I picked up a DVD copy of Dead Kansas last year because I noticed Irwin Keyes was in it. And I popped it on this weekend after the announcement that he passed away a few days ago. Unfortunately, Irwin's part is so miniscule, it's hardly worth mentioning. It's too bad, really, because he'd have been a far more interesting character to follow than most of the amateur leads.
I say "most" because Joe McQueen (the actor who plays "Skinny") is actually quite good and very watchable. Unfortunately, that can't be said about the rest of the main cast, especially in regards to the poorly scripted lead role: Emma. (Note: this character was played by two separate actresses, due to a prolonged shooting schedule brought on by obvious budgetary limitations. It's quite clear that production lurched along in fits and starts, with shooting commencing only when money and scheduling allowed. It should be a surprise to no one that such a disjointed approach to filmmaking would result in a sloppy and inconsistent final product.)
Still, I watch no-budget, regional horror not because I expect perfection, but rather because it's always great to stumble upon some unseen diamond in the rough. A good idea or an interesting concept can often transcend the limitations of an amateur cast and crew, or a non-existent budget. (See the works of Richard Griffin, The Zellner Brothers, Adam Wingard, Mark Leake, Zachary Hadden, Kristian Day, Damon Packard, Adam Cooley, Ryan Trecartin, or any number of others doing interesting work with no money.) And, to be fair, the concept behind Dead Kansas does work to a point. Essentially, this is a post-apocalyptic zombie movie loosely structured around a Wizard of Oz story template: A young girl must leave her Kansas farm after a tornado (and a zombie bite) leaves her father injured. She takes to the road with a ragtag group of friends in the hopes of finding a doctor who can help her father.
Unfortunately, the Wizard of Oz elements are merely surface deep. So the idea collapses under the weight of a poor script that barely succeeds at delivering the most basic elements of screen writing 101: Plot, Character, Dialogue. (And utterly fails at the more complicated elements of screen writing and storytelling such as Pacing, Conflict, Theme, etc.) And therein lies the film's most crippling problem. It's just not a very good story. Characters barely serve the needs of their badly scripted scenes, let alone the rest of the plot or larger picture. I did enjoy one aspect of the ending, but frankly because I'd given up hope in a fully realized concept by that point and was surprised to see ONE obvious (but oh-so welcomed) story resolution.
There are other problems with Dead Kansas beyond the bad writing, amateur acting and choppy filmmaking... the sound mix is uneven, the editing and camera angles are poor, and the low budget doesn't allow for many effect shots at all (so you can forget about seeing the zombies, kills, the tornado, and most of the "action")... but honestly, all of that could be forgiven if the script was better.
I wish director Aaron K. Carter the best and I sincerely hope his future efforts benefit from the lessons he learned and the mistakes he made with this one. I'd even watch a sequel to Dead Kansas if it ever happens. But I do hope he works on his screen writing and scrapes up a little bit of money to put a better production together before rolling camera. And I really hope he manages to put his stronger cast front and center, and retires the amateurs to the supporting roles next time.
