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Movie reviews (titles starting with C)
02-10-2013, 03:39 PM (This post was last modified: 02-04-2017 06:20 AM by goodcop2000.)
Post: #1
Movie reviews (titles starting with C)
Cabin Fever (2002)
2 mottled corpses

For some reason this film became director/producer Eli Roth's big breakthrough hit but personally I don't get it. While there are a few nice moments of dread as we watch the mysterious disease spread, the bulk of this film is boring and I thought the acting was abysmal.

The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
4 dark cellars

I really enjoyed The Cabin in the Woods. Surprisingly, the best thing about this teen slasher movie set in a cabin in the woods (of course) is the originality of the plot. I don't want to give anything away, but while the five young friends fight for their lives in the remote cabin, much more is going on behind the scenes. The actors handle their roles nicely and deliver some clever, quotable dialogue. The action builds up throughout the film and the best scenes are saved for the final moments.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
3.5 sneaky somnambulists

Considered the earliest pure horror film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari tells the story of a young man named Francis who attends a fair in a small German town. When Francis' friend dies under suspicious circumstances, he begins to suspect there is a connection to one of the fair's sideshow attractions: a man named Cesare who spends most of his time in a coma-like sleep. The surreal black and white landscapes give the movie a strange atmosphere and Werner Krauss does a nice job as the sinister Dr. Caligari, the man in charge of exhibiting Cesare. The movie is not really scary but it is interesting and it has a great ending.

The Cabining (2014)
1.5 bloody machetes

The Cabining, a slasher set at a remote artists' retreat, comes off as an amateurish effort. The plot and dialogue are not well written. There is no character development and the actors are very bad, not even daytime soap opera quality. The music is not good either and drowns out the dialogue at times. There are a few decent gore effects but it's not enough to recommend a horror/comedy that is neither scary nor funny.

The Call of Cthulu (2005)
4 wriggling tentacles

The makers of this film, in a bold decision, filmed The Call of Cthulu in the style of a 1920's era silent film and the risk paid off. The grainy, black and white presentation with low-budget special effects is a very effective adaptation for the 1926 H.P. Lovecraft story. The plot stays true to the original story and does not add any unnecessary fluff. The story is about a man looking through papers left behind by his late uncle. The more he reads, the more he realizes that his uncle was investigating events of cosmic proportions, including an ancient god-like creature, a murderous cult, and evil carved idols. I greatly enjoyed the film because it portrayed beautifully the way I had pictured the story in my head, especially the ancient city of R'lyeh. I did find it so difficult to watch a movie in complete silence, though, that I ended up playing some Nox Arcana for background mood music.

The Canal (2014)
3.5 old film reels

I really enjoyed this psychological/supernatural horror that revolves around an archivist who discovers his wife is cheating on him. Soon after the man learns about a shocking murder that took place at their home, his wife disappears. The Canal is shot beautifully and the images and soundtrack maintain an eerie atmosphere. Some of the imagery and ideas are stolen from movies like Sinister and The Ring but the plot stands on its own and keeps the viewer guessing. The actors do a very good job, particularly Rupert Evans who plays the distraught husband. The ending is somewhat ambiguous but did not detract from my enjoyment of the film.

Candyman (1992)
3.5 sharp hooks

This movie is about a graduate student researching the Candyman "urban legend" who gets much more than she bargained for. There is just something about the Candyman that gives me the chills. It's a great character.

Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)
2.5 sharp hooks

Candyman 2 adds some interesting backstory to the saga but the acting is pretty weak and the movie overall is not scary.

Candyman 3: Day of the Dead (1999)
3 sharp hooks

The deck was stacked against Candyman 3 because it went straight to video and I was not very impressed by Candyman 2. Surprisingly, I found it more enjoyable than the second installment. The big weakness in the movie is the lack of originality, but I suppose that is a challenge for any third movie in a trilogy. The setting has moved to Los Angeles instead of New Orleans, but the events feel very familiar. Caroline, the great-granddaughter of Daniel Robitaille wants him to be remembered as a great artist, not as a murderous urban legend. As the movie progresses and everyone around her is ending up dead by impalement, Caroline starts to think there just may be something to the legend. Despite her status as a former Baywatch girl, I think that Donna D'Errico does a nice job as Caroline. As for Tony Todd, not much is asked of him other than to whisper menacingly and murder with zeal but he certainly does it well. I also liked the performance of Wade Williams as Det. Samuel Kraft, who is investigating the murders.

The Card Player (2004)
3.5 hands of poker

In the purpose of full disclosure, I am a big Dario Argento film and my 3.5/5 rating of this film is much higher than the current 4.9/10 on IMDB. The interesting story follows a pair of detectives trying to track down a killer who is abducting women and airing their murder on the internet. The acting is mediocre for the most part but Stefania Rocca does a nice job as the lead investigator. There are not many of Argento's trademark special effects but the film has several suspenseful scenes that make it worth a viewing.

Carnival of Souls (1962)
3.5 drag races

Despite an obviously small budget (estimated at $30,000 on IMDB), Carnival of Souls manages to create some downright eerie scenes. This atmospheric thriller follows the tale of a young woman named Mary Henry. After being involved in a serious car accident, Mary moves to another town to take a job as a church organist. Strange sights and events plague Mary and she finds herself inexplicably drawn to an abandoned carnival pavilion. Candace Hilligoss portrays Mary with a low-key acting performance that fits well with the character's emotionally detached state and Sidney Berger is very believable as Mary's lecherous neighbor.

Carrie (1976)
4 buckets of blood

I enjoy movie adaptations of Stephen King stories and Carrie, about a bullied young girl who discovers she has abnormal powers, is one of the better such efforts. Directed by Brian De Palma, the movie has an entertaining plot, nice musical score, and intense ending. The acting performances are pretty good and Sissy Spacek and William Katt display nice on-screen chemistry.

Carrie (2013)
3.5 buckets of blood

This remake of the well know 1976 movie is a faithful adaptation of the Stephen King novel. The updated effects are well done but used a little too much CGI for my taste. I was impressed by the acting performances from Chloe Grace Moretz as Carrie and Julianne Moore as her mother.

Case 39 (2009)
3 big deadbolt locks

I don't have anything really bad to say about Case 39, but nothing really good either. The story centers on social worker Emily Jenkins, played by Renée Zellweger. She becomes emotionally invested in a young girl named Lilith Sullivan, played by Jodelle Ferland. Emily works to protect Lilith from her suspected abusive parents but strange events make Emily reconsider her conclusions. The movie is entertaining but predictable and the acting is just decent. Some moments are eerie but the movie is not very scary. Temper your expectations and you will probably enjoy it.

The Cat O'Nine Tails (1971)
4 tapping canes

Director Dario Argento's second giallo is not quite as good as his debut, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, but it is still quite enjoyable. The plot is about a blind retired journalist who helps a detective investigate some suspicious deaths. Karl Malden and James Franciscus do a very nice job playing the journalist and detective. The movie maintains a nice pace and has some good suspense.

Catacombs (2007)
3.5 flashlights

In this relatively low budget but fun film, a visitor to Paris ends up lost in underground tunnels that also contain a psychotic killer. The atmosphere in the catacombs is appropriately creepy and the acting is okay. The plot is very basic but does have a twist ending that pleasantly surprised me.

Catharsis (2001)
2 shadowy figures

Catharsis is a 3-minute short film and was the first film made by the makers of Amer. The images evoke scenes from giallos but there is no actual story line.

Chambre Jaune (2002)
2.5 black gloves

This 8-minute short film is another work from the makers of Amer, Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani. There is definitely more of a story line than in their debut, Catharsis, and there are signs of the duo's talent in the creative images and interesting sound effects. Basically a mini giallo, the film displays obvious influences from Dario Argento's work in the lighting and color schemes.

The Changeling (1980)
3.5 restless spirits

The Changeling is slightly dated but I found it to be a highly enjoyable haunted house story. The mystery unravels slowly and with great suspense, aided by a tension-inducing soundtrack. There are a couple of moments in the film that are genuinely "spine-tingling". The special effects, while not complex, are very effective.

Child's Play (1988)
3.5 magic incantations

This is another 80's horror movie that I didn't get around to watching until 25 years after it came out! Obviously, I was aware of the "Chucky" character from pop culture. The latest installments in the series seem to be advertised as more comedic than scary. However, the original Child's Play is actually a nicely done horror film! The plot involves a killer using voodoo to infuse his spirit into a large doll as a means of escaping death. Karen Barclay, a well-meaning mother, unwittingly buys the doll for her son, Andy, putting him in grave danger. The actors all did a decent job for a horror movie. I was pleasantly surprised by Catherine Hick's nice performance as Karen because I was never impressed by her character in the TV series Seventh Heaven.

Child's Play 2 (1990)
3.5 magic incantations

Though it doesn't offer any original concepts, Child's Play 2 is better than the first movie. In this installment, Chucky is refurbished and immediately continues his mission to find Andy Barclay and steal his body. The acting is better in the sequel and the animation of the Chucky doll is improved. If you can ignore many minor holes in the plot and just enjoy Andy's battle for survival against an evil doll, Child's Play 2 is a fun watch.

Children of the Corn (1984)
2.5 corncob crucifixes

I really like the Stephen King short story this movie was based on (from the Night Shift compilation), but this film adaptation does not hold up very well. The story is about a young couple passing through rural Nebraska on a trip. They end up in an apparently deserted town called Gatlin. By the time the couple figures out that the town is neither empty nor safe, it is too late to avoid trouble. Linda Hamilton does a decent job as the wife and John Franklin is appropriately creepy as one of the town's menacing residents, but otherwise the acting is pretty atrocious. The special effects are low quality, also, but what I really did not like about the movie is the major changes in plot that watered down the impact of the original story.

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1972)
3.5 tasty brains

This pretty unique movie is directed by Bob Clark whose other works include Black Christmas, Porky's, and A Christmas Story. The story follows a group of friends who take a boat ride to a small island to perform a satanic ritual. The film starts as a comedy with witty dialogue and suddenly turns darker, building up suspense to a pure horror finish. While the acting is mediocre, the writing is pretty good and the special effects are not bad for a low budget production.

Chopping Mall (1986)
3.5 exploding heads

Chopping Mall is a cheesy but fun 80s flick about kids getting stuck in a mall with rampaging robot security guards. Yes, it is as silly as it sounds. The special effects are decent and the acting is not terrible. The cast features a lot of familiar faces from the time period including Kelli Maroney from Night of the Comet and Barbara Crampton from Re-Animator.

C.H.U.D. (1984)
3 subterranean dwellers

C.H.U.D. is about a police Lieutenant, a photographer, and a reporter who each find themselves investigating a rash of disappearances. Signs point to something suspicious going on in the sewer system and carnage ensues. Daniel Stern gives a standout performance as the proprietor of a soup kitchen who helps with the investigation. The monster special effects are a bit dated so the movie isn't very scary, but I found it entertaining.

The Church (1989)
3 unleashed demons

This Italian horror film about sinister events at a church has a beautiful setting and imagery, but don't expect a logical, linear plot. In the world of this movie, murders may not alarm people and dead people can appear again. There are some decent special effects and a cool soundtrack. Hugh Quarshie as a priest and 13-year-old Asia Argento give standout acting performances.

City of the Living Dead (1980)
4 tasty brains

Of the Lucio Fulci films I have seen so far, City of the Living Dead is my favorite. The plot is admittedly sparse because as with most of the Italian horror I have seen, the emphasis is on atmosphere and images. The story is that the suicide of a priest has opened the gates of Hell, allowing the dead to rise. The ending is vague enough that there are rumors that a different ending was filmed but the footage was damaged and could not be re-shot. The actors do a decent job for the most part with Christopher George giving a particularly good performance as an investigative reporter. The hallmark of the film is the excellent special effects, highlighted by two gory scenes that I will not be able to forget any time soon. If you enjoy some over the top carnage, check this movie out.

Class of Nuke 'Em High (1986)
3.5 mutated students

This strangely entertaining Troma production is about high school kids altered by the local nuclear power plant. It is ridiculous and gory and has a fun 80s soundtrack.

Cockneys Vs Zombies (2012)
3 tasty brains

Cockneys Vs Zombies, a zombie horror/comedy, does a nice job developing a set of fun characters but there is not much in the way of a story. Basically a group of young adults in London decide to rob a bank in order to save their grandfather's rest home. A zombie breakout occurs at the same time and complicates matters. The acting is above average for a zombie film. I particularly enjoyed the performances by Harry Treadaway as one of the robbers and Alan Ford as the cantankerous grandfather. I was familiar with Treadaway from his performance as Dr. Victor Frankenstein in the series Penny Dreadful. Although there is a lot of zombie carnage, the special effects are not great and the humor sometimes falls flat.

The Conjuring (2013)
3.5 vials of holy water

While The Conjuring is an entertaining haunted house story, I think it is a bit overrated. It's another "based on true events" movie involving paranormal investigators. The movie is set in the 70's and borrows heavily from old films like The Exorcist and The Amityville Horror. My favorite scene in the film is an early flashback involving a possessed doll. Apparently, other people agreed because the doll will be featured in the upcoming prequel, Annabelle. In summary, you will get a decent story and a few scares out of The Conjuring, but don't expect anything groundbreaking.

Contagion (2011)
3.5 bottles of hand sanitizer

While slow moving at times, Contagion is a very enjoyable movie. The characters have depth and the impressive collection of actors do a fine job so that you actually care about their fate. Several story lines interweave throughout the movie, which explores some fresh and interesting angles on the circumstances of a world-wide epidemic. Be warned that after watching Contagion you will be horrified the next time somebody sneezes in your vicinity.

Cooties (2014)
2 tainted nuggets

Cooties is a very tongue in cheek comedy with a great cast led by Elijah Woods and Rainn Wilson. It has an interesting premise about teachers getting trapped in a school when the kids all get infected by a zombie virus but the writing does not hold up. The special effects are good, but the movie aims to be funny instead of scary and the tired jokes fall flat. I did enjoy the performance by Leigh Whannell of Saw fame who was great as a socially awkward teacher.

Corruption (1968)
3 scarred girlfriends

Corruption is yet another movie about a doctor trying to restore a loved one's face by killing women and harvesting tissue, similar to Eyes Without a Face, Atom Age Vampire, and The Awful Dr. Orlof. The story is pretty good except for a weak ending. Peter Cushing does a very nice job as the tortured doctor and the actress playing his girlfriend is pretty good but the rest of the actors are average at best. The dated clothing and music are somewhat distracting and the special effects are not great.

Count Yorga, Vampire (1970)
3.5 dripping fangs

This movie is an overall entertaining story about a vampire living in modern times and definitely pulls the concept off better than Dracula A.D. 1972. Robert Quarry does a nice job as the vampire and his henchman is creepy. The actors play it straight but are unintentionally campy at times, especially Roger Perry as Dr. Hayes. The special effects are limited but are not bad.

The Crazies (2010)
3 tasty brains

The Crazies is a relatively enjoyable horror flick about a peaceful small town which is accidentally infected with a virus that causes insanity and violent tendencies. Not a masterpiece and very little suspense (the scares were mostly of the "jump" variety) but there were several memorable action scenes.

Crazy As Hell (2002)
3.5 straitjackets

This is a pretty entertaining psychological horror set in an insane asylum. The interaction between the celebrity psychiatrist and the new patient who claims to be Satan is fun to watch.

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
4 spear guns

This classic Universal Pictures horror is a very fun film and one that I watched many times in my childhood. The plot about archaeologists encountering a creature of unknown species is good and the creature effects are convincing. Great camera work shows off a beautiful setting and the dramatic music is a nice touch. The acting is fine for a 50s creature feature.

Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961)
0.5 googly eyes

Produced and directed by Roger Corman, Creature from the Haunted Sea is one of the worst movies I've ever watched. It is a bizarre combination of creature feature, spy movie, and comedy. The film aims for wacky humor but is not funny. For example there is a man who makes animal noises all movie for no reason. The acting is very bad. The plot and dialogue are atrocious. The featured monster is ridiculous, even worse than the carpet creature from The Creeping Terror. The version I watched also had poor picture and sound quality but that was the least of the problems.

Creep (2004)
3.5 dark tunnels

Creep is a story about a woman named Kate who accidentally falls asleep on a subway platform while waiting for the last train. She wakes up to find the platform deserted and her night goes downhill from there. After seeing previews, I thought the movie would be nothing more than a low-budget gorefest. However, there is a decent amount of tension thrown in to accompany the bloody action and the acting is pretty good for a horror movie. The circumstances leading to Kate being marooned in the subway system reminded me of a time long ago when I fell asleep on the last subway train home, passed my transfer station, and had to exit at an unfamiliar location in the middle of the night. In my case, I was able to escape my predicament unscathed but you will have to watch Creep to see if Kate is so fortunate...

The Creeper (1977)
3.5 decapitated deer

The Creeper, originally called Rituals, is an outdoor survival film about a group of friends camping in a very remote area who find themselves in grave danger. The plot is believable for the most part. The acting is very good, especially the work done by Hal Holbrook and Lawrence Dane. The movie builds up tension well and there are some surprising scenes. The limited special effects are good for the time period.

The Creeping Terror (1964)
1 bizarre dance

The Creeping Terror is a creature feature with terrible acting and laughable special effects. The monster looks very fake and moves at a glacial pace. The soundtrack is not good with audio that often doesn't match the video. In one scene where the monster is eating a woman, the soundtrack features a single scream on loop and occasionally mixes in the sound of two women screaming although the actress is alone. Voiceover narration is used extensively and the narrator is pretty good but does not have any good dialogue to deliver. The most entertaining moment in the movie is an (unintentionally?) hilarious scene featuring people dancing very strangely at a dance hall.

Creepshow (1982)
3.5 tasty brains

This is a collection of stories which includes one zombie tale. George Romero and Stephen King aimed to transfer campy pulp horror comics to the big screen and it worked for me. The early 80's special effects are not overwhelming but at least there was no lousy CGI. My favorite of the five stories, very darkly humorous, is about a dangerous creature long imprisoned in a shipping crate. I do like the one entry featuring zombies and the final story about a man with a serious cockroach problem is very good, too, and hard to watch for people who hate those filthy, disgusting creatures. The weakest story in my opinion was the second in which Stephen King himself plays a backwoods hick who discovers a dangerous meteor. I absolute love King's writing but the man is not an actor and his way, way over-the-top performance spoiled that story for me.

Criminal Law (1989)
2.5 degrees of Kevin Bacon

Criminal Law is a mediocre 80's thriller which I would have rated much lower if not for the acting skills of Gary Oldman and Kevin Bacon. The dialogue is pretty bad, but the worst aspect of the movie is the emotionless performance by Tess Harper, who gives the appearance of a talking wooden dummy.

Cropsey (2009)
4 abandoned mental institutions

Cropsey is not a horror movie but a documentary about a series of child abductions/murders on Staten Island in the '70s and '80s. The film makers compiled a lot of interesting television footage from the original crimes and did current interviews with many of the people involved in the cases. Even with no personal connection to Staten Island, I found Cropsey fascinating and thought-provoking.

Crucible of Horror (1971)
3 disappearing corpses
This British horror is about a man who treats his wife and daughter cruelly to the point where they plot his death. The plot and acting performances are okay but the movie is not very exciting.

Cujo (1983)
3.5 slobbery fangs

Cujo is about a huge but gentle St. Bernard that contracts rabies and turns violent. During my recent viewing of the film, I kept a wary eye on my little bichon/shih tzu mix to make sure he wasn't getting any ideas. As a Stephen King fan, I enjoy seeing his stories on the big screen and Cujo is a decent adaptation. The actors do a nice job, even the young Danny Pintauro. He is only about 7 years old in this film but his performance is much more impressive than his later work on the TV series Who's the Boss. I was a little disappointed that the writers decided to change the ending from the novel, but I still enjoyed the film.

Cursed (2005)
3 full moons

Director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson team up for this horror/comedy which explains why it has the feel of a Scream movie. The story is about young adult Ellie (Christina Ricci) and her teenage brother Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg), who are both injured by a wild animal in the woods. Jimmy eventually starts to suspect that it was a werewolf but he has a tough time convincing his sister. Meanwhile, the beast continues to claim victims. The acting performances are generally passable in the film and the story has some interesting twists. The big weakness is the special effects. Some of the costume/makeup effects are okay but the CGI effects are all pretty bad. Overall, I did find Cursed somewhat entertaining.

Curtains (1983)
3 aspiring actresses

This low-rent 80s Canadian slasher film tells an interesting story about a group of young women competing for an acting role with deadly consequences. There is very little gore but there are some cool images and the acting is decent.

Cutting Class (1989)
2 bloody axes

If you find yourself, as I sometimes do, in the mood for a cheesy low-budget 80's slasher movie, Cutting Class delivers that perfectly. As a plus, instead of showing badly-done, cheap special effects, the movie lets you use your imagination for most of the violence. The cast surprisingly includes Roddy McDowall, Martin Mull, and a very young Brad Pitt.
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02-21-2013, 10:23 PM
Post: #2
RE: Full movie reviews (titles starting with C, D, E)
I rewatched this a couple of days ago and I agree with your score of 4. Damn good film! Any Zombie fan should watch this. The girl, waking up scene is gut wrenching!
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02-22-2013, 03:14 AM
Post: #3
RE: Full movie reviews (titles starting with C, D, E)
(02-21-2013 10:23 PM)samuraitrev Wrote:  I rewatched this a couple of days ago and I agree with your score of 4. Damn good film! Any Zombie fan should watch this. The girl, waking up scene is gut wrenching!

I appreciate your enthusiasm, Samurai, but I don't know which movie you are talking about! Watchmen02

“By the time I realized the danger, it was scratching at my front door.”
― Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
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02-22-2013, 03:32 AM
Post: #4
RE: Full movie reviews (titles starting with C, D, E)
(02-22-2013 03:14 AM)goodcop2000 Wrote:  
(02-21-2013 10:23 PM)samuraitrev Wrote:  I rewatched this a couple of days ago and I agree with your score of 4. Damn good film! Any Zombie fan should watch this. The girl, waking up scene is gut wrenching!

I appreciate your enthusiasm, Samurai, but I don't know which movie you are talking about! Watchmen02

Whoops Dead Snow
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02-22-2013, 03:39 AM
Post: #5
RE: Full movie reviews (titles starting with C, D, E)
(02-22-2013 03:32 AM)samuraitrev Wrote:  Whoops Dead Snow

Aha! Yeah, it really is a great film. Thanks go to you for recommending it to me back when I first started my movie review thread! It definitely surpassed my expectations.

“By the time I realized the danger, it was scratching at my front door.”
― Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
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04-18-2013, 09:44 PM
Post: #6
Dawn of the Dead is a friggin masterpiece
So I finally bought a bluray player because my very old DVD/VCR combo was starting to skip on brand new DVDs. I was pleasantly surprised to see how affordable they are now.

After a minor setback in which my dog (named Bandit but probably should be called Destructo) chewed up the new HDMI cable I bought, package and all, I hooked up the player today. While I was out buying a new cable I bought my first movie on bluray - Dawn of the Dead (2004), the director's cut.

I watched it this afternoon and was wowed. I had forgotten how action-packed and entertaining Dawn is! I wrote a more lengthy review for Dawn and I have given it the coveted 5 tasty brains rating. While the 1968 Night of the Living Dead and shambling zombies will always hold a special place in my heart, I think the 2004 Dawn just may be the best zombie flick of all time.

Hmmm, I think I will put up a poll for the one zombie movie you would pick if you could only watch one for the rest of your life.

“By the time I realized the danger, it was scratching at my front door.”
― Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
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06-06-2014, 11:14 AM (This post was last modified: 06-06-2014 11:24 AM by UK_zombie.)
Post: #7
RE: Movie reviews (titles starting with C, D, E)
Just a quick review to add:

Dead Set (2008) (Mini-Series) 140+ Minutes

I am not sure if the Big Brother (BB) fad made it to the US but it took off in a huge way in the UK in the early 2000's and although initially part of a social experiment it was a big success and spawned countless series, spin offs and celebrity editions and opened the door to discussion on all kinds of social and moral issues with not only reality TV but society as a whole.

Social commentary aside this mini series does a really good job of being a satire on the whole concept of obsession with fame, celebrity and reality TV, and as a device to achieve this in a not so subtle way it uses Zombies!

Basic Plot - A young woman working for the TV channel that airs BB is trapped in the BB house along with the contestants as a zombie plague overtakes the country and her on/off boyfriend races to the studio to save her.

Characters - The main characters are relatable and well acted. Jaime Winstone stands out as the protagonist, as does Andy Nyman in a villain performance that I think sets the bar for people in a zombie movie that you really, really, really really (yes really) want to see get eaten.
The contestants are your typical BB bunch and do a good job of portraying the type of people wanting to be on that show, notable mention has to be the character Space and Pippa the stereotypical dumb girl.

Zombies - Although not at the mainstream movie zombie level the zombies are done and acted really well here and if you are from the UK and remember BB early days then you will pleased to see some of the old contestants in cameos, as zombies! Along with the fabulous Davina who really gets into her role (non-UK Davina MCcall was the host for a long time)
They are basic zombie rules zombies, drawn to the living, no speech, limited tool use, non zombies turn after bites/death. As a down side these are 28 Days Later fast style zombies.
Another plus point is that the zombie numbers reach Horde level (Lots of Zombies!) which I see as an important factor in my Zombie viewing.

Blood/Gore - Although infrequent to start with it gradually progresses in graphic nature and there are some great survivor eating moments from the Zombies especially towards the end.

Is it any Good - Yes, I would say 8/10 and I class it among a number of zombie related media that I think any true zombie fan should try and sit down and watch.
As its a mini series there is the added bonus that it runs longer than your usual zombie fare (more zombie minutes!) and if need be its episodic nature lets you watch it in separate sittings.
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06-06-2014, 11:31 PM
Post: #8
RE: Movie reviews (titles starting with C, D, E)
(06-06-2014 11:14 AM)UK_zombie Wrote:  Just a quick review to add:

Dead Set (2008) (Mini-Series) 140+ Minutes

...

Big Brother is extremely popular here in the US also. This sounds like a fun mini-series. I might actually get my wife to watch this one because she is a huge BB fan.

“By the time I realized the danger, it was scratching at my front door.”
― Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
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06-08-2014, 03:00 AM
Post: #9
RE: Movie reviews (titles starting with C, D, E)
GoodCop2000 Dead Set is fantastic! I whole heartedly recommend it too. UK Zombie scored it correctlyZombie17
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