Dead Moon Rising

I won't say this is the worst film ever (I've seen Dark harvest 2) but in spite of the fact that it was made in my hometown, I can't give it a glowing review either. I kept having to stretch my sense of the believable a little too far in order to accept certain scenes (especially one where the bikers and monsters meet in the supposedly "deserted" city, while you can see a busy intersection up the road.

However, the women were pretty hot, and the movie sometimes came off a little bit humorously, which I understand was the point - so I will give it a halfway decent grade. But this movie is probably a lot better if you've had a little to drink first.

Synopsis: After the world's population mysteriously begins to turn into flesh-eating zombies, Jim (Jason Crowe) and the other employees of Cheapskate Car Rental must band together with the city's bike gangs to fight the legion of undead cannibals.

Review: From the start, it would seem this film tries to be too many other great films. The cover tries to play it off as an Army of Darkness-style film, while the job, girlfriend, and complete obliviousness to the outbreak makes it seem like a Shaun of the Dead ripoff. Even the opening credits are stolen directly from Dawn of the Dead (2004). So, only a few minutes in, and I already thought less of it due to its lack of originality. From there, it didn't get much better. On a film-making level, the movie's very low-level. It's got that cheap, shot-on-video look that so many horror fans have grown more-than-annoyed with and the horrid camera control doesn't help make it rise above the unattractive look it stuck itself with. The script was boring and lacking any real development. The dialogue was forced and the 'Malcolm in the Middle'-style of narration is stupid and overdone. The acting, yikes, was probably the worst element (outside of the horrendous sound quality). I barely saw a shred of effort from any of the actors, except for April (Erica Goldsmith), who played the barely legal field-hockey player. . . and that's only because she was overacting SO much that I needed an aspirin (or the mute button) after a few minutes of her speaking. Overall, while it is watchable if you have a high tolerance for poor film-making and headache-inducing annoyance, give it a shot. If not, just stay away from this one.

Obligatory Zombie Elements:

Cause of Outbreak: Biological? Solar flares? Clove cigarettes? Who knows. . .

Zombie Characteristics: Runners. . . similar to the 28 Days Later...-style infected, only actual zombies and about a thousand times less scary.

Zombie Effects: Not much to speak of. They were a bit pale with some bloodshot eyes. . . and that's all.

Violence/Gore: There's a good amount of violence, but the gore is pretty poorly done with the pink blood and lunchmeat-style flesh & guts.

Social Commentary: Mostly about outsourcing (for whatever reason) and the work ethic of the American people. . . though, I might just be reading into it too much.

• - -

Final Verdict: 2.5/10. Grab your Advil for this one.

Recommended? Nah, just watch one of the other, much superior films it steals from.

-AP3-

Question #1. Why do people that don't like low budget horror... watch a low budget horror?

Question #2. Why do people that don't like low budget horror and watch it bother to take the time to rate it on IMDb?

Beats me... I've seen enough low budget Zombie flicks for two lifetimes and I can tell you that this was a clever, witty low budget film.

Forget B-movie, this barely had enough of a budget to qualify for a C movie. But you know what, the writing was more than enough to save it from it's monetary woes.

You have to know what you're in for.. it seems every review I write of a low budget zombie flick, I keep coming up with the same thing.. If you want Romero GO RENT A ROMERO FLICK!

This is low budget at its finest and you have to appreciate it for what it is. A clever, witty, comical decently written script with a solid effort by all members involved.

Bottom line: If you are a fan of Zombie/Infected movies and are on a quest to watch'em all... this is a must see. Especially due to the relative obscurity of the movie itself.

I saw this film at a local horror movie fest. It's cool to see a zombie film with sights from where I live. I've watched a fair number of low budget zombie film, and this one was very well done considering what they had to work with budget wise. My only complaints are the sound was hard to make out in some spots, and the ending seemed a bit tacked on. But what the hell do I know, I've never made a film myself so who am I to criticize (other than someone who watched way to many films). There were a lot of laugh out loud lines, and the characters were likable. Tucky Williams makes a great kick ass scream queen, and Erica Goldsmith is easy on the eyes as well. I look forward to what these folk make next.

Man, watching the first ten minutes, I had to keep looking at the cover of the DVD to see if I had picked up the wrong movie. Yes it's cheaply made, and there is nothing new with regards to this genre, but as I continued to watch the movie, I found the characters more and more likable. The gore looked like people were eating jam and sausages but hey, what else could they do on that budget.

OK the extras. What makes this movie worth buying or even watching is watching Jesse a dancer at Fox Den do her strip tease like dance. I could sit in front of her all day slipping dollars into her pants. She can really shake it. I heard she might be in the sequel too. What song was she dancing to by the way anyone know? All in all, it wasn't a bad movie by any means, I've seen a lot worse crap at the video stores being hawked these days. I am actually looking forward to seeing more from Mark Poole, and I hope everyone of the actors who didn't die in the film are back for more.