Movies
‘I Sell the Dead’ Gets March Date with Blu-ray/DVD
Buried secrets will eventually resurface – along with the bodies that carry them – in I Sell the Dead, a horror movie that brings the fog-filled thrills of old to a new generation of fear fans. Produced by shock cinema master Larry Fessenden (The House of The Devil), who also co-stars, the movie claws its way onto Blu-ray and DVD from IFC Films via MPI Media Group on March 30, 2010, with SRP of $29.98 and $19.98, respectively.
It was a time of ghouls, ghosts and most ghastly of all, the fine art of grave-robbing. In this homage to the rich gothic style of Britain’s Hammer Films, Dominic Monaghan of “The Lord of the Rings” and “Flash Forward” stars as 19th century corpse snatcher Arthur Blake, who pilfered the cemeteries and coffins of England until his capture by police. But just before Blake is to meet the hangman’s noose, he will confess to a peculiar priest (Ron Perlman of “Hellboy” and “Sons of Anarchy”) his gruesome tale of vampires, zombies and cadaver-dealing that takes him from the savagery of the criminal underworld to the terrors of the undead.
Larry Fessenden, producer-star of “The Last Winter” and director of “Wendigo” – two modern masterpieces – turns in another memorable performance in I SELL THE DEAD as the grave-robber who trains the young Monaghan. Angus Scrimm (“Phantasm”) co-stars in this deliriously grisly and hilarious homage to foggy graveyards, bloody mayhem and the golden age of gothic horror.
I SELL THE DEAD, the feature directorial debut of Glenn McQuaid, received rave reviews from both genre and mainstream critics, indicating the film’s across-the-board appeal. Horror review site DreadCentral.com gave the movie 4 Bloody Knives, while Fangoria’s Chris Alexander wrote, “If you pine for that delectable golden era of ghoulish, bodice-ripping big-screen terror, I SELL THE DEAD is the fright flick for you!”
“Gruesomely good!” praised Stephen Whitty in the Newark Star-Ledger. Jeannette Catsoulis of National Public Radio said, “Its wit and style … are thoroughly modern, as is a hilarious ending that leaves the sequel door wide open. And why not?” The New York Post’s V.A. Musetto said, “Genre fans will definitely get off on I SELL THE DEAD.” The Hollywood Reporter’s Chris Barsanti praised, “Glenn McQuaid’s microbudgeted debut is a jauntily gothic period spook story.”
Lauding the movie’s deft blend of horror and comedy, The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis wrote, “The Hammeresque shivers give way to Abbott and Costello-style slapstick.”
I SELL THE DEAD, which ran at New York’s premier indie showcase, the IFC Center, won the award for Best Cinematography at the Slamdance festival.
The Bloody Disgusting-powered SCREAMBOX is home to a variety of unique horror content, from originals and exclusives to cult classics and documentaries. With such a rapidly-growing library, there are many hidden gems waiting to be discovered.
Here are five recommendations you can stream on SCREAMBOX right now.
At the Abigail premiere, Dan Stevens listed Norway among his four favorite vampire movies. “I just saw a great movie recently that I’d never heard of,” he told Letterboxd. “A Greek film called Norway, about a vampire who basically exists in the underground disco scene in ’80s Athens, and he can’t stop dancing ’cause he’s worried his heart will stop. And it’s lovely. It’s great.”
You won’t find a better endorsement than that, but allow me to elaborate. Imagine Only Lovers Left Alive meets What We Do in the Shadows by way of Yorgos Lanthimos. The quirky 2014 effort follows a vampire vagabond (Vangelis Mourikis) navigating Greek’s sordid nightlife circa 1984 as he dances to stay alive. Not as campy as it sounds, its idiosyncrasies land more in the art-house realm. Stylized visuals, colorful bloodshed, pulsating dance music, and an absurd third-act reveal help the existentialism go down in a mere 74 minutes.
With the recent solar eclipse renewing public interest in the astrological event, Bloody Birthday is ripe for rediscovery. Three children born during an eclipse – Curtis Taylor (Billy Jayne, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose), Debbie Brody (Elizabeth Hoy), and Steven Seton (Andrew Freeman) – begin committing murders on their 10th birthday. Brother and sister duo Joyce (Lori Lethin, Return to Horror High) and Timmy Russell (K.C. Martel, The Amityville Horror) are the only ones privy to their heinous acts.
Bloody Birthday opened in 1981 mere weeks before the release of another attempt to claim the birthday slot on the slasher calendar, Happy Birthday to Me. Director Ed Hunt (The Brain) combines creepy kid tropes that date back to The Bad Seed with slasher conventions recently established by Halloween and Friday the 13th – with a little bit of the former’s suspense and plenty of the latter’s gratuity. The unconventional set up helps it to stand out among a subgenre plagued by banality.
Starting in the late ’70s and throughout the ’80s, Italy built an enterprise out of shameless rip-offs of hit American movies. While not a blatant mockbuster like Cruel Jaws or Beyond the Door, 1989’s Alien from the Abyss (also known as Alien from the Deep) was inspired by – as you may have guessed from its title – Alien, Aliens, and The Abyss.
After a pair of Greenpeace activists attempt to expose an evil corporation that’s dumping contaminated waste into an active volcano, the environment takes a backseat to survival when an extraterrestrial monster attacks. Character actor Charles Napier (The Silence of the Lambs) co-stars as a callous colonel overseeing the illicit activities.
Director Antonio Margheriti (Yor: The Hunter from the Future, Cannibal Apocalypse) and writer Tito Carpi (Tentacles, Last Cannibal World) take far too long to get to the alien, but once it shows up, it’s non-stop excitement. The creature is largely represented by a Gigeresque pincer claw that reaches into the frame, giving the picture a ’50s creature feature charm, but nothing can prepare you for its full reveal in the finale.
Set against the backdrop of displaced Syrian and Palestinian refugees, What Is Buried Must Remain is a timely found footage hybrid from Lebanon. It centers on a trio of young filmmakers as they make a documentary in a decrepit mansion alleged to be haunted on the outskirts of a refugee camp. Inside, they find the spirits of those who died there, both benevolent and malicious.
It plays like Blair Witch meets The Shining through a cultural lens not often seen in the genre. The first half is presented as found footage (with above-average cinematography) before abruptly weaving in more traditional film coverage. While the tropes are familiar, the film possesses a unique ethos by addressing the Middle East’s plights of the past and the present alike.
Cathy’s Curse is, to borrow a phrase from its titular creepy kid, an “extra rare piece of shit.” The Exorcist, The Omen, and Carrie spawned countless low-budget knock-offs, but none are as uniquely inept as this 1977 Canuxploitation outing. Falling squarely in the so-bad-it’s-good camp, it’s far more entertaining than The Exorcist: Believer.
To try to make sense of the plot would be futile, but in a nutshell, a young girl named Candy (Randi Allen, in her only acting role) becomes possessed by the vengeful, foul-mouthed spirit of her aunt, destroying the lives of anyone who crosses her path. What ensues is a madcap mélange of possession, telekinesis, teleportation, animal attacks, abandoned plot points, and unhinged filmmaking that must be seen to be believed.
Visit the SCREAMBOX Hidden Gems archives for more recommendations.
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