Dead & Breakfast

I had to post a comment as the previous one was far too harsh on this film.

I saw this film with quite a lot of expectations of it and was pleasantly surprised that it didn't let them down too much. That's not to say it is the greatest horror comedy, but it it really entertaining.

Caradines appearance seems to have more to do with having a famous face, than anything, but his appearance it welcome.

The "crazy" songs in the film vary from being a reasonable narrative device to being incredibly grating, but i guess in the spirit of how the film is presented they are okay. They could put people right off the film though, if they are too humourless.

So it's no Evil Dead 2 or Bloodsucking Pharoahs, but it a good watch for your horror fans and your non horror fans looking for a light horror romp to kill an evening.

I had this one sitting around for awhile (as I recorded off TV about two years ago), but I heard mainly poor things which made me leave to sit on my shelf gathering dust. Clearing out my copies, I decided to take the dive and in all honesty it wasn't too bad. It might be dumb, but still sorely entertaining. The very low-budget horror / comedy 'Dead & Breakfast' is completely daft, but surprisingly amusing with its tongue-in-cheek pulp send-up of the zombie sub-genre. Its influences are obvious, but it doesn't try to hide it but wears it on its sleeve. After an imaginative get-go, it does fall on the familiar side (small rural town under threat/people boarded in a house with the dead outside) with its running joke beginning to wear thin, but its comic book enthusiasm (and crazy blood splatter) drives it on. It really relishes in the gruesomely squishy make-up FX and oddball pluckiness. However it has some interesting facets like the storyboard illustrations cutting between scenes and linking the erratic storytelling is a singing narration (which does feel longer than it is) with a real country swing. But the leering one would be variation of how the zombies come about. Nicely done. Roaming through is a rock soundtrack, and a score that's got the flair to match. The performances are light-head, but colourfully quirky and sharp with the likes of Gina Phillips (who's perfectly wholesome), Jeremy Sisto, Bianca Lawson, Ever Carradine, Erik Palladino, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Brent David Fraser and Miranda Bailey. It was cool to see David Carradine pop up in a cameo role too. Also recognizable showing in minor parts are Vincent Ventresca, Portia de Rossi and Diedrich Bader. Spiritedly goofy, messy fun.

Horror comedies are usually much better on paper than on film, which Dead & Breakfast wholeheartedly proves. The first half is a mish-mash of self-consciously 'witty' dialogue and 'hilarious' situations as a group of yappy twenty-somethings throttle in a Winnebago towards Texas for a wedding. But an overnight detour leads them into a den of hillbilly zombies and handmade shotguns, and some semblance of fun, whether it's comedic or not.

With its unnecessary close-ups, terrible acting, and abhorrent hand-held camera use, Dead and Breakfast has all the charm of a first feature by a fanboy with too many ideas and too little experience. (Note that this is actually writer/director Matthew Leutwyler's third feature.) This isn't to say that the movie's bad – there's plenty of gore and creative death scenes to tickle your attention span for 88 minutes. But as a horror film it never finds its voice, and as a comedy, it tries far too hard to ever provoke a good chuckle out of me.

Early on, the lead is taken by Christian, a pill-popping but level-headed mediator played by the always wonderful Jeremy Sisto. But his premature nixing leaves the scattered cast without a den mother. Sara (Ever Carradine, who amazingly looks nothing like a Skolnick) should be leading the pack, but she spends the rest of the film bellowing, 'you've got to be kidding me!' as she wards off zombie attacks. Hardly a leading heroine. The rest of the cast – much better than the headshot-cast prats I see in studio horror pics these days - simply squabble amongst themselves about personal issues while under attack. Then there's the 'comedy': look, drunk guys aren't funny, rude French people aren't funny, and while slipping around in a puddle of gore is funny (see Shaun of the Dead's off-screen tumble by Simon Pegg), when the scene lasts upwards of 30 seconds, one feels pandered to. Even hillbilly zombies aren't funny – isn't that a little too on the nose?

You could do worse than Dead & Breakfast, but if you're looking for a genuine laugh with a good smattering of gore, check out another of Lions Gate's indie horror acquisition, Monster Man. And if you want a good zombie gorefest, stick with Dead Alive or Evil Dead II, which Dead & Breakfast aspires so painfully to be. Because there's nothing funny about desperation, is there?

While heading to Galveston in a RV for the wedding of a friend, the driver Johnny (Oz Perkins) gets lost and arrive in the small town of Lovelock and his friends Kate (Bianca Lawson), Sara (Ever Carradine), Melody (Gina Phillips), Christian (Jeremy Sisto) and David (Erik Palladino) decide to spend the night in the Bed and Breakfast owned by Mr. Robert Wise (David Carradine). David has an argument with the chef of the inn, Henri (Diedrich Bader), and when the chef is found dead and Mr. Wise has a heart attack in the middle of the night, the local Sheriff (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) suspects of the group and asks his assistant Enus (Mark Kelly) to take the key of their trailer and stay in Lovelock during the investigation. Then the Sheriff arrests a drifter (Brent David Fraser) that becomes his prime suspect. When the clumsy Johnny accidentally breaks a box of Mr. Wise, he releases the fiend Kuman Thong and the evil spirit possesses the locals transforming them into zombies.

Matthew Leutwyler certainly wrote and directed "Dead & Breakfast" with the intention of making a cult-movie. Unfortunately his target is never reached, but this gore comedy is funny and a worthwhile entertainment. There are good lines and most of the characters are likable, and one of the best moments if the phone call of the maid of honor Kate to the bride Lisa, with a hilarious dialog. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Adivinhe Quem Vem Para Morrer" ("Guess Who is Coming to Die?")

People who compare this to Evil Dead and Braindead should be ashamed! I'm not saying this movie is bad but those two movies are so much better. I gave this movie a 6 because I enjoyed it the whole way through.

The comedy aspect of it was the worst part. The actors wasn't that funny and the jokes was usually a bit tired and took away too much from the vibe of the movie. I would have liked the humor to be a bit more sinister. And the gore a bit more visual and extended.

Everyone who likes splatter will probably enjoy this but don't expect a masterpiece like Evil Dead or Braindead.