The big screening on day two of HHW was Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, which I'll talk about in a separate posting. Immediately prior to that screening was a preview of a movie called A Wish for the Dead (2011, directed by Nathan Thomas Milliner), which, like Lethal Obsession, is a microbudget film from Indiana. We saw a ten minute clip and based on that clip, I'm on board for the full movie. It's obvious almost from the first frame that the filmmakers know what they're doing, and they do it well. The film's web site describes the plot like so:
"After weeks of sitting in the hospital by his dying wife’s side. John is desperate for answers. So when a mysterious man appears promising her salvation with a simple wish he jumps at the chance. Little does he know the terrible price attached to this simple gift. "
It's a terrific premise and I'll be interested to see how it plays out, but the clip they showed at Horror Hound doesn't give any indications of this scenario. It stands up pretty well as a short film, in which a girl, bullied online, kills herself in her bathtub only to wake up in the morgue. And she's not alone. This has the gutwrenching zombie action down pat, and even with its lo fi DV production values, the camera is in the right place for every shot, every cut is well considered and effective, and the make-up effects are mostly convincing. There's some dicey acting--there always is in films from this sector--but dialogue is mercifully minimal here. What you get in this ten minute clip is a better and more horrifying zombie movie than many full length zombie movies (I'm looking at you, Italy). I hope the rest of the movie is at the same level. Even if it isn't, the preview clip was worth watching all by itself.
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