THE DEAD HATE THE LIVING! PLOT-A small group of people shooting a low-budget zombie film in an abandoned hospital accidentally unleash the real thing. VIOLENCE-Hooray for zombie mayhem! They don't want to eat your brains, they just wanna fuck you up. Heads get ripped off, faces are busted open, throats ripped out, and a poor guy is dragged around by his intestines. SEX/NUDITY-Absolute zero. There are a couple "almost" scenes, but nothing ever happens. WHY I LIKED IT-Number one, they just don't make enough zombie movies these days. Anything we can get is great. Luckily, this one was well-written enough to transcend the usual trappings of most direct-to-video fare. In fact, if the director wasn't a first-timer, he may well have had another RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD on his hands. Armed with a great premise, superior cast, an awesome set, and very well done makeup, this movie will at the very least be a treat for horror fans. It's filled with in-references to many a zombie film, and it name-drops like hell throughout. Apparently the director is a big Savini/Fulci/Raimi fan, because he schooled the cast before shooting. I got a kick out of it, and the humor wasn't laid on so thick that it got stupid. I look forward to this guy's next movie. DOWNSIDE-It is a Full Moon production after all, though, so it has that "look". You know: not quite Hollywood, not quite video. Also, while most of the gore effects are great, there are a few that are laugably poor. One is an obvious dummy, mishandled by the actor so it looks extra-fake. Then, there are the digital effects. Thank heaven there's only three, but they suck. Electricity bolts, fire, and a gunshot to the head are all done by computer, and boy can you tell. MEMORABLE SCENES-In my favorite in-reference, the director and his assistant are trapped in a room with zombies crashing through the windows. He pauses and says, "think...what would Bruce Campbell do?" NOTES-At the end of the video, there's a lengthy "making of" featurette. It's really cool, because they cover everything thoroughly. It makes you appreciate what you've just seen a little bit more.
