A paranormal television that causes zombies from a never-ending film to enter the real world is delivered to a wrong address and mayhem ensues.
Robert Scott’s The Video Dead is the quintessential effective pre-CGI, low budget film of the 80s, that so many DTV offerings of today could learn from. Yes, it of its day, the music, soundtrack, excellent make-up effects have a charm of their own. Scott offers a few suspenseful scenes aided by the creepy piano music. There’s some over-the-top scenes, a spate of off beat gory kills and a smudging of comedy in the vein Return of the Living Dead: Part II (1988). It oozes a Tales from the Darkside or Tales from the crypt episode, with Greg Becker’s cinematography also echoing Neon Mainacs (1986) and House (1985) to name a few.
Bob Sarles’ editing is rough but ingenious at times. The films within a film escaping the TV is a novel idea as the killer characters escape the screen. This includes ‘Zombie Blood Nightmare’, a Night of the Living Dead (1968) homage movie. It’s a love letter to horror, including the aforementioned, also The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Exorcist and other nods,Even if the interesting eerie strong zombies, the Bride, Ironhead, Jack, Jimmy D and Half Creeper are used sparingly, the cast of pretty much unknowns are likeable and competent enough to carry it on from one set up to the next. Victoria Bastel as April Ellison doesn’t get much to do. Notable are Sam David McClelland as Texan Joshua Daniels and typical pot smoking teen Jeff played by Rocky Duvall. Memorable is the late Jennifer Mirio, as the Woman from the TV and Michael St. Michaels (with limited screen time) along with Roxanna Augesen who out-acts everyone as Zoe Blair.
Overall, it’s an 80s low-budget, practical effects gem that fans of the sub-genre should find entertaining.
No comments:
Post a Comment