Brain Dead (2010)
Directed by: Kevin S. Tenney
Written by: Dale Gelineau
Released by: Monogram Releasing
"We're not trespassers, we're the fucking menu!"
‘Brain Dead’ is the newest zombie gore-fest from director Kevin S. Tenney…The man who made a name for himself in the 1980’s directing iconic horror films such as ‘Witchboard’ and ‘Night of the Demons’. ‘Brain Dead’ marks Tenney’s directorial debut in the zombie sub-genre and honestly he does one hell of a job.
The film opens with a comet entering our Earth’s atmosphere which ends up crash landing inside a fisherman’s skull of all places. The tiny comet contains a sludge-like substance which coats the man’s brain and ultimately turns him into a brain munching zombie. After ripping his fishing buddy’s face apart, the zombie, referred to as “Bill”, makes his way to the open road where he seeks out more victims. Not only is Bill looking to devour brains, he’s also looking to spread the infection whenever possible by vomiting the symbiotic sludge on individuals, causing them to instantly transform into cannibalistic monsters. At the same time 6 individuals consisting of two escaped convicts, two female hikers, a sinful southern Baptist minister and his young naive mistress end up seeking refuge in a remote cabin where they attempt to survive the zombie attack.
All I have to say is that this movie is awesome! In recent years I’ve noticed a popular trend where independent filmmakers create hype for their film by claiming it’s a “throwback to 1980’s horror”, but when you finally see their movie it’s nothing of the sort. (::cough::HATCHET::cough::) With ‘Brain Dead’, Kevin Tenney makes no such claim…however what you get is CLASSIC 1980’s independent style horror in the same vein as his earlier work in ‘Night of the Demons’. ‘Brain Dead’ is chalked full of blood and guts, practical effects, gratuitous nudity, interesting characters and laugh-out-loud humor. The movie never takes itself too seriously as most of the dialog is written in a fun comedic tone, but at the same time it never crosses the line of becoming a “horror comedy”.
Actor Joshua Benton clearly has the stand out role in the picture, playing the wise cracking hero Clarence Singer. I had never heard of this guy previous to seeing ‘Brain Dead’ but he does an incredible job in the film and is very reminiscent of a Bruce Campbell/Evil Dead type of figure.
For ‘Brain Dead’, Tenney recruited special effects artist Gabriel Bartalos who has worked on such classics as ‘From Beyond’, ‘Friday the 13th part 6′, ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2′, and all of Frank Henenlotter’s films since ‘Brain Damage’. The practical effects work in ‘Brain Dead’, showcased by Bartalos and his team at Atlantic West Effects is quite spectacular…Eyeballs being gouged out, People getting their heads split in half, exploding heads via shotgun blasts, brains being ripped out of people’s skulls…as well as one AMAZING surprise bit near the end which I won’t dare spoil. Other than some CGI in the opening credits, the film for the most part is all done with practical effects, something horror fans don’t see enough of these days.
Overall ‘Brain Dead’ is a definite must see for fans of independent 1980’s horror cinema. I mean honestly if it wasn’t for the clean digital look of the film, it would not surprise me one bit if someone told me that this film came out in the mid 80’s. I originally saw ‘Brain Dead’ in Louisville, KY where Kevin Tenney screened the film at the 2007 ‘Fright Night Film Fest’. All of us who were in attendance absolutely loved it and if I’m not mistaken, film critic Tim Gross said it was one of the best independent films he’s ever seen. 19 months later ‘Brain Dead’ is finally making its way into select theatres across North America and fans for the first time will get the chance to see a film that will surely become a cult classic.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Written by: Dale Gelineau
Released by: Monogram Releasing
"We're not trespassers, we're the fucking menu!"
‘Brain Dead’ is the newest zombie gore-fest from director Kevin S. Tenney…The man who made a name for himself in the 1980’s directing iconic horror films such as ‘Witchboard’ and ‘Night of the Demons’. ‘Brain Dead’ marks Tenney’s directorial debut in the zombie sub-genre and honestly he does one hell of a job.
The film opens with a comet entering our Earth’s atmosphere which ends up crash landing inside a fisherman’s skull of all places. The tiny comet contains a sludge-like substance which coats the man’s brain and ultimately turns him into a brain munching zombie. After ripping his fishing buddy’s face apart, the zombie, referred to as “Bill”, makes his way to the open road where he seeks out more victims. Not only is Bill looking to devour brains, he’s also looking to spread the infection whenever possible by vomiting the symbiotic sludge on individuals, causing them to instantly transform into cannibalistic monsters. At the same time 6 individuals consisting of two escaped convicts, two female hikers, a sinful southern Baptist minister and his young naive mistress end up seeking refuge in a remote cabin where they attempt to survive the zombie attack.
All I have to say is that this movie is awesome! In recent years I’ve noticed a popular trend where independent filmmakers create hype for their film by claiming it’s a “throwback to 1980’s horror”, but when you finally see their movie it’s nothing of the sort. (::cough::HATCHET::cough::) With ‘Brain Dead’, Kevin Tenney makes no such claim…however what you get is CLASSIC 1980’s independent style horror in the same vein as his earlier work in ‘Night of the Demons’. ‘Brain Dead’ is chalked full of blood and guts, practical effects, gratuitous nudity, interesting characters and laugh-out-loud humor. The movie never takes itself too seriously as most of the dialog is written in a fun comedic tone, but at the same time it never crosses the line of becoming a “horror comedy”.
Actor Joshua Benton clearly has the stand out role in the picture, playing the wise cracking hero Clarence Singer. I had never heard of this guy previous to seeing ‘Brain Dead’ but he does an incredible job in the film and is very reminiscent of a Bruce Campbell/Evil Dead type of figure.
For ‘Brain Dead’, Tenney recruited special effects artist Gabriel Bartalos who has worked on such classics as ‘From Beyond’, ‘Friday the 13th part 6′, ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2′, and all of Frank Henenlotter’s films since ‘Brain Damage’. The practical effects work in ‘Brain Dead’, showcased by Bartalos and his team at Atlantic West Effects is quite spectacular…Eyeballs being gouged out, People getting their heads split in half, exploding heads via shotgun blasts, brains being ripped out of people’s skulls…as well as one AMAZING surprise bit near the end which I won’t dare spoil. Other than some CGI in the opening credits, the film for the most part is all done with practical effects, something horror fans don’t see enough of these days.
Overall ‘Brain Dead’ is a definite must see for fans of independent 1980’s horror cinema. I mean honestly if it wasn’t for the clean digital look of the film, it would not surprise me one bit if someone told me that this film came out in the mid 80’s. I originally saw ‘Brain Dead’ in Louisville, KY where Kevin Tenney screened the film at the 2007 ‘Fright Night Film Fest’. All of us who were in attendance absolutely loved it and if I’m not mistaken, film critic Tim Gross said it was one of the best independent films he’s ever seen. 19 months later ‘Brain Dead’ is finally making its way into select theatres across North America and fans for the first time will get the chance to see a film that will surely become a cult classic.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
