Director – Jeremy Kasten (The Profane Exhibit, The Thirst)
Starring – Sarah Rose Harper (The Last Days of Capitalisms, The Last Time), Brandon Thane Wilson (Wonder Woman 1984, Star Trek First Frontier), and Katie Foster (Ghosts Don’t Exist, Disconnected)
Release Date – 2019
Rating – 3/5
The last few days I’ve been busy watching some indie horror flicks that was sent my way from Wild Eye Releasing and SRS Cinema. Some were fun and entertaining while a couple were a bit of a let down. All in all, I enjoyed myself but it was time to venture to some other movies that I needed to review.
The next movie I placed on the chopping block is the 2019 supernatural horror film The Dead Ones from director Jeremy Kasten and released by Artsploitation Films. The trailer looked really interesting and I couldn’t wait to see just how crazy it was going to be. Thank you Artsploitation for sending this one my way!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a group of teens who are forced to clean their school as part of their summer detention. However, a group wearing masks and armed with weapons has other plans. They lock the troubled youths in the school and set out to kill them one by one forcing them to fight for their lives against the armed intruders and their own dark pasts. **spoiler Alert**
The Dead Ones is a highly imaginative and fun but the story does get rather chaotic and confusing at times. I really enjoyed it for what it was but there was a time when the movie completely lost me and forced me to rewind it to ensure I wasn’t missing something. It was fun but troublesome.
The acting in this one is pretty solid. The characters are really fun and enjoyable. The cast does a fantastic job and really brought out some intense performances. As a father I have to admit that the cast really did hit me in the chest with their performances. They took the subject matter and really amplified that with their portrayals.
The story for this one has a lot going on. The portion following the teenagers trapped in the school while masked murderers stalk them is a pretty powerful story. It really works and, as I stated earlier, as a father it really fucking hits. With that being said, the weird paranormal angle they tossed in does extend the film’s running time but it does take away from the film’s impact.
Finally, the film does have some blood. It’s not a gory flick but the film does not shy away from the blood. We get puddles of it early on but once the school massacre begins we get some solid kills that really work well with the film. Some of the gunshots I struggled with determining if they were practical or visual effects so kudos to the effects team there. Overall, The Dead Ones struggles to find it’s footing but does still deliver a fun and gruesome horror film. Parents will find it more shocking than others. It’s worth a watch so check it out from Artsploitation Films.
