"Night Of The Dead: Leben Tod" is another example of a popular phenomenon of late, the modern B-movie. B-movies were once, of course, cheaply made second films in a theatrical double-feature...they were in fact "real" movies but lacking in budget, solid acting or strong scripts. The fun of these films was finding the gems where someone in the project actually had talent, or something else stood out, despite the limitations. Nowadays, anything shot on film is a "real" movie it seems, whether it plays theatrically or not; real low budget "B-Movie" productions are those shot on high-def video or something similar, with effects and editing care of Final Cut Pro, and independent distribution often going no further than a one-time DVD release. The line is thin--anyone can now make and distribute a "movie" (and, unfortunately, has), or even distribute them, and "Buyer Beware" is the constant warning when searching through the drek for something worth watching.
"Night Of The Dead" stands out for being remarkably grisly, something that is not hard to pull off if you can afford some rubbery gut effects and pints of fake blood, and if that's all it was it would be memorable enough; however it's also a strangely effective little film.
The plot mingles themes from "Re-Animator" and any number of zombie films--a mad doctor has a serum that can bring the dead back to life but the use of this drug has disastrous results. It's really all you need to know going in; this isn't a movie strong on plot.
What this one DOES have going for it is some truly horrific gore, in fact the filmmaker revels in it, with gleeful defiance against taste or restraint. Forsberg doesn't hold back in showing knives piercing flesh, hands groping at internal organs, sprays of blood and viscera. There's a nauseating scene involving a zombie frog and a taboo-shattering moment between a mother and daughter that is as sickening as anything I've seen recently, while still somehow managing to stay within the realm of some good taste and avoiding the "torture porn" genre of Eli Roth and company.
Forsberg seems to have a good sense of what he's doing; the pace is brisk, the grisly shocks come at regular intervals and build as they go. The acting is slightly above the average for this kind of no-budget affair (there are next to no exterior shots and few establishing shots; ie, no money for location shooting). The effects are weak, but one has to bear in mind, again, this is not a "real" movie, there's only so much one can do on a limited budget and Forsberg more than compensates with interesting themes, tight pacing and editing and the aforementioned buckets of gloppy goo.
It is NOT "Re-Animator," or "Dead Alive (aka Brain Damage)" or even close to "Evil Dead." The script needed a lot more work, the characters just aren't interesting or sympathetic and the look of the film, all neon hospital lights, is monotone at best. But it works. I laughed at the outrageousness, reached for my vomit bag more than once and jumped a couple times, and that's saying something for a film that cost me $2 to purchase at the LA County Fair. If you like your low budget horror without restraint on the gore as I do, you could do far worse. I look forward to more from this director, especially if he gets a bigger budget next time.
**Also on the DVD is Forsberg's short "It Took Guts," a super-8 student film about a guy who graphically mutilates and eats himself that is, apparently, quite famous underground. I can honestly say it's one of the more disturbing and repulsive things I've seen in awhile and qualifies as "gore porn," existing for no other reason than to be offensive and unpleasant...but I don't hold it against the director, especially if it "worked" and got him noticed!**
"Night Of The Dead" stands out for being remarkably grisly, something that is not hard to pull off if you can afford some rubbery gut effects and pints of fake blood, and if that's all it was it would be memorable enough; however it's also a strangely effective little film.
The plot mingles themes from "Re-Animator" and any number of zombie films--a mad doctor has a serum that can bring the dead back to life but the use of this drug has disastrous results. It's really all you need to know going in; this isn't a movie strong on plot.
What this one DOES have going for it is some truly horrific gore, in fact the filmmaker revels in it, with gleeful defiance against taste or restraint. Forsberg doesn't hold back in showing knives piercing flesh, hands groping at internal organs, sprays of blood and viscera. There's a nauseating scene involving a zombie frog and a taboo-shattering moment between a mother and daughter that is as sickening as anything I've seen recently, while still somehow managing to stay within the realm of some good taste and avoiding the "torture porn" genre of Eli Roth and company.
Forsberg seems to have a good sense of what he's doing; the pace is brisk, the grisly shocks come at regular intervals and build as they go. The acting is slightly above the average for this kind of no-budget affair (there are next to no exterior shots and few establishing shots; ie, no money for location shooting). The effects are weak, but one has to bear in mind, again, this is not a "real" movie, there's only so much one can do on a limited budget and Forsberg more than compensates with interesting themes, tight pacing and editing and the aforementioned buckets of gloppy goo.
It is NOT "Re-Animator," or "Dead Alive (aka Brain Damage)" or even close to "Evil Dead." The script needed a lot more work, the characters just aren't interesting or sympathetic and the look of the film, all neon hospital lights, is monotone at best. But it works. I laughed at the outrageousness, reached for my vomit bag more than once and jumped a couple times, and that's saying something for a film that cost me $2 to purchase at the LA County Fair. If you like your low budget horror without restraint on the gore as I do, you could do far worse. I look forward to more from this director, especially if he gets a bigger budget next time.
**Also on the DVD is Forsberg's short "It Took Guts," a super-8 student film about a guy who graphically mutilates and eats himself that is, apparently, quite famous underground. I can honestly say it's one of the more disturbing and repulsive things I've seen in awhile and qualifies as "gore porn," existing for no other reason than to be offensive and unpleasant...but I don't hold it against the director, especially if it "worked" and got him noticed!**