simonconnolly72-467-863881
The Video Dead was a nice little idea and genuinely creepy and amusing for the first half hour or so. It pre-dates The Ring which it has a particular similarity to, and gives us a slightly different angle within the zombie genre. Unfortunately it wears thin fairly quick. Amateur camera-work can be forgiven but unfortunately not the terrible script and acting which let it down, along with the stories descent into a nonsensical plot. With a bit more care and imagination to make a coherent story and make the characters talk as real people, not the contrived dialogue it otherwise offers, it could have been a whole lot better. But still.....they went out and made it so fair play.
David Massey
'The Video Dead' feels much more like a student film, held together with Scotch tape and chocolate-syrup blood and looking more like no-budget-1970 than 1987, the year it was made. A mysterious TV inscribed with a skull and programmed entirely with zombie movies is delivered to a man who lives alone. One night, the unplugged TV becomes a portal for zombies. Yup, that's right, zombies escape from the TV and go on a killing spree. I won't pretend that this isn't the fodder of late-night TV. In fact, I vaguely recall seeing it on 'USA Up All Night with Rhonda Shear' back in the very early 90's, usually the final resting place for all 1980's camp horror. What makes this one stand out is its bizarre logic; these are not Romero's zombies.After some time, new residents move into the house and discover the possessed TV in the attic. The film turns into a teen-horror and the characters are given glimpses of another world beyond the screen in which a vampish seductress taunts and a hero garbage man is in search of the escaping zombies. Little of this is explained beyond a few scenes and that plot seems all but forgotten halfway through. In the second half we're introduced to a mysterious roaming Texan (a poor man's Slim Pickens) hoping to avenge his wife's death which was apparently at the hands of these zombies.As if that wasn't weird enough, the zombies giggle, taunt, and torture their prey. There's no biting here, more likely, these ghouls are apt to strangle and kill in elaborate ways (see washing machine death) usually reserved for the likes of 'Jason Voorhees' or 'Michael Myers'. There's also a number of rules (a la 'Gremlins') that can be used in combating them. There was something to do with mirrors, bells, and having to convince the zombies that they're dead; there was even a scene where claustrophobia seemingly causes one of their heads to explode and the others turn cannibal. I didn't really follow all of it but it didn't really matter. With some schlocky gore and a plot drifting from comedy, to stoner movie, to chainsaw wielding buddy adventure, I suggest just sitting back, turning your logic-cap off, and having a laugh at this one; without being at all good, it's not all bad.
BaronBl00d
Probably more famous for its video box than as a film, this direct-to-video film is not all that bad. In fact it really grew on me. Why? It is not because it is particularly good or has great action or wonderful special effects. It does have a lot of heart and a sense of humor AND despite the low budget and the cast of mostly one and dones - it is fairly well-made. An odd package is sent to a writer who opens the box, finds an old black and white TV, plugs it in...and then the only thing that plays is a zombie flick. Wait! He turns off set and it comes back on. He unplugs it and it comes back on..and he is killed by a group of undead that come from the TV set. These rogue zombies then disappear for three months until a new family moves in - and then they start killing. Why did they wait three months? Your guess is as good as mine! Apparently they were in the woods the whole time. Anyway, the new people in the house are just a teen-aged boy and his hot sister. A guy that originally bought the TV set comes along - and its zombie hunting time. Now, do not get me wrong. This is no great cinema. How about that scene with the poodle going into the woods? Or the whole bit with the kid tied in the air? Or even the ending. these zombies are MIGHTY smart! I liked the performances of several most notably Sam David McClelland as Joshua Daniels(the guy that kept calling Jeff "Kid." He was not great but genuine. The girls were all hot in that 80s hot way. Victoria Bastel as April the cute blond and Roxanna Augenson as Zoe Blair - very pretty though not always convincing. The make up really is pretty good and the TV scenes were really pretty suspenseful. For what it was - I liked it. I do want to check out the new blu ray. I watched my old Embassy tape once again. Who says video is dead?
FlashCallahan
A crate is delivered to a house in the woods. The homeowner unwisely accepts the delivery, only to discover it contains a TV set that starts spewing zombies all over the place. When a new family moves into the now-abandoned house, the son discovers the haunted television and is soon told what he needs to do to send the zombies back where they belong. Knowing and doing, however, are two very different things, and the zombies are not likely to go quietly.......With a title like this, you should expect something a little cheesy, but with something about it.This film has nothing about it. Women caked in make up kissing teenage boys, is something I do not want to see, especially when the woman gets killed by some weird sweaty 'hero' once she goes back tot the TV.I understand that the film was shot mostly on weekends, but really, does it really have to have such bad acting and really poor effects?Plot is really non existent, and come the end, you want to destroy your TV, let alone watch a film about people warning an annoying group of people about TV.I'm sure somewhere in the film, it's a metaphoric way of telling people not to watch too much TV.It's worked for me, I'll never subject my eyes to this again.
AD
