I enjoy a good low budget horror movie. Usually because the film maker has the passion to make a great film that isn't bogged down by Hollywood red tape. This is not one of those films.
I love the premise; it's what made me rent it. In some no-name town in the middle of nowhere, a dysfunctional family runs the only funeral parlor. Except that they rob the dead and re-use the same casket over and over again. But one fateful night they pick the wrong grave; the brother of a druid priestess, who soon comes to town to raise the dead so they can avenge themselves upon the unwitting funeral home family.
Interesting concept. Unfortunately, it went nowhere. The family was beyond dysfunctional; they were a bunch of freaking loons. I could deal with a family where the stepmother is an overbearing bitch who is sexually attracted to her step-son. I could deal with a passive, spineless patriarch and a sister who sleeps with every guy in town. These are all potentially compelling characters. But in the film, they're nothing but exaggerated caricatures. The acting is just awful throughout, and the only one of the family I could even stand was Betsy, the daughter, and even then only because I find short brunettes really hot. (So she had a bit of a tummy; she's still sexy.) The other main characters are of course the druid priestess and her boyfriend, a local mechanic who ran out on his girlfriend six months prior. His girlfriend as unwittingly killed by the nutty funeral folks after she chased after her man and stumbled upon a grave-robbing job. The druid priestess raises the dead almost immediately... and then a whole lot of nothing happens for like, a week. Seriously - where are the dead? Are they just hanging out in the graveyard or something? There are a handful of sex scenes throughout, which are halfway decent even though they're totally gratuitous. Unfortunately, we don't see nearly enough of Betsy getting naked; just briefly at the end when she's being violated by a corpse. (Reverse necrophilia, anyone?) The editing is choppy, the photography is amateurish, the audio is just awful and inconsistent from scene to scene or even from cut to cut in the same scene. This film looked and sounded like they filmed it on a consumer camcorder. The night shots seemed to be shot AT night, which is ridiculous given how inexpensive a good day-for-night filter is. It required the use of big, awkward lighting. In one scene, the reflection of the key light is visible in the side of a truck.
This is low budget film making at its absolute worse. It is bereft of talent, passion, and heart. It's good for a laugh or two, and if you like to give bad films the "MST3K" treatment, this is definitely one to add to your collection.
I give it three stars; it would have gotten more if we'd seen a bit more of Betsy in the buff. Those scant few seconds are about the only thing worth watching in this stinker.
I love the premise; it's what made me rent it. In some no-name town in the middle of nowhere, a dysfunctional family runs the only funeral parlor. Except that they rob the dead and re-use the same casket over and over again. But one fateful night they pick the wrong grave; the brother of a druid priestess, who soon comes to town to raise the dead so they can avenge themselves upon the unwitting funeral home family.
Interesting concept. Unfortunately, it went nowhere. The family was beyond dysfunctional; they were a bunch of freaking loons. I could deal with a family where the stepmother is an overbearing bitch who is sexually attracted to her step-son. I could deal with a passive, spineless patriarch and a sister who sleeps with every guy in town. These are all potentially compelling characters. But in the film, they're nothing but exaggerated caricatures. The acting is just awful throughout, and the only one of the family I could even stand was Betsy, the daughter, and even then only because I find short brunettes really hot. (So she had a bit of a tummy; she's still sexy.) The other main characters are of course the druid priestess and her boyfriend, a local mechanic who ran out on his girlfriend six months prior. His girlfriend as unwittingly killed by the nutty funeral folks after she chased after her man and stumbled upon a grave-robbing job. The druid priestess raises the dead almost immediately... and then a whole lot of nothing happens for like, a week. Seriously - where are the dead? Are they just hanging out in the graveyard or something? There are a handful of sex scenes throughout, which are halfway decent even though they're totally gratuitous. Unfortunately, we don't see nearly enough of Betsy getting naked; just briefly at the end when she's being violated by a corpse. (Reverse necrophilia, anyone?) The editing is choppy, the photography is amateurish, the audio is just awful and inconsistent from scene to scene or even from cut to cut in the same scene. This film looked and sounded like they filmed it on a consumer camcorder. The night shots seemed to be shot AT night, which is ridiculous given how inexpensive a good day-for-night filter is. It required the use of big, awkward lighting. In one scene, the reflection of the key light is visible in the side of a truck.
This is low budget film making at its absolute worse. It is bereft of talent, passion, and heart. It's good for a laugh or two, and if you like to give bad films the "MST3K" treatment, this is definitely one to add to your collection.
I give it three stars; it would have gotten more if we'd seen a bit more of Betsy in the buff. Those scant few seconds are about the only thing worth watching in this stinker.
