Shatter Dead

More regrets:

I have to be the biggest sucker in the world. What other person would go out and buy so many of these backyard home video horror movies? Why did I buy into all the hype that these little genre websites give to these pieces of garbage!?

Well I've learned my lesson. Yes, I was an idiot to go out and buy so many of these films but having done so, I feel safe in saying that any positive reviews that junk like this gets has to be written by cast members or the directors themselves because there's no way anyone besides people involved who could actually like this crap.

First off, this is not a movie for fans of traditional zombie films! Shatter Dead is a cheap looking home video. It's not a horror film in any sense, it's nothing more then a wanna be art film. It's got the most vile looking cast ever assembled to carry the lame story forward. It's got the lowest production values I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of these type films lately. There was no way of getting behind any of the character's because they all sucked! A bunch of art film school students making a video in their backyard. Nothing more!!! The only good thing about this garbage was the DVD sleeve which worked like a charm in suckering me into buying it.

If one is desperate for a z-grade zombie film then they'd be better to look into MEAT MARKET 2 which I also recently bought. While that movie was nothing great either, it's at least a zombie film that entertains the viewer. Shatter Dead does nothing but annoy and bore the viewer.

0/10 AVOID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having read of this film and its charms in such reputable genre magazines as "Rue Morgue" and "Fangoria" over the past eight years or so, I finally got around to viewing "Shatter Dead" in its newly released DVD format. That said, I find myself shaking my head (and just shaking in general) as to how anyone with an IQ higher than that of the most scholarly of algae could summon up anything positive to say about this terrible waste of time and money. While the premise of having the living dead trying to live amongst us is an intriguing one to this long-time viewer of hardcore porn, (Oops! Did I say hardcore porn? Sorry, I meant to say zombie movies.) there is nothing at all intriguing about watching a lousy student film (which is to say, a student film) shot directly to video, starring said student's film school chums running around backyards and stripmalls with the same blatantly latex makeup jobs as if they'd all consumed cases of Schlitz Malt Liquor with Vicatin chasers. Much more interesting would be a film about a pencil factory where the evil CEO falls into the grinding machine and his soul comes to inhabit millions of number two pencils the world over. Mankind, armed only with his own moxie and a few good pencil sharpeners, in the end are no match for this fiendish plot, and soon succumb to the heathen pleasures of permanent and non-permanent inks. I call it, "Get the Lead Out!", and while it may not exactly be coming to a theater near you anytime soon, when it does, you will find it a much more harrowing experience than say, "Shatter Dead", and you will believe (!!!), or, at the very least, you'll think twice before chomping on our bright yellow friends. As I close, I am reminded again of this kindergarden klownfest's declaration that "God Hates You!". Well, duhh! Tell me something I don't know! Of course God hates me. He told me to watch "Shatter Dead".

I'm not surprised that this film has gotten so many bad reviews, although this is not to say I agree with them. I contend that Shatter Dead, although obviously not professional looking, is a brilliant film.

Yes, it was shot on a low budget. Yes, it was shot on video and not film. Yes, the sound is low quality. NO, THESE THINGS DO NOT MATTER.

What matters is that there's (a) a very creative take on the zombie genre, (b) a script with tremendous depth that works on multiple levels, (c) many clever lines (that also work on multiple levels), (d) many powerful scenes, (e) a profoundly haunting mood that permeates the entire film, (f) a fantastic musical score, (g) a sharp and dynamic visual style that defies the low budget, (h) well-developed, memorable characters, and (i) efficient storytelling.

If you need your films to have bright colors and celebrities and pop music, then you will not like Shatter Dead. But if you're looking for something that's actually innovative and meaningful, then perhaps you should give it a try.

Instead of complaining about what's wrong with Shatter Dead, like everyone else, let's talk about what's right about it. Directed by Scooter McCrae, Shatter Dead really accomplishes what it's going for. Other than originality, it flaunts a certain quiet, empty, apocalyptic feel. Inspired by God knows what, Shatter Dead centers on a woman named Susan. Susan is trying to make her way home to her boyfriend without blowing someones undead head off, certainly no promises, because this "begging for change" is wearing a little thin. After one of these undead minorities steals the gas out of her car, she sets him on fire. just to let you know what kind of girl we're dealing with. After a run-in with a radical group, who are promoting the way on the undead, Susan finds shelter in a house, especially meant for the living, I guess. There, she meets some interesting characters, some hit on her, some want her soap, but all Susan wants is to sleep. Susan's slumber is soon interrupted by the New Order. Armed with a shot gun and bad intentions, Pericles Lewnes and some Howard Stern guy are on a rampage, determined to convert the living. After ruining the life, or I guess death of a hot young zombie and witnessing a birth/death that you just wouldn't believe, Susan realizes, it might be time to move on. Off to see the boyfriend, but once Susan arrives, she finds a whole new problem. Unlike the more traditional, or even the not so traditional Zombie films, in Shatter Dead, the zombies are only technically zombies, When their heart stops beating, the soul no longer separates itself from the body, and they just rot, for all eternity. This being a punishment from God. Why would God do such a thing? well, That's cleared up in the first minute of the movie, unless you weren't paying attention. The real difference between a zombie and a Shatter Dead zombie is that most zombies in this movie have no bad intentions, they just want to keep on going. Just because there's no flesh-eating doesn't mean there's no gore, just to clear that up. Slightly blasphemous, although, dwelling on that would be missing the point. The point being, Shatter Dead is a damn fine, original, independent film that doesn't seem to get the recognition that it deserves, considering most of these other reviews. Guys, if you really think Shatter Dead sucks, track down Zombie '90 Extreme Pestilence, for a truly enlightening experience. The theme of blasphemy, along with the whole video camera issue tells me that Shatter Dead wont be getting a ten. Nonetheless, this is probably the highest I'll ever rate a zombie film that was shot on video, so, Scooter must have done something right. The misunderstood art that is Shatter Dead deserves no less than 8/10

Even the director/producer calls it a "video" instead of a film in the credits, so maybe I should be careful before calling it a "film." But right there, we have an example of honesty that is a rarity among typically egomaniacal filmmakers, and this very terminology is an indication of the inner integrity this -- ahh, film -- possesses.

Now it's not that my fellow reviewers are totally off base. Yes, the plot is full of holes. Yes, the acting and production values aren't so wonderful at times. And, yes, the standard horror elements have been given a back seat. (And the latter was fine with me, because I believe a film has to be taken on its own merit; there are plenty of mindless zombie films out there, many of which tread the same tired ground, and can get pretty boring at times.) But what do you expect? The production has no budget. Given those limitations, one has instead to inspect whether the film has heart. And this is not a by-the-numbers production. I'm not sure I would normally recommend this film to anyone, frankly, but right there -- given its heart -- SHATTER DEAD deserves much credit.

Eyeing a couple of the external reviews, I see the film was "Winner of the Best U.S. Independent Feature Award at the Italian Fantafilm Festival in 1995." That says something, as I doubt the production team held the political sway of a Miramax at Sundance... this award must have been offered "purely." I also see Joe Bob Briggs says "check it out." Fine. These opinions, although more "official," need be no more valid than the one-vote giving ones here who have concluded "Crapper, Crapper," and (from zombie film fans) "Completely Absurd," as well as "Deeply disappointed." Yet, the former still serve as an indication that there is more to this movie, beneath the surface. (Officialdom = 1; Zombie Film Fans = 0.)

Indeed, the lead actress was not a glamourpuss, as could be said for the rest of the female performers. But the fact that her teeth were crooked and her chest was ungenerous only serve to provide a sad commentary of what our brainwashed movie-goers have come to expect. Frankly, I appreciated her form more than the dime-a-dozen plastic robo-hootered variety that permeate the B-movie kingdom. I liked the fact that she wore no make-up. These were touches that made her more "real," given the awful situation where we have been required to suspend our disbelief. And, yes, the delivery of her lines left something to be desired at times. Then again, she exuded a weight-of-the-world on her shoulders weariness that was most fitting for the depressing context. (She was actually quite lovely in the behind-the-scenes DVD extras, where the director gives a tour of his house.) Suspension of disbelief are the magic words for an enterprise such as this, and that goes beyond the fantastic plot. We have to accept the harsh realities of guerilla film-making, and excuse such matters as the ridiculous toy rifle strapped around her neck.

On the other hand, I appreciated what the film has achieved... for example, in the establishing sequence, the crew shot in a small town without permits, and managed to convey a desolate, "last man on earth" type of atmosphere... not an easy task, without a Hollywood machine to grease the wheels. Secondly, there were special effects that were quite well done, from exploding squibs to a man on fire; the make-up wasn't "that" horrible, either, contrary to what some of our more spoiled reviewers have claimed.

I could have done without some of the extreme "shock" scenes, but I guess that's the sort of thing that makes this kind of film more "fun." (One of the IMDb reviewers complained of "gynecological" hardcore close-ups during the "gun" intercourse scene; in the Sub-Rosa DVD I viewed, there were no such close-ups, so perhaps they were edited out.) The film didn't allow me to get bored (well, okay, maybe the scene with the preacher's rantings went on a bit long). Basically, I'm giving SHATTER DEAD a reluctant thumb's up, mainly for the richness of the ideas conveyed within; that's a lot more than we can expect from a cinematic excursion fully belonging in the trash heap.