Dance of the Dead - quick review

Posted by Michael Pantazi Oct 15, 2008

It seems like every director on the face of the planet wants to have his turn at making a zombie-flick and one of the latest is Gregg Bishop's Dance of the Dead.

Personally, I've pretty much had my fill of vampire and zombie-related movies for a while, so I wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of yet another one. Nevertheless, I was quite pleasantly surprised.

It's a horror-comedy in the vein of Shaun of the Dead, with overtones of just about every other zombie film ever made (including Brain Dead & Night of the Living Dead). I wouldn't say that this is in the same league as those, but it definitely entertains with the humour and characters.

In a nutshell, here's the premise: a small town is being used as the dumping ground of toxic waste from the local nuclear reactor, causing the dead to rise from their graves (naturally). Meanwhile, the students of the nearby high school are preparing for a prom night they'll never forget.

The cast and their characters are nicely introduced, establishing the usual suspects (cheerleaders, goths, bullies, sci-fi geeks, slightly psychotic teachers, etc) before all hell breaks loose. There's a lot of good laughs to be had and the film promises a sequel.

Hardcore zombie fans might lament a slight lack in the blood and guts routine, though it does have it's moments - if Brain Dead counts as a 10 on the gore-scale, this is probably a fairly mild 4 or 5.

Good for a watch, despite not delivering in certain departments.