Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1973)

Director:

Bob Clark

Writers:

Bob Clark (writer)
Alan Ormsby (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

You're Invited To Orville's "Coming-Out" Party...It'll Be A Scream...YOURS!!!

Plot:

Six friends dig up a corpse named Orville. They use it in a satanic ritual to make the dead rise from their graves. Look out!!!

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Graveyard | Island | Good Versus Evil | Zombie

Cast

Alan Ormsby	...	Alan
Valerie Mamches	...	Val
Jeff Gillen	...	Jeff
Anya Ormsby	...	Anya
Paul Cronin	...	Paul
Jane Daly	...	Terry
Roy Engleman	...	Roy
Robert Philip	...	Emerson
Bruce Solomon	...	Winns
Alecs Baird	...	Caretaker
Seth Sklarey	...	Orville Dunworth
Robert Sherman	...	Ghoul
Curtis Bryant	...	Ghoul
William R. 'Bob' Smedley	...	Tallest dead thing (as Robert Smedley)
Debbie Cummins	...	Ghoul

Also Known As:

Revenge of the Living Dead (USA) (reissue title)
Things from the Dead (USA) (reissue title)
Zreaks (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Stereo (2.0) | DTS

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | UK:18 | Germany:16 | Australia:M | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Miami, Florida, USA

Company:

Geneni Film Distributors

Trivia:

Director Bob Clark shot this film back to back with Dead of Night (1974) as part of a two picture deal. Both films were shot in Florida and featured several of the same cast members.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Alan claims the book of spells etc is in a direct line from the Druids. The Druids were a preliterate culture.

Quotes:

Val: Get out of the grave, Alan. Get out of the grave and let an artist show you how to call a curse down on Satan!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Supernatural: Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (#2.4)" (2006)

classic low-budget early 70's low budget horror

I saw this back in the early 80's on some late night horror show like Creature Features (KTVU, Oakland!) and I loved it, and just watched it on DVD last night and it stands the test of time. Not that it isn't dated, oh my, the fashions of the day, striped trousers, etc. Talk about scary. The story is that an acting troupe led by the pompous and hammy Alan (played by Alan Ormsby) go to an island of the coast of south Florida to mess around in a graveyard and cast some spells. Unfortunately for them they turn out to be far better at what they did than they thought they'd be and reanimate the dead who trap them in a small cottage on the island. Before the reanimation takes place though, Alan seems to take a decidedly unhealthy liking to a dug-up corpse named Orville, who he decides they need to bring back to the cottage with them for a little 'mumbo-jumbo' and disrespect for the dead. Little does he understand what a poor choice he's made. This is at times funny but I wouldn't call it a horror comedy. Some of the dialog is pretty snappy as the actors and actresses snipe at each other, and there's two gay ghouls (Roy and Emerson) to add a bit of comic relief too. They of course were "planted" by Alan before the others arrived to scare the hell out of at least one of the newcomers. When the living dead rise the gang is trapped in the cottage and this becomes fairly standard "Night of the Living Dead" stuff but that's fine, it's not like that's a bad movie and doesn't make this one. Overall it's the look and the atmosphere that makes this one, creepy and eerie with a sense of impending doom. A classic in its own right. 8 out of 10.