Death by Dialogue

The score to greet our ears from composer John Gonzales, the otherwise soundtrack, and original song "Night of our lives"; the costume design, hair, and makeup: it's evident from the outset that 'Death by dialogue' aims to adopt the same aesthetics as its 80s genre kin. That quite extends to how characters are written, and the awful dialogue, among other facets. What the movie cannot claim, however, are the same production values, for the fundamental image of this 1988 flick more closely resembles home video, or public access television, than a theatrical release. The sound design is tinny, and please don't miss the insertion of a rock band into the picture, as if this were a music video on MTV. Then again - after all, this is a Troma film, so I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. I'm not saying it's outright rotten, because that's not true, but from the very start it's something that one can "watch" without actively engaging, and to be honest it kind of encourages that method all by itself.

The practical effects are perhaps a tad modest stood next to those of other contemporary fare, but they still look good enough; the stunts are more plainly admirable. The same quite goes for the art direction. Thomas Dewier's direction, and the acting, aren't exactly the top of the line, but if nothing else, I've certainly seen worse. The broad concept is definitely one that we've seen before - a piece of media, in this case a film script, that causes death and destruction around it - and have again since, but there's no rule that says other filmmakers can't explore their own renditions of an idea. The details of the writing that flesh out that concept, included but not limited to how the script in this instance came into being, are much more questionable; the plot feels a little thin, stretching to make itself work. Some specific moments are extra dubious, like a dream sequence that fills a few minutes in the latter half. Be that as it may, I think the end result is still suitably solid, and I see the hard work that all involved put into the final product.

Still, however much earnest effort was being applied, the fact remains that 'Death by dialogue' is just kind of weak. Though some aspects are much less sure-footed, I don't think anything here is altogether bad; rather, it's just that nothing here bears enough strength - not even in combination - to really make an especially good impression. It never attains the vibrancy to be distinctly striking, is never discretely fun enough to meaningfully come off as a lark like some of its more cheeky brethren, and is probably longer than it should've been. The feature just somewhat languishes in the unremarkable middle - mildly enjoyable, but not entirely convincing, and with shortcomings more evident than any major value. I wonder if I'm not being too harsh; on the other hand, maybe I'm being too generous. I think it's still passably worthwhile as something very light to have on in the background on a lazy day, something that neither requires nor inspires viewer investment. Suffice to say, however, that if you're looking for something more wholehearted and committed, more thrilling, or more impactful, you're best served by passing up 'Death by dialogue' and looking elsewhere.

It turned out to be a mess.

"Death By Dialogue" is your typical low budget direct to video crap that is produced after someone's fame. The movie's tag line shown in the cover is "Staring Ken Sagoes, the survivor from "A Nightmare On Elm Street Part III". Sagoes character, Roland Kincaid became an instant favorite on the Elm Stree series and it's very lame to cast him only because of that and worse, make publicity on him.

Anyways, "Death By Dialogue" is a joke. There's involuntary humor, cheesy (I mean CHEESY) f/x and boring situations that could desperate the most patient Horror fan. This isn't a must see even to criticize or laugh about. Please, stay away from this trash and don't get fooled by the cover art or the premise, which is as dumb as you can get.

Ugh.

Only in the 1980's, those gloriously dim-witted 1980's, it was possible for an over-enthusiast young writer/director to present a concept about a murderous horror movie screenplay and actually find the necessary financial means to make the film! "Death by Dialogue" is bottom-of-the-barrel 80's guff, complete with insufferable lead characters, zero tension building and a fairly high number of WTF-moments. The film is an attempt to amalgamate a typical slasher plot with an edge of supernaturalism, but the result is beyond retarded. The first half hour is still okay, albeit full of clichéd situations and hilariously inept 80's characteristics. The opening sequence, for example, is quite funny when a caretaker mistakes a hideous demon for his employer and yells at her: "Why don't you fire me!". The demon then literally sets him on fire, ha ha! Then there's a the exemplary credits sequence, depicting five stupid twenty-something losers driving up to a remote holiday destination in their convertible, guided by an atrociously cheesy 80's pop song. There's the hero and his girlfriend, the wannabe James Dean cool dude and the token black guy (Ken Sagoes from "Nightmare on Elm Street 3 & 4"). After the obligatory 'we-are-having-fun-playing-kids-games' montage, the dumb posse stumbles upon an ancient horror movie script that is possessed with the evil spirit of a murdered journalist. Yes, that's right! The script summons demons on motorcycles and heavy metal rock bands and actually causes people to die in various idiotic ways. "Death by Dialogue" is a really stupid film with tacky special effects and pathetic demon masks. The fog machines are working overtime and the barn love-making sequence has to be seen in order to be believed. The couple has steamy & passionate sex, although the girl never removes her panties, while the barn fills up with demonic forces until the girl literally blows out of her socks.

What a waste of time and celluloid. Production values were simply substandard even for a type movie. 1/3 in and I can barely stay focused, sub standard and sub par in every aspect.

Cary (Lenny Delducca) and four of his friends (including A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3's Ken "Kincaid" Sagoes) go to visit his crippled Uncle I've, who lives on a sprawling ranch that used to be a movie location in the 1950s. Trouble starts when Shelly (Kelly Sullivan) finds an old script for a film titled VICTIM 67. The kids start getting offed and the script title and plot line keeps changing with each victim. So how did the script get possessed? Seems an ancient tribe the Uncle was friendly with in South America had put the soul of a nosy reporter they killed into an ancient urn and it got loose on a film set in the 1950s and entered a script. Makes perfect sense, right?

This little horror flick was from City Lights, the earlier company from PM Entertainment producers Joseph Merhi and Richard Pepin. It is like a lot of their early stuff, flatly shot but with enough technical sheen to put it above most horror muck. Director Tom DeWier is primarily a stuntman in Hollywood and gets a few cool stunt bits in here, including a girl being blown out of a barn mid-sex. The film's biggest attribute is its M.S.U. (Makin' Sh*t Up) quality like when one victim wanders into the woods only to see an 80s metal band jamming out before they make his head explode with a guitar to the cranium. Co-star Sagoes must have hated his agent, thinking, "This is the best you could do for me after ELM STREET 3?" Even worse, the filmmakers have him dress exactly the same as his earlier, popular character so audiences know he is "the kid who survived A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3" (as the VHS box proudly proclaims).