Dead Moon Rising

I didn't even last through the first ten minutes. My stepson who shoots movies in our backyard with a home video camera and no discernible plot makes better movies than this.

This was horrible, and would certainly have been a made for TV reject. The camera work looked like it was done on a $100 camcorder, the lighting was horrible and the acting even worse.

Unfortunately, IMDb wants at least ten lines of text in this review, but the movie is so horrible there's nothing else to say so I will close by telling you not to waste your money. The only thing redeemable about this movie is the semi-hot looking chicks on the cover but I didn't last long enough to see them either.

Synopsis: After the world's population mysteriously begins to turn into flesh-eating zombies, Jim (Jason Crowe) and the other employees of Cheapskate Car Rental must band together with the city's bike gangs to fight the legion of undead cannibals.

Review: From the start, it would seem this film tries to be too many other great films. The cover tries to play it off as an Army of Darkness-style film, while the job, girlfriend, and complete obliviousness to the outbreak makes it seem like a Shaun of the Dead ripoff. Even the opening credits are stolen directly from Dawn of the Dead (2004). So, only a few minutes in, and I already thought less of it due to its lack of originality. From there, it didn't get much better. On a film-making level, the movie's very low-level. It's got that cheap, shot-on-video look that so many horror fans have grown more-than-annoyed with and the horrid camera control doesn't help make it rise above the unattractive look it stuck itself with. The script was boring and lacking any real development. The dialogue was forced and the 'Malcolm in the Middle'-style of narration is stupid and overdone. The acting, yikes, was probably the worst element (outside of the horrendous sound quality). I barely saw a shred of effort from any of the actors, except for April (Erica Goldsmith), who played the barely legal field-hockey player. . . and that's only because she was overacting SO much that I needed an aspirin (or the mute button) after a few minutes of her speaking. Overall, while it is watchable if you have a high tolerance for poor film-making and headache-inducing annoyance, give it a shot. If not, just stay away from this one.

Obligatory Zombie Elements:

Cause of Outbreak: Biological? Solar flares? Clove cigarettes? Who knows. . .

Zombie Characteristics: Runners. . . similar to the 28 Days Later...-style infected, only actual zombies and about a thousand times less scary.

Zombie Effects: Not much to speak of. They were a bit pale with some bloodshot eyes. . . and that's all.

Violence/Gore: There's a good amount of violence, but the gore is pretty poorly done with the pink blood and lunchmeat-style flesh & guts.

Social Commentary: Mostly about outsourcing (for whatever reason) and the work ethic of the American people. . . though, I might just be reading into it too much.

• - -

Final Verdict: 2.5/10. Grab your Advil for this one.

Recommended? Nah, just watch one of the other, much superior films it steals from.

-AP3-

I loved this movie! It was probably one of the worst movies I've ever seen considering effects, props, camera, sound and general feel, and still I loved it!

So if it is so bad, why did I love it? It's a standard clichè movie with flesh-eating zombies, so you already know the story of this movie. The internal organs that are being eaten look really cheap, and I even think I saw a string of sausages somewhere in the mess... You can clearly see a difference in image-quality throughout the different cuts. You can clearly hear that sound-effects have been added, because they sound really cheap. Cutting seems a bit weird at times... So why did I love this movie??

It is clear that this movie had a low budget, but it was VERY WELL made despite this fact! Most of the actors are doing a very descent job, many of their comments made me laugh out loud and fall off my chair, the women are beautiful, and the constant weird twists throughout the movie are actually a bit interesting! All the shortcomings (bad effects, sounds etc..) actually added to the experience in a strange way, setting a special atmosphere throughout the movie. All that put together (and being able to look past the rough surface this movie very noticeably carries) left me feeling slightly impressed and very entertained. This movie is WELL WORTH WATCHING all the way through!

If you didn't like Bad Taste, then you will likely dislike this movie. But with the right sense of humor and an open mind (as stated in a few other comments as well), you will with no doubt love almost every minute of this movie!

In conclusion, this movie isn't for everyone, but it proves that entertainment doesn't need a budget!

I saw this film at a local horror movie fest. It's cool to see a zombie film with sights from where I live. I've watched a fair number of low budget zombie film, and this one was very well done considering what they had to work with budget wise. My only complaints are the sound was hard to make out in some spots, and the ending seemed a bit tacked on. But what the hell do I know, I've never made a film myself so who am I to criticize (other than someone who watched way to many films). There were a lot of laugh out loud lines, and the characters were likable. Tucky Williams makes a great kick ass scream queen, and Erica Goldsmith is easy on the eyes as well. I look forward to what these folk make next.

... but life is simply too short to indulge in this kind of waste of time. If I were to be snide, I would tell you that I imagine that the filmmaker would probably say something to the effect that with another $700.00 he could have put a proper shine on the finished product.

This is a bad film.

Dead Moon Rising was produced with insufficient funds and a decided lack of expertise. Cardboard characters, awful acting, nonexistent continuity and grade school special effects can not be explained away simply by crying poverty. Care costs nothing but still this film was short-changed.