October 6th - I SELL THE DEAD (2008)

One of the joys I get being a movie fan is stumbling across a film that I haven't heard much about and having a ball watching it. I know a movie is good when I am talking to myself and laughing along with it and no one is around me. Or maybe I am losing my mind. Either way, I Sell the Dead is one of those films that I really enjoyed alot. If you are in the mood for a fast paced, 90 minute horror/comedy as if directed by The Coen Brothers, Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton with a touch of Evil Dead 2 thrown in, this is for you.

The comic book-esque story is about a 19th century grave robber who is about to be executed the next day. He speaks to a priest and just opens up to him, telling him his life story as a grave robber and his many adventures with vampires, aliens and zombies. Director Glenn McQuaid does a good job in the director's chair and I hope to see more films by him. He is primarily a visual effects artist and this is only his second film. The visual effects and editing is original and not done to show off (although I could have done without a few cartoon/comic book sequences).

The cast is very good too with Dominic Monaghan as the grave robber telling his life story. His comic timing works well in this. His partner in crime is played by Larry Fessenden who is also just as funny. I am a fan of Fessenden's directorial work such as Habit and the underrated Wendigo and he shows here that he is also a decent actor. Ron Perlman and Angus Scrimm also have smaller but meaty roles.

What also adds to the fun is that you can tell that director McQuaid loves horor and isn't poking fun but making a film that embraces the genre. He does focus more on the humor than the horror but the movie is so much fun, it wasn't a big deal to me. I was even impressed with how little CGI was used in this which seems to be the norm in all modern horror films. I hope my expectations weren't low because of my hatred for most modern horror films, thus making this review biased.

I really recommend I Sell the Dead if you are in the mood for light horror or just something a bit different.