Every once in awhile a film comes along which breaks new ground. Not to say that I'm a better judge than anyone else, but just in the past year I attended over a dozen festivals at which I saw over 200 films, so the bar is set pretty high for me and it takes a lot to make my jaw drop. Gregg Bishop's "Dance of the Dead" did that and more.
The line stretched around the block here for the World Premiere at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival -- the buzz had already made its way around Austin, Texas. The premise is fairly straightforward. As festival director Matt Dentler pointed out in his intro to the screening, "this film combines my two favorite genres: teens trying to get laid and zombies." That's a simplification, of course, but it's not inaccurate. What's new here is not just the most successful marriage of the two genres I've ever seen but the combination taking both to a new level.
It's prom night, and the local kids are looking for dates and praying they'll get lucky at the end of the night. Meanwhile, something is up at the local cemetery. It will be up to a group of would-be heroes to save the day and keep the high school gym from becoming a teenage zombie buffet. On the face of it, the idea doesn't seem all that original. We've seen some of these elements before, to be sure. But this is a genre film, after all, and assuming one likes zombie movies and teen sex slash coming-of-age films (emphasis on the slash) it would be enjoyable regardless. For this viewer, what sets one film apart from another is originality. "Is there anything new here?" I ask myself as the film unspools. The answer is a resounding "yes." "Dance of the Dead" breaks new ground, literally.
Much of the strength of this film lies in the believability and authenticity of the cast. Typically, one finds 20-somethings playing high school seniors and the audience sees right through it. In this case, there is no "25 playing 18" -- it's "18 playing 18." These are real teens playing teens. That, and the freshness these kids bring to their roles, is at the heart of the success of this film. It's always hard to single anyone out in a brilliant ensemble cast but the plot clearly revolves around Lindsey and Jimmy (Greyson Chadwick and Jared Kusnitz). He thinks he's all that. She wonders why he takes her for granted and thinks of wandering off elsewhere to get what she needs. We know where this is going but how it gets there will require some major zombie butt-kicking and Kusnitz, who was able to do his own stunts by spending interminably long days on martial arts and choreography, is clearly up to the task. Doing some damage of their own are the other kids, all of whom have bright futures in cinema: Justin Welborn, Chandler Darby, Carissa Capobianco, Michael V. Mammoliti, Mark Lynch, Blair Redford, and Lucas Till, along with Mark Oliver as Coach Keel, who would make Stallone and Schwarzenegger proud.
There is so much more that sets this film above others. Joe Ballarini's script is intelligent and respectful, never patronizing in an "I may be an adult but I know how kids talk" kind of way.' It's a big reason why Gregg Bishop is able to keep the film from straying into "Porky's" territory, which likely would have been easy to do in the hands of a lesser director. Most good horror films have a killer soundtrack, and "Dance of the Dead" is no exception. "Shadows of the Night," made famous by Pat Benatar in the 80s, is given a new treatment here which gave me goosebumps. Most of all, though, the stunning visuals are what will stay with you long after the credits roll. Here is where "Dance of the Dead" truly shines. The scene which sealed the deal for me was groundbreaking, literally. To find out that what you see on screen was all done in-camera, with no post-production special effects or CGI added, was the icing on the cake. Kudos to the entire production team for giving this film the look of a big budget Hollywood movie.
Most of the cast and crew were present for an extended Q&A during which the audience was treated to some eye-opening details about what went into the making of "Dance of the Dead." For example, it was a very long shoot -- one fight scene took twelve hours -- and the kids worked themselves to the bone but it paid off and helped make this one of the most exciting films I've seen in the past year. "Dance of the Dead" truly blew me away. It's a groundbreaking combination of high school mayhem and zombies -- think John Hughes meets John Carpenter meets George Romero. This is why I attend film festivals and sit through hundreds of screenings -- somewhere among them is an undiscovered gem, and "Dance of the Dead" shimmers.
The line stretched around the block here for the World Premiere at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival -- the buzz had already made its way around Austin, Texas. The premise is fairly straightforward. As festival director Matt Dentler pointed out in his intro to the screening, "this film combines my two favorite genres: teens trying to get laid and zombies." That's a simplification, of course, but it's not inaccurate. What's new here is not just the most successful marriage of the two genres I've ever seen but the combination taking both to a new level.
It's prom night, and the local kids are looking for dates and praying they'll get lucky at the end of the night. Meanwhile, something is up at the local cemetery. It will be up to a group of would-be heroes to save the day and keep the high school gym from becoming a teenage zombie buffet. On the face of it, the idea doesn't seem all that original. We've seen some of these elements before, to be sure. But this is a genre film, after all, and assuming one likes zombie movies and teen sex slash coming-of-age films (emphasis on the slash) it would be enjoyable regardless. For this viewer, what sets one film apart from another is originality. "Is there anything new here?" I ask myself as the film unspools. The answer is a resounding "yes." "Dance of the Dead" breaks new ground, literally.
Much of the strength of this film lies in the believability and authenticity of the cast. Typically, one finds 20-somethings playing high school seniors and the audience sees right through it. In this case, there is no "25 playing 18" -- it's "18 playing 18." These are real teens playing teens. That, and the freshness these kids bring to their roles, is at the heart of the success of this film. It's always hard to single anyone out in a brilliant ensemble cast but the plot clearly revolves around Lindsey and Jimmy (Greyson Chadwick and Jared Kusnitz). He thinks he's all that. She wonders why he takes her for granted and thinks of wandering off elsewhere to get what she needs. We know where this is going but how it gets there will require some major zombie butt-kicking and Kusnitz, who was able to do his own stunts by spending interminably long days on martial arts and choreography, is clearly up to the task. Doing some damage of their own are the other kids, all of whom have bright futures in cinema: Justin Welborn, Chandler Darby, Carissa Capobianco, Michael V. Mammoliti, Mark Lynch, Blair Redford, and Lucas Till, along with Mark Oliver as Coach Keel, who would make Stallone and Schwarzenegger proud.
There is so much more that sets this film above others. Joe Ballarini's script is intelligent and respectful, never patronizing in an "I may be an adult but I know how kids talk" kind of way.' It's a big reason why Gregg Bishop is able to keep the film from straying into "Porky's" territory, which likely would have been easy to do in the hands of a lesser director. Most good horror films have a killer soundtrack, and "Dance of the Dead" is no exception. "Shadows of the Night," made famous by Pat Benatar in the 80s, is given a new treatment here which gave me goosebumps. Most of all, though, the stunning visuals are what will stay with you long after the credits roll. Here is where "Dance of the Dead" truly shines. The scene which sealed the deal for me was groundbreaking, literally. To find out that what you see on screen was all done in-camera, with no post-production special effects or CGI added, was the icing on the cake. Kudos to the entire production team for giving this film the look of a big budget Hollywood movie.
Most of the cast and crew were present for an extended Q&A during which the audience was treated to some eye-opening details about what went into the making of "Dance of the Dead." For example, it was a very long shoot -- one fight scene took twelve hours -- and the kids worked themselves to the bone but it paid off and helped make this one of the most exciting films I've seen in the past year. "Dance of the Dead" truly blew me away. It's a groundbreaking combination of high school mayhem and zombies -- think John Hughes meets John Carpenter meets George Romero. This is why I attend film festivals and sit through hundreds of screenings -- somewhere among them is an undiscovered gem, and "Dance of the Dead" shimmers.