Tag Archives: Demon

Dead Before Dawn (2012)

Dead Before Dawn (2012)A CURSE IS UNLEASHED in Dead Before Dawn!

A group of college friends — some of whom play football and wear cheer leader outfits for a high school, because that isn’t confusing — accidentally break an evil urn in an occult gift shop.  As the dust settles they inadvertently create a horrible curseis there any other kind —  UPON THEMSELVES!

SPHS
SPHS — yeah… usually HS means High School — so how are they college students?!?  Is it possible that these “college” students attend St. Paul’s High School in Winnipeg, Manitoba?

As a result of the malediction, everyone they make eye contact with will kill themselves and then become “Zemons” — a combination of Zombie Demons — and the high school college kids only have 24 hours to reverse the curse!  With the fate of the entire world resting on their shoulders, our heroes race through the night armed with a slew of homemade weapons, avoiding eye contact and hickeys, and filling their shopping list of items needed to reverse their curse.  Will they be able to reverse the curse and save the day, or will all of humanity be Dead Before Dawn?

spawn from Hell seeks loving gentleman
This gave me flashbacks of some of my ex-girfriends … oh yeah, good times.

Dead Before Dawn is not a serious zombie film.

If you come away from DBD thinking, “You know, as serious films of the zombie genre go … that sucked!”  I read reviews that essentially said this, and those people MISSED THE POINT.

Spoof – A humorous imitation of something, typically a film or a particular genre of film, in which its characteristic features are exaggerated for comic effect.

Dead Before Dawn is similar to Z Nation — they’re intentionally trying to be goofy and make fun of comedy zombie films (see “parody“).  For me this was an unexpected film and looked like what films of this sort should be — fun to make.  It made me feel like I was watching Fido for the first time again.

free candy
Emmett Lathrop “Doc” Brown, Ph.D. – a student of all sciences and the inventor of the first time machine built out of a DeLorean
Christopher Lloyd
If you don’t recognize this guy it’s Christopher Lloyd playing a high school senior in 1958

Give this blood-soaked adventure horrorcomedy a watch — it’s an unexpected fun zombie-demon flick from Canada, great for a laid-back kick-back chuckle with friends.

Written by Tim Doiron and directed by April Mullen, it stars a bunch of folks I’m not familiar with and presume are Canadian along with Christopher Lloyd — who I will always think of as Emmett “Doc” Brown.  88 minutes long, this is the first ever live-action, 100% Canadian feature film to be shot in Stereoscopic 3-D.  Filmed in 20 days in and around the Niagara Falls region of Canada in 2011, it features occasional adult humor and it achieves being a fun film without revealing adult body parts frequently found in zombie films.

I rate Dead Before Dawn — drum roll pleaseGreen Ooze!  Maybe moderately green, but definitely green — good job Canucks!

Links

Ash vs Evil Dead – Season 1

GROOVY!

Ash Williams is BACK in “Ash vs Evil Dead“!

What could be better than hearing that Bruce Campbell has resumed his mantle as the lovable horror-comedy shotgun-wielding, chainsaw-hand rube ASH???  Well, at least for fans of the original three films … (ED1, ED2, AOD)

If Chins Could Kill” that chin would belong to none other than Bruce Campbell.  Presently, I’m little more than half-way through Season 01.  I’ve heard nothing but good things from other fans, and I quickly came to the same opinion.

Yeah, remember that creepy cabin?

Ash vs Evil Dead is staying true to the original films.  The story resumes 30 years later and Ash is … well, Ash.  He’s working at a chain store, living in a trailer park, looking for love, and not aspiring to much.  But then … after fighting The Evil Dead twice in a woodsy cabin and once with the aid of medieval knights, perhaps he’s laying low … or perhaps he’s lost his purpose?

Nonetheless, The Kandarian Demon has reemerged in Ash’s later-life, possessing hapless people and turning them into Deadites.  Ash has no choice but to gather those around him in hopes of keeping Evil from crossing over into this world.

Ray Santiago as Pablo and Dana DeLorenzo as Kelly

This new series in my opinion could not be better executed.  It lends honorable nods to the original films.  It not only strikes me as what the Sam Raimi team originally set out to accomplish, it also serves as an amped-up progression.

Ash vs Evil Dead is on the Starz network and filmed in New Zealand. Bruce is aptly joined by Ray Santiago/Pablo, Dana DeLorenzo/Kelly, and Lucy Lawless as Ruby Knowby.
(PSST!  For no apparent reason Wikipedia seems to downplay Jill Marie Jones who portrays Amanda Fisher during the first half of the season.)

Jill Marie Jones, Amanda Fisher
Jill Marie Jones as Amanda Fisher

Bruce Campbell – Official website

The music featured in Ash vs Evil Dead is also FANTASTIC!
The soundtrack is on my wish-list 🙂