Promising miniscule-budgeted zombie piece heavily influenced by George A. Romero's apocalyptic films.
Sometimes hailed as 'the most expensive Super 8 film ever made,' The Dead Next Door's apparent lack of funds, acting resources and running time can be overlooked, as 'Night of the Living Dead' was for the same faults, because both of these films excel due to the creators energy and balls to produce something entertaining DESPITE the budgetry restrictions.
From it's punchy opening scenes of hungry ghouls stalking the streets and highways of America to the introduction of the comic 'Zombie Squad,' a mixed young bunch of gun-toting federal agents who'll be the heroes for the next seventy minutes or so as we see them try to evade the onslaught of the walking dead and attempt to find a cure for the outbreak.
As to be expected in a zombie-flick, the film delivers respectable make-up effects, tense set pieces and large quantities of black humour, all of which are captured on screen with relish. Even J. W. Bookwalter pulls one up on Romero with shots of zombies outside the Whitehouse and the aforementioned ghouls on the highway, showing the director obviously had a lot more audacity and extras than he had dollars. Low budget film-makers should take note and try to produce something as inventive and lively than the usual pap that clogs up the shelves of the local video store.
But let's not get too carried away here, for this is no horror masterpiece that 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'The Evil Dead' can truly claim to be. At the end of the day this is a small film with big ideas. The plot is familiar, as are the undefined characters and the sound and picture quality let down the entertainment. The energy of the script and pace of the film is undeniably invigorating though and recollections of how John Carpenter and George A. Romero once made films come to mind.
Let's hope Bookwalter's new productions improve with a budget he seemingly deserves here.
Sometimes hailed as 'the most expensive Super 8 film ever made,' The Dead Next Door's apparent lack of funds, acting resources and running time can be overlooked, as 'Night of the Living Dead' was for the same faults, because both of these films excel due to the creators energy and balls to produce something entertaining DESPITE the budgetry restrictions.
From it's punchy opening scenes of hungry ghouls stalking the streets and highways of America to the introduction of the comic 'Zombie Squad,' a mixed young bunch of gun-toting federal agents who'll be the heroes for the next seventy minutes or so as we see them try to evade the onslaught of the walking dead and attempt to find a cure for the outbreak.
As to be expected in a zombie-flick, the film delivers respectable make-up effects, tense set pieces and large quantities of black humour, all of which are captured on screen with relish. Even J. W. Bookwalter pulls one up on Romero with shots of zombies outside the Whitehouse and the aforementioned ghouls on the highway, showing the director obviously had a lot more audacity and extras than he had dollars. Low budget film-makers should take note and try to produce something as inventive and lively than the usual pap that clogs up the shelves of the local video store.
But let's not get too carried away here, for this is no horror masterpiece that 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'The Evil Dead' can truly claim to be. At the end of the day this is a small film with big ideas. The plot is familiar, as are the undefined characters and the sound and picture quality let down the entertainment. The energy of the script and pace of the film is undeniably invigorating though and recollections of how John Carpenter and George A. Romero once made films come to mind.
Let's hope Bookwalter's new productions improve with a budget he seemingly deserves here.