The Horror Comedy, or, more appropriate in this example, 'Zom-Com' is a subgenre that can go in either one of two extremely polarising ways; the stupidly funny or the stupidly dumb; Dance of the Dead, a low budget production from director Gregg Bishop and first time feature-length writer Joe Ballarini, plays out in all the ways that such a film should, sticking closely to the former category. Undoubtedly hammy but intelligent, well crafted and heart-felt all the same, Dance of the Dead is a fine and fitting spoof of the zombie movie that provides character, laughs and enough blood and guts to keep the goreheads satisfied. Of course, such fare won't go down quite as easily with the widest of audiences, but for those with a distinct love for horror movies, there's a lot of fun to be had here; and it's not at the expense of a good story either.
Transpiring over one night -prom night that is-, the story here, like all good zombie movies is routinely simple; the dead have began to rise and eat people. Their reasoning or motive? Unknown. Of course multiple hints are dropped to blame the nearby power-plant, but it's all just mild exposition to keep the details in the bag. The truth is that much like the many movies that it spoofs, Dance of the Dead is as simple as it gets; survive or be eaten. The main focus then lies on the characters who inhabit this rotting world to carry the story, and Ballarini has quite a formidable ensemble here. Featuring such all time classics as the redneck hard-ass who everybody learns to love because he protects them, to the ditzy prom-queens and nerdy sci-fi dorks, Dance of the Dead is all about caricature stereotypes, but at least makes them amusing to watch. Throughout the feature, one isn't likely to feel much for anybody running around from the dead (although, one can't ignore the surprisingly touching climax), but you'll more than likely be able to enjoy spending time with them.
One of the movies few flaws however lies within the performances of the rather large ensemble cast. Featuring mostly small-time unknowns and first-timers, Dance of the Dead certainly can't make claim to having the most convincing palette of performances, but it at least retains a small sense of charm and fun as a result. Such is key to the movie's biggest attraction; Bishop knows how to keep things flowing and fun whilst avoiding taking itself too seriously, but enough so to keep the feature within the realms of entertainment to anyone not directly involved. It's undeniably a hard balance to maintain, and there are moments where the director looses his footing, if only momentarily. These instances where the awkwardness derived from a clashing of the writer's style and the actors vision of their character can be a little overwhelming, but such instances are far and few between greater scenes where the young thespians show great levels of natural talent.
If there is one thing that propels Dance of the Dead league ahead of its immediate competitors however, it lies within its impressive aesthetic design. From the sleek, atmospheric photography of George Feucht to the dynamic and varied score penned by Kristopher Carter, the people behind the scenes always make sure to make those on screen look as good as they can get. Particularly striking is the impressive amount of detail within the special effects, gore and production design, resulting in a movie that feels just as fleshed out as it should be; after all, what is a zombie movie without decapitations, blood and guts? In direct contrast to the bloated Machine Girl however, Dance of the Dead is a walk in the park. Yet where this movie lacks the somewhat overdone gore and violence of Evil Dead and Braindead however, it more than makes up for in storytelling, character and overall quality; gore should always be second batter to such elements, and Dance of the Dead -unlike Machine Girl- is all the better because of it.
In conclusion, I will close off this review with the acknowledgement that there really isn't much to say for Dance of the Dead outside of the fact that it serves as an extremely simple way to chill out and have fun. Sure, it helps if you're prone to laughing at horror movies rather than be scared by them, but it's hard to see the average audience member leaving a viewing of the movie completely unfulfilled. Lovers of heart-driven movies with innovative ideas and vision will love this; it's got all the concise character comedy you could want plus plenty of other charms that build up as it goes along. Of course, it does have its fair share of flaws, but many are easily overlooked in favour of simply enjoying ninety minutes of undeniably silly, but entertaining and expertly constructed zom-com madness.
Transpiring over one night -prom night that is-, the story here, like all good zombie movies is routinely simple; the dead have began to rise and eat people. Their reasoning or motive? Unknown. Of course multiple hints are dropped to blame the nearby power-plant, but it's all just mild exposition to keep the details in the bag. The truth is that much like the many movies that it spoofs, Dance of the Dead is as simple as it gets; survive or be eaten. The main focus then lies on the characters who inhabit this rotting world to carry the story, and Ballarini has quite a formidable ensemble here. Featuring such all time classics as the redneck hard-ass who everybody learns to love because he protects them, to the ditzy prom-queens and nerdy sci-fi dorks, Dance of the Dead is all about caricature stereotypes, but at least makes them amusing to watch. Throughout the feature, one isn't likely to feel much for anybody running around from the dead (although, one can't ignore the surprisingly touching climax), but you'll more than likely be able to enjoy spending time with them.
One of the movies few flaws however lies within the performances of the rather large ensemble cast. Featuring mostly small-time unknowns and first-timers, Dance of the Dead certainly can't make claim to having the most convincing palette of performances, but it at least retains a small sense of charm and fun as a result. Such is key to the movie's biggest attraction; Bishop knows how to keep things flowing and fun whilst avoiding taking itself too seriously, but enough so to keep the feature within the realms of entertainment to anyone not directly involved. It's undeniably a hard balance to maintain, and there are moments where the director looses his footing, if only momentarily. These instances where the awkwardness derived from a clashing of the writer's style and the actors vision of their character can be a little overwhelming, but such instances are far and few between greater scenes where the young thespians show great levels of natural talent.
If there is one thing that propels Dance of the Dead league ahead of its immediate competitors however, it lies within its impressive aesthetic design. From the sleek, atmospheric photography of George Feucht to the dynamic and varied score penned by Kristopher Carter, the people behind the scenes always make sure to make those on screen look as good as they can get. Particularly striking is the impressive amount of detail within the special effects, gore and production design, resulting in a movie that feels just as fleshed out as it should be; after all, what is a zombie movie without decapitations, blood and guts? In direct contrast to the bloated Machine Girl however, Dance of the Dead is a walk in the park. Yet where this movie lacks the somewhat overdone gore and violence of Evil Dead and Braindead however, it more than makes up for in storytelling, character and overall quality; gore should always be second batter to such elements, and Dance of the Dead -unlike Machine Girl- is all the better because of it.
In conclusion, I will close off this review with the acknowledgement that there really isn't much to say for Dance of the Dead outside of the fact that it serves as an extremely simple way to chill out and have fun. Sure, it helps if you're prone to laughing at horror movies rather than be scared by them, but it's hard to see the average audience member leaving a viewing of the movie completely unfulfilled. Lovers of heart-driven movies with innovative ideas and vision will love this; it's got all the concise character comedy you could want plus plenty of other charms that build up as it goes along. Of course, it does have its fair share of flaws, but many are easily overlooked in favour of simply enjoying ninety minutes of undeniably silly, but entertaining and expertly constructed zom-com madness.
- A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)