Rish Outfield's reviews
Okay, so it's the 80's, and life is goooooood. Except for Archie's life–-he's a high school nerd who works every day at his uncle's funeral parlour and is the butt of many a jock/cheerleader joke. He dreams of acceptance and of getting out from under his uncle's thumb, but things do not look good. Unfortunately (or not), the Porsche punks with ‘89 on their letterman jackets are killed in a car accident and Archie happens to be there when their bodies begin to come back to life (lightning strikes do that from time to time). Death has not changed their disposition, though, and the zombies go after him.
As this film began, I got scared. Not because of the plot or atmosphere, but because I was afraid I had make a big mistake in renting this. "What was I thinking?" said I. "This isn't even Horror!" As the credits rolled, I cried out, "Dear God, Scott Grimes stars in this. What's next, Barrett Oliver?" There was some well-written dialogue, good character moments, and a bit of humour, but it was very slow-paced. The movie went on for quite a while without any horrific qualities (except of course the typical horrors of high school), and I wondered, "Wait, is this Horror? Drama? Comedy? Coming of Age?" The cool stuff doesn't start until literally one hour into it (I had it marked at the 1:00 point). It's nice, though, when it does start. John Astin plays the despicable grouchy uncle mortician, but I couldn't despise him if I tried. The story was simple, but enjoyable, and I felt for Archie. Future filmmakers take note: characterization is neat. The neat thing was, it was cheap, and it was small scale, but it worked. In the end, I felt it was a cool movie, pleasant and fun. I'd like to make little horror films like this (except you gotta be consistent, the one thing this wasn't).
Best Scare: There weren't a lot. The zombies were a bit too smart to be effective as zombies–-they seemed more like vampires in their mannerisms.
I'd Recommend It To: I think it's safe to say this isn't at every corner video store, so if you see it around, check it out.