Wednesday, May 26, 2010

I Sell The Dead (2008) Quick Review



I Sell The Dead (2008) Dir. by Glenn McQuaid

19th century justice has finally caught up to grave robbers Arthur Blake and Willie Grimes. With the specter of the guillotine looming over him, young Blake confides in visiting clergyman Father Duffy, recounting fifteen years of adventure in the resurrection trade. His tale leads from humble beginnings as a young boy stealing trinkets from corpses, to a partnership with seasoned ghoul Willie Grimes as they hunt creatures unwilling to accept their place in the ground. The colorful and peculiar history of Grimes and Blake is one filled with adventure, horror, and vicious rivalries that threaten to put all involved in the very graves they're trying to pilfer. [D-Man2010] on http://www.imdb.com/

I went into this film not knowing that much about it, but I heard mostly good things from friends and such. I started off solid right off the bat, and never really let up. The movie itself was also written by Glenn McQuaid and produced by Glass Eye Pix, Larry Fessenden's (who also stars as Willie) production company. It's the same production company that brings us Ti West's work ( The Roost, Trigger Man, and House of the Devil) and so I got excited right away. Dominic Monaghan plays the lead character Arthur Blake, and he most definitely carries the movie in what I'd like to call his best acting job to date. Ron Perlman, Angus Scrimm(Phantasms!!!), and John Speredakos also give strong supporting roles.



The movie itself is very low budget, but done exceptionally well for a period piece. It was just a whole lot of fun, and never really seemed to take itself very seriously. I could tell the actors were just having a lot of fun with it as well, as it was really brought out in the energy they gave off. It is a hilarious movie about the different crazy things that happen to Fessenden and Monaghan as the move along in their grave robbing careers. The events that transpire are laugh out loud funny, and very well written. I would be interested in seeing the original short by McQuaid that this is based on. I Sell The Dead has the perfect blend of humor and horror gore. I recommend this movie as a buy, and its 85 minute run time is perfect as you can watch this quick movie any time you want.

Entertainment Value: 9/10 Severed Heads
Cinematic Value: 8/10 Severed Heads

6 comments:

venoms5 said...

I saw the trailer for this one, R.D. a week or so ago and it looked good. I'll have to see if the video store in town has it in yet. You sold me on SELLing THE DEAD, haha.

R.D. Penning said...

It made me think I need a career change, haha.

Simon said...

Oh, how I want to see this.

I Like Horror Movies said...

Awesome review dude, I enjoyed the hell out of this one! I hope they make a sequel, since the pacing is the only thing that was slightly found lacking

Rhonny Reaper said...

do you know how jealous I am!!!! I think I would kill to see this, but alas my brokeness has prevented me from it. Curse you! lol

deadlydolls said...

For some reason, I couldn't stay too connected to the movie but I totally agree that it's a genuine light-hearted good time with a few glimmering performances along the way. I liked it and recommend it to almost anyone, but it was a tad empty for my tastes.