money to charity instead.

Along with potential it also had some good death scenes. Unfortunately, it was to like the typical 90's horror movie to be anything special. One of the things that bugs me about this movie are all the references to Fulcio and other earlier horror movies like that is what they were trying to make. I am wondering have they ever actually watched any of these movies. All the cast are the typical 90's cast, while in Fulcio's and other earlier flicks generally use more mature if not more established actors. It also takes awhile before the killings start. They reference "the Beyond" in this movie, but in that flick there were deaths throughout while this one is a bit bottom heavy. And there are other examples of this throughout the flick. Other problems, to much comedy...I am sick of seeing comedy in frikin horror movies. It worked in some (return of the living dead), but most of the time all it does is take away from the flick. And please, don't make a zombie be intelligent and talk, they're not supposed to.

I'm not going to waste much time on a review. The film itself has already bled me of 90 minutes of my life. But out of common decency I do feel that I should warn others who may be thinking of renting this out... just put it back on the shelf and walk away. Intending to pay homage to classic horror films it doesn't even manage to parody them. Boring, sub-amateur rubbish.

This is amateurish horror film making at best!There are a few huge plot holes,but there are also some great inside jokes.Horror fans will find references to Rob Zombie,Megadeth,John Carpenter,Tom Savini,Lucio Fulci,David Warbeck,"Evil Dead 2","The Beyond" and "Cannibal Ferox".The acting is pretty bad,but there is plenty of cheesy gore(heads get ripped off,throats ripped out,and the poor guy is dragged around by his intestines).Director Dave Parker is apparently a big Raimi/Fulci/Romero fan!The are also the digital effects,but they totally suck(electricity bolts,fire and a gunshot to the head).If you like zombie flicks give this one a look.6 out of 10.The plot:a small group of people shooting a low-budget zombie flick in an abandoned hospital unleash the living dead! Fulci lives!

I LOVE horror films, even horror spoofs....but when a film like The Dead Hate The Living doesn't offer any real scares or genuine laughs, I feel that the $7.99 I paid for the DVD was even too much.

I was originally looking forward to seeing this film. It even got a few "hip" critics and a vague, partial quote from Tom Savini to praise it (although just quoting Savini saying "Unique!..." on the cover doesn't really say much, it could be it's uniquely bland). Problem is, you get a few critics from Deep Red or Eon magazines praising it, some viewers will automatically say they like the film lest they feel they're not cool if they say they don't like it.

Name dropping....everyone keeps praising how this film is full of names like Lucio Fulci and Bruce Campbell and references oodles of other films. So what. That doesn't make it any more clever. While I'm not impressed by "teen" thrillers, at least Scream worked in its references because it was cleverly written. Another film that worked well in the name-dropping sense is Free Enterprise. It's as if by constantly mentioning Lucio Fulci and others, The Dead Hate The Living is basically distracting horror buffs so they'll go "OHHHHHHH, I know that one! Kewl!" and just maybe will keep them from realizing there's not much else going on. Even a film like The Return Of The Living Dead tried to cover its lack of genuine scares by throwing in an extra dose of disenchanted youth and full frontal nudity. Not much of that in this film really, but they did manage to throw in the F-word enough to, um, I guess give it an edge?

In the DVD's audio commentary, it was said that they were concerned mentioning Marilyn Manson would date the film. Oh, and like making Dr. Eibon an exact replica of Rob Zombie DOESN'T date it? And the constant use of the word "dude" doesn't help much either. Still trying to figure out exactly which era Eibon is supposed to be from, since he looks straight out of the 1700s in some scenes and then seems to know a lot about technology. The obvious glued-on beard didn't help much either.

The dialogue,,,,oh geez. Things like the stoner cameraman taking a deep drag on a joint and saying "Rock and roll!" just made me groan instead of laugh. The lead actor seems to remind you of a more MTV groomed version of Tim Daly (of TV's "Wings") and his best pal gets the weakest lines throughout the story--that whole bit about what's outside..."DEATH........" is rather weak. I know director Dave Parker was working on a very very low budget, but those makeup effects and face wounds were so unconvincing. In the audio commentary they constantly pat themselves on the back about how GREAT it all looks. In one scene where the few surviving characters were confronted by zombies on a cemetery set and a fight ensues--yes a fight rather than a struggle--wide shots reveal that there aren't as many people there as you thought and not as much action is happening either.

I have plenty of punk and thrash music in my collection, but those songs by Penis Flytrap ("friends of mine," says director Parker) were embarrassing. That title song, whether it was meant as being silly or serious, comes off as contrived cookie-cutter stuff in its music and lyrics ("The dead hate the living they wanna hate the living tonight....." EEEEK!) Anyone seriously wanting to mosh to that needs to take a closer look at themselves. For some reason being cool these days means liking bands with "you-can-come-up-with-a-better-name-than-that" names (Saliva, Korn, Limp Biskit....yawn) and talking about Japanese anime as if it were a revelation. Kids, MTV doesn't really have all the answers...learn the meaning of the word INDIVIDUALISM.

One of the "positive" critical quotes on the cover was how the movie was an nightmare on the level of Argento... Well, it was Argento-like basically in the lighting scheme, but to say it resembles the work of Dario Argento is going way too far. Yes, the film has interesting lighting and some energy, but when everything else comes off as cheese it left me disheartened by how the film kept going and getting less and less interesting.

I was SO looking forward to this film, and was left disappointed and annoyed. The Dead Hate The Living was obviously pandering to a crowd that is easily riled up by that moment's music trend, pot references and "Dude!!!!!" I wasn't scared by its intended scares, and didn't laugh at the jokes. Killer Klowns From Outer Space managed to pull off thrills and giggles well, and was CLEVER. That's an example of how to do a not-so-serious horror film right.

The only thing the guys behind this film seemed the proudest of is that they found an actual dead cat to use in one scene. Awesome. Not.

Watch this with some alcohol and a group of friends with some movie-riffing abilities, and you'll have a good time.

Interesting spin on a typical horror film. great dialog and movie references. They know their influences and wear them on their sleeves. any fan of zombie films will find this film at least entertaining and interesting. Unique to this zombie film is the use of a villain as opposed to only hordes of undead. Has an interesting ending.