One of the better zombie horror comedies, Dance of the Dead features an engaging young cast, a brisk pace, easygoing teen humor, and gobs of amusingly cheesy makeup effects in a largely plot-free tale of a group of high school students (along with a few caricature grownups) who join forces to fight off an invasion of their town—and, most importantly, their prom—by the undead. An obvious homage to George Romero's long series of zombie flicks that began with Night of the Living Dead in 1968 (with a dollop of Carrie added to the mix), Dance of the Dead takes a different approach, emphasizing goofy and often sexy humor over scares, as the garish visuals—such as a headless corpse carrying around its own rubbery noggin, or a vamp devouring her boyfriend's tongue as she French-kisses him—are intended to raise giggles rather than goosebumps. Although no classic, this jovial low-budget movie will provide a reasonably fun watch for genre aficionados, making it a strong optional purchase. [DVD extras include audio commentary by director Gregg Bishop and writer Joe Ballarini, a “making of” featurette (24 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette on the special effects and stunts (5 min.), deleted or expanded scenes (7 min.), Bishop's short film “Voodoo” (6 min.), and a trailer. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a better-than-expected horror comedy.] (F. Swietek)
Dance of the Dead
Lionsgate, 87 min., R, DVD: $19.99 Volume 24, Issue 1
Dance of the Dead
Star Ratings
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