Movie Review: Dance of the Dead

Dance of the Dead

Man its been a long time since Fantasia but I dug up this old review from my hard drive just in time for Halloween. Moreover, its just been released as a direct-to-DVD film which is a shame because the movie was phenomenal and really a suprise hit just at the tail end of the festival. I'm actually really shocked that it didn't come out in theatres as it seemed to do really well on the festival circuit, but I guess its low-budget nature was just too iffy for the executives - which really is a pity because not only is this film great as horror comedy goes (quite possibly my favorite genre), but even in the overarching realm of zombie movies this film stands firmly on its own two feet. Anyway, back to the review which I should have posted months ago.

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Oh Fantasia did you ever screw up. I mean tacking 'Dance of the Dead' at the tail end of the festival? What were you thinking? Not only did you not give it a chance at 'audience pick' (which I think it had a stab) but you the sold out shows at SXSW should have been a pretty good indicator that this would have been a great movie to screen twice or more...if only for the selfish reason of making more money for the fest.

While not without its criticisms, 'Dance of the Dead' (DotD) is a amazing addition to the zombie and horror comedy genre. Falling in the ranks of 'Slither' or even 'Dusk 'Till Dawn', Dance of the Dead makes sure that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Certainly this is a formula we've seen in the past (such as 'Planet Terror') but what makes DotD stand out even more is its blending of genres and adding a John Hughes-esque teen comedy romance to a zombie film. This is 'Sixteen Candles' meets 'Night of the Living Dead' - and boy is it amazing.

The premise of the film is horribly simple. Teenagers are getting ready for prom and zombies attack. Boom, that's it. We spend the first quarter of the movie being introduced to the various characters and cliques and we see the standard teen movie fare - the geeks, the jocks, the punk, and of course, the misunderstood main character who has to go through a series of trials (often involving a girl interest) to emerge into post-high school manhood. Yawn, we've seen this before.

But as easy as the plot is, the pleasure of this movie is not in its plot, but in its storytelling. Of course we know that he's going to get the girl. Of course we know (generally) who is and isn't going to survive. But storyline here is secondary to the entertaining pleasure we see unfold on screen, ranging from basic slapstick humor, to over-the-top violence. In fact, there's a great scene where the heroes take on a group of zombies with wrestling movies a la WWE. Elbow from the sky! Absolutly ridiculous. Absolutely hilarious.

Its the wry tongue-in-cheek attitude that DotD embraces that really makes the film. Yes, like other horror comedy films it plays readily into formula, but its the formula we all know and love. Moreover, it understands where its coming from and simultaneously pays homage and pokes fun to its predecessors. Moreover, it balances well the angst of growing up borrowed from teen comedies like 'American Pie' (but thankfully nowhere near as vulgar), with its horror elements and while we stand up and cheer when they chop up a zombie with a hacksaw, we just as readily stand up and cheer when the hero gets the girl. Ultimately, DotT is a great film not only for its ability to provide constant violent eye-candy, and keep us laughing, but also in its ability to simultaneously be a 'feel good' teen movie.

Finally, as a side note, I think its hard not to compare this film with the popular horror comedy film 'Shaun of the Dead' released a few years earlier as both films as fall into the stupidly-named category of 'rom-zom-com' (romantic zombie comedy). I didn't coin that. The difference between the two is their cultural approach to comedy. While both poke fun at the zombie genre, 'Shaun of the Dead' plays up its very British blend of dry wit while 'Dance of the Dead' plays more to an American comedic sensibility with over-the-top action and slapstick physical comedy.