Graverobbers

It's a joke. It has to be a joke. Nothing in this "movie" qualifies it to be a serious attempt at film making. The directing is so inept, half the time characters aren't doing anything until after the camera has rolled for a couple of seconds. The acting is as unemotional in some places as a wall of cinder block. The "special" effects include stage hands throwing viles of chemicals onto the floor, or skin peeling off someone on a motorcycle going 35 mph down the road. The story is lamer than a horse missing two legs. There is nothing to save this movie other than a few desperate attempts at decent camera work, but those are so few and far in between, it's not even worth mentioning.

The movie wasn't a test to watch, but it certainly wasn't what I call enjoyable. Watch at your own risk.

Scott's judgment: "Stop - making this movie. In the name of love, stop."

First off the Summary is a quote taken from the movie itself so no one get offended at me... OK now then,

Nora, a small town waitress, first fends off a traveling condom salesman before agreeing to marry a complete and utter stranger by the name of Henry. Henry also happens to be a funeral director who likes his woman tired in the sack... DEAD tired. She must escape from all this kookiness. This is a bizarre film, filled with bad acting and insane dialog. It had to be trying to be a horror-comedy, but it was neither horrific or comedic. Still somehow I still found it strangely watchable. Kinda had the feel of "Dead & Buried", but not nearly as good as that film. Points deducted for the movie imploding in on itself in it's ending twenty minutes or so.

Eye Candy: Kathleen Margo gets topless

My Grade: D

Hey, Straw, if you read this-get this out on DVD. I love this movie! It is funny and twisted and Necrocomedies are sorely in short supply in this sad world. I have been a big fan since it first appeared in video stores almost 20 years ago. I was casually glancing through the New Releases-not expecting much-when my unbelieving eyes saw this movie. I could not believe it-finally some brave auteur made a heart warming romantic comedy starring a necrophiliac. I salute you. I own a VHS copy of this, but I want a DVD to add to my collection. Have you tried?

You all deserve to treat yourself to the joy that is "Dead Mate". You will thank me!

The lonely waitress of a diner Nora Mae Edwards (Elizabeth Mannino) has dreadful nightmares and difficulties to sleep. One night, her new client John Henry Cox (David Gregory), who is an undertaker, proposes to marry her immediately after knowing her and Nora accepts. Henry's driver Morley (Kelvin Keraga) drives Nora and Henry to his town, Newbury, and they get married in Henry's funeral home that belongs to his family by Rev. Collins (Kevin Scullin). Henry introduces his friends to Nora, among them the Sheriff Porter (Lawrence Bockius) and Emmaline Strickland (Judith Mayes). When the young and beautiful Cicely Matthews (Kathleen Margo) dies in a car accident, Nora snoops in the mortuary and sees that he husband and friends a necrophiliacs but she is not sure that it was not a daydream. But when Cicely's brother Evan Matthews (Adam Wahl) meets her, he discloses the dreadful secret of Newbury to Nora.

"Dead Mate" is a low-budget horror movie with a story with great potential but a screenplay that is a complete mess. Nora was a prostitute, but accepting to get married with a stranger is moronic. The society is formed by necrophiliacs, but is there a Dr. Frankenstein to bring life to the dead? Otherwise, who is Morley? Nora finds the truth about the dwellers of Newbury and is driving a car, but she heads to Henry's funeral home instead of leaving town. There are many other inconsistencies along the plot that ruin this movie. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Grave Robbers – Ladrões de Sepultura" ("Grave Robbers")

My review was written in January 1990 after watching the movie on Prism video cassette.

A horror film about necrophilia, "Dead Mate" tries too hard in its quest for bad taste. It's for the lowest end of the home video spectrum.

Director Straw Weisman's script lets on early its goal of black humor, but it simply isn't funny. Plot line is likewise weak, as dine waitress Elizabeth Mannino improbably accepts a proposal from weird-looking customer David Gregory and is immediately off to marry the weirdo and live with him in the small town of Newbury.

He's a mortician and she's the latest in a string of young wives he's been killing and having sex with, joined by the sickos of the town. A subplot has him using electricity to reanimate the corpses, but this supernatural element is confusingly presented by Weisman.

Pic turns sleazy in an early scene where a voluptuous beauty (Kathleen Margo, who deserves better roles) dies in a car accident and is tghen gang-raped by the amublance attendants. As if this weren't enough, when the townsfolk fondle Margo's corpse atg Gregory's mortuary, one announces "it's safe sex now 'cause we can't get AIDS from dead people". Perhaps the filmmakers are looking to stir up trouble to generate free publicity with such unfunny barbs.

Acting is weak, particularly by lead Mannino who hasn't a clue how to react to noxious plot twists (including an utterly irrelevant revelation late in the film that she's an ex-prostitute). Final plot gimmicks involving incest and "It's only a dream" are pitifully bad.

Main point of interest for genre fans is the extreme gore content provided by special effects man Arnold Gargiulo II.