Vengeance of the Dead

Poor production values and a plot that is stretched way too thin to support a feature length film (even one with a tight running time of 72 minutes) undermine some interesting ideas and sometimes effective direction from independent writer/directors Don Adams and Harry James Picardi.

Their one dimensional story of a teen possessed by the vengeful ghosts of a murdered family plays out in a far too predictable fashion and provides too few answers to some burning questions (Why have the ghosts waited so long to seek revenge? What is the relevance of the spoon?), and any genuine moments of originality and inventiveness are overwhelmed by risible dialogue, shoddy video effects and amateurish acting.

A creepy moment early on, involving the ghost of a little girl on a swing, proves that the guys can create atmosphere and deliver an effective scare when necessary, and a delightfully twisted scene in which a pervy old man spies on his granddaughter in the shower earns them points for being willing to push the envelope, but to really do their ideas justice in future, Adams and Picardi really need to drum up some more cash for that professional finish and get themselves a decent cast.

That flashy box-cover fooled me into thinking I was getting into a silly, fun Charles Band ride. It was all the more difficult after that to get into the mood for this very spare ghost chiller, but I was hooked in 5 minutes.

The prologue sees a young man (possibly gay ?) driving through the country to greet his grandfather after some time in the city. The farm is modest, the fields never-ending and grandpa is full of love for his grandson. Then visions of the past haunt the son's dreams, until he finds himself sleepwalking into some of his granddad's old friends' homes...to burn them.

The ghost story is simple and reminiscent of "The Nesting", and probably a few other ghost movies. The lead looks convincingly lost in the situation he's put in (and obviously lost in a few other areas of his life). The settings adequately serve the haunting storyline, as this town is clearly a town where nothing happens and secrets stay buried.

Although there was no surprise to be found, the creepy pace of the movie and a modest but distinctive direction kept me interested all the way through.

Those who like thoughtful and interesting low-budget material will find this one a rough gem of sorts. It was a as captivating to me as the time I first saw the 1963 Carnival of Souls, and just as spooky. There is a lot to be said for the eerieness of the low-budget scare film that just does not have the cash to create big special effects and overwhelming music tracks. In fact, some of the creepiest moments on film come when there is no music track or very little music track. This tends to heighten the effect of reality, making everything seem a little too realistic. And without overblown special effects, the story and mood of the film must carry it along. While not perfect, this is a heck of a lot better than what passes for scares in most Hollywood productions. Ignore the 19 nitwits (at the time of this writing) who voted this film a "one", they obviously either have an negative agenda to push against this movie, or they can't sit through anything that doesn't have a gore-laden dismemberment every ten minutes, where plot doesn't matter. It's worth a couple of bucks to rent or to buy a used tape.

There can be no spoilers here because there aren't any! The longer I watched the film, the more confused I got. When the end credits came, I actually sat up and said, "What? That's it? Huh??" No clue.

The only saving grace is watching this with Rifftrax.

If I could give this film less than one star, I would.

It's quite tragic when a fresh idea gets thrown out in the form of a horrific film, but this movie delivers just that. While the underlying plot is actually quite intriguing and original, the movie is simply so poorly made that one cannot forgive the creators. The opening dialogoue between the two main characters is a perfect example of what you're getting into when you view this film. You can't even understand what the two men are saying. The picture quality is worse than a fifty year old second-hand camera. The acting is horrible, the scripting is horrible, the camera work is horrible.. The movie is horrible. Don't waste your time, money, or eyesight.