Dead by Dawn

Badly-acted film with over-acting and childish script. Pathetic characters with terrible filming that is low-quality and it is typical of under-budget wanna-be actors who are clueless about having a clue about anything. Either the actors funded this effort themselves and whoever wasn't in the scene did the filming, or they got their kids to 'chip in'.

A valiant attempt at a gripping thriller despite the obvious low budget.

For a lower budgeted movie it wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. Half the time I'm left wondering what the heck is going on. And why they had the actors doing some of the things they were.

I thought the filmmakers did a really good job and was interested all the way through. At about the 45 minute mark it starts to really pick up and gets insane. Dark subject matter, but I thought it was handled pretty well. Nothing too gratuitous.

"Dead By Dawn" is a strong low budget thriller with plenty of suspense and thrills. The film starts off dark and with blunt force. It never really relinquishes. There is only a few moments where the story pauses for some character building, but soon the violence begins again.

The acting is better than I expected. The cast seem to understand the characters and feel fully committed. There are a few scenes that waver close to amateurish, but it never really dampens the film's flow. Plus there is a strong female lead that impressively embraces the final girl banner.

The horror is mostly built on dark circumstances, chilling atmosphere, and impending danger. There are some violent, bloody moments that sweeten the horror level. Still, "Dead By Dawn" manages to hold your attention purely on the relatable horrors of domestic violence, home invasion and some true psycho killers. I enjoyed this little indie film more than I thought I would. Check it out.