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Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1973) More at IMDbPro »

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95 comments in total

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19 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
I love this movie, 22 October 2003
Author: one4now4 from Ft. Worth, TX, USA

This is one of those great horror movies where the only problems can be found in corporate faults. This movie is full of great characters (even the character you're supposed to hate is really interesting), with good acting to back up the great story. I also like how Alan's necrophiliac desires are really underplayed by how the film is made. Some people won't even catch them the first time they watch it, which gives this an oddly intellectual angle. Also, most of the make-up FX are truly amazing in such a low-budget movie. The close-ups of some of these zombies really make that obvious, which makes me wonder how people could trash on these excellent make-up jobs. You want to see some bad make-up? See "Redneck Zombies", it will redefine what bad make-up is for you. Anyway, this movie is good at the black humor and just as good with the chills. This being a PG film without hardly any blood, I was surprised to find that the zombie attack scenes had an intensity to them that greatly rivaled those in "NOTLD" without hardly any gore. (Still, I do want to see the uncut version available through some import services and see why that version was rated for people 18 and over!) Another thing I love about this movie is that it has some of the greatest atmosphere to it. It retains a classic, dark-foggy-night horror feel throughout, with even the slowest of moments having a definite creepiness to them. It's also great to see a horror movie with zombies that relies more on the characters than blood and guts for a change. Many criticize this for being too slow, but I enjoyed every minute of it. A very sadly underrated and ultimately overlooked masterpiece of indie horror.

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20 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
A most shocking and excellent 70's horror film., 27 September 2004

Author: roddmatsui from los angeles

Okay, I saw this when I was a kid in the 70's, and most people who saw this as kids at that time didn't use much of their upstairs hard drives to remember the lengthy build-up that is two thirds of this movie. The movie was ghoulishly funny in an adult way that was really beyond a tyke's comprehension, so kids tended to sit there for an hour scratching their chins, understanding only vaguely that the acting troupe performing satanic rituals on the "burial island" (or whatever it is), is doing something monstrously, horribly WRONG. What they're doing is worse than devil-worship, actually; they're being generally disrespectful in a kind of place (a cemetery) that demands respect as a first requirement. They're...asking for it.

Why these people are so bizarre is anybody's guess. Why the crazed leader of the theatre group, Alan (Alan Ormsby), has chosen this place and these activities for a night of fun is never explored. These people all simply appear to be warped. And, in the tradition of E.C. comics, transgressors are not given a chance to learn the error of their ways and repent; however silly and young and "sorry" you may be, in this universe, if you do something that the spirits of the dead strongly dislike, you will be punished--as in, you will be ripped unceremoniously apart by ghouls, and devoured. While screaming. And then the ghouls will steal your boat.

And the little kids watching this on late-night TV in the 70's seemed to understand this implicitly. It was not at all surprising what happened to this group of misguided transgressors. You may not have deeply understood the fine details of "why." But you knew SOMETHING TRULY AWFUL was going to happen to them, and that essentially, they deserved it. I remember when I watched it that before the film started, the station (Channel 9 out here in Los Angeles) would show scenes of the "good stuff" to get you jazzed, so, you knew some "zombie consequences" were coming down the pike. These people were seriously doomed. And for all its cheapness and crudity and cheesy performances, this is a very frightening and threatening flick, and no one who's seen it, I am willing to wager, has ever gone to a deserted cemetery to jokingly work Satanic rituals for the purpose of raising the dead. The rituals might actually work. And where would you be then?? Huh??? This is a feature length public service announcement to teach kids A.) not to work satanic rituals, because it's wrong, and B.) to always consider the feelings of other people, particularly dead people, because there are consequences to pissing people off--particularly dead people. As such, the film reenforced a lot of strong moral values, and did a lot of kids a lot of good, I feel.

This is a casual, home-made horror film. The goopy red blood has a little bit of peanut butter in it to make it flow better and give it some opacity. The actors are probably wearing clothes from their personal wardrobes, and those hairstyles are theirs as well. It looks like some nice sets were built (nice considering the almost nonexistent budget of this piece), but the tone is almost that of a backyard Halloween show. The participants are having fun more than anything else--college kids playing with masks and dirt and sticky stuff, just barely aware that they're making a twisted 70's morality play. This is grim, upsetting material, and irredeemably wicked and bizarre, but really somehow very enjoyable.

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15 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Demented Fun, 1 December 2005
Author: TonyDood from United States

I first encountered this movie as a kid. The ad in the paper with Alan, a corpse and the guy with the beanie...it was speaking to me in ways that I wouldn't understand for years--black humor! I first saw it on t.v. as a teen, long before I'd seen "Night Of The Living Dead," and it spoke to me again. It was scary...but it was funny and sort of "wicked" too. It went places I knew instinctively most movies did not, and I loved it for that, as well as the fact that I knew others would NOT like it.

The story is nothing remarkable--a bunch of hippy actors invade an island, raise the flesh-eating dead, and die horribly. What is memorable about this movie is the "execution." The characters are all wonderfully obnoxious actors. They spit campy, bitchy, memorable dialog and are all generally hateful and selfish, as all actors I've known tend to be. It comes off as phony, but most actors I know really talk and behave like the characters in this movie, as though they are "in a movie." The actors did a great job. You have a sense all the characters are going to die in great pain, especially the beautifully hateful, snivelling director of the theater company with the stripey bell-bottoms, and the anticipation of this is wonderful. When the zombies finally enact their revenge it's extremely satisfying.

The effects are cheap, but then, I've never had a problem with cheap zombie effects. It's the idea of a zombie that is so frightening, not the make-up necessarily. They are irrational and unrelenting, even if it's a rubber mask they're wearing. But the zombies in this movie are, for all that, fairly effective. They come late, but by then you've been nudged into believing the whole movie is just a lark, so they're all the more effective. When they hit, they hit as hard as "NOTLD." The music score is eerie and effective, as well as the locale. You can almost feel the fog creeping up on you.

Where this one really distinguishes itself, however, is the "weirdo" factor. It flirts with gay stereotypes and necrophilia, Satan worship, Jewish humor and seriously bad 70's hair and clothing. It's a lot smarter than it appears, or most would think, and smart isn't what most people want (or get) with their cheap exploitation horror. It's surprisingly grisly for a PG and far too tame for an R. It's too funny for horror and too creepy for comedy. In other words, it's perfect! I'm sorry to hear they intend to remake it, but hopefully with it's original creator at the helm it'll be watchable at least. Bob Clark is an oddity, to be sure--he went from this to another wonderful cheap-o zombie film ("Dead Of Night," aka about 40,000 other titles) and "Black Christmas," to..."A Christmas Story"?? "Porky's"?? "Baby Geniuses 2?" Hmm. Well, it almost makes me respect him more for defying description.

Here's a tip of that hat to a great, original film from one of it's many "children..."

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19 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best zombie flicks I have ever seen!, 30 March 2001

Author: HumanoidOfFlesh from Chyby, Poland

"Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things" is a very creepy and atmospheric zombie film about a group of hippie actors who go to a small island to practice satanism and succeed in raising the dead!The only problem is,the dead wants to eat them all.Surely one of my favourite horror flicks this one contains really cool zombies and dark,brooding atmosphere.The acting is surprisingly good,the location sets are spooky and there's also a sprinkle of black humour added for good measure.Only a little bit of gore,so fans of Italian zombie gut-munchers may be disappointed,but if you like scary horror movies this one is perfect for you.Anyway,check this movie out-you'll love this!And the ending is the most edge-of-your-seat ever.A must see!Highly recommended.

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
The champ of camp, 18 July 2005

Author: Thomas Vaultonburg (zombielogic@insightbb.com) from United States

I love this movie because it has a sense of humor, but more importantly a sense of style and play that is missing from current American cinema. My guess is that this movie turned out exactly how Bob Clark wanted it. The colors, costumes and performances are great symbols of an early seventies that I remember as a kid. This is the way i remember things looking, only slightly aggrandized. Alan Ormsby is funny, clever and effective as the theatre troupe/cult leader. I'm not sure if the cemetery in Miami is real or not, guessing it is to save money, but it is a perfect setting. Love this movie. CHeck out my www.zombielogicpress.com for more on zombies.

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
classic low-budget early 70's low budget horror, 7 June 2006

Author: TheatreX from Louisville, KY

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.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Is that what youngsters get up to at the local graveyard?, 31 May 2003
Author: Krug Stillo (nhargii@hotmail.com) from Wales

"Film strives for yucks, frequently succeeds. A late night fave, sporting some excellent dead rising from their graves scenes as well as a selection of groovy fashions." Cult Pics & Trash Flicks

"Campy, gory, sick and funny in about equal doses," Nigel Burrell. Is It Uncut.

There are many bad reviews written about this film that include its bad points, but here I'll focus on some of its merits…

Tongue in cheek, little slapstick, creepy cemetery sequences by filmmakers with potential to prolong their careers, Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things is a bad film, but a good bad film. Obviously ripping-off Night of the Living Dead ("That's not very original, Anya."), but perhaps inspiring The Evil Dead that would also feature a group of foolish kids awaking evil forces with the aid of an old book. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things was directed by Bob Clark when he worked with cult icon, Ormsby. Together they also collaborated on the moody, ‘Monkey's Paw' inspired Dead of Night (Deathdream). After co-directing Deranged with his co-star of Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, Jeff Gillen, Ormsby went on to screenplay the alluring Cat People ('82) and silly Popcorn ('91). Before Clark moved on to comedies like A Christmas Story and Porkies, he directed the excellent Black Christmas ('74) and the interesting Murder by Decree ('79).

The obnoxious director, Alan (played by Ormsby himself), threatens his group of actors with unemployment unless they accompany him to a deserted island to perform some satanic rituals. After two thirds of the film, by now the cast have exhumed a corpse and attempted talking each other to death, incidents reach a peak as one of the women has a sudden break down (cue some overacting). The actors decide they've had enough and demand to leave the island immediately. It's too late to escape though, at this point you find yourself wondering if the film even feature the zombies promised in the title. The flesh hungry living dead close in on them and we're treated to the old boarding up the windows and doors routine and defending themselves from the growing horde of creatures outside.

Those merits I spoke of earlier? In my opinion, a true fan of old horror cannot truly hate this film. This predates Carpenter, Hooper, Craven and most other popular genre directors of today. It maybe difficult, but if you try overcoming the evident low budget, squinting to see what's happening past the abysmal lighting and photography and the laughable dialogue, then you'd probably enjoy the film a lot more. Ormsby himself has said that he's barely able watch Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things anymore as he hates himself acting in it, but admits that it does have some appealing attraction, hence the cult following.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Derivative of George Romero; but raw and entertaining, 20 September 2007

Author: Sebastian1966 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

A lot of George Romero zombie film fans cry foul over this one. It's perfectly valid. The late Bob Clark's (of PORKY'S and A Christmas STORY fame) horror film DOES take a lot from Romero, but it offers some new things as well. CHILDREN concerns a troupe of hippie actors led by an angry, bitter, bi-sexual leader(played way over the top by Alan Ormsby) who takes his merry band to an island cemetery off the Florida coast. His objective being to test the loyalty of said troupe by forcing them to engage in satanic rituals; including...raising the DEAD (big spoiler there)! The first 45 min. or so there is a LOT of hateful, bitchy dialogue between the players. Like a low-rent BOYS IN THE BAND (speaking of which, there are two very non-PC gay characters; lisps and all--consider yourself warned!). But once the dead-raising rituals begin (which at first, seem to fail), it picks up. The music is very moody, with lonely, isolated cues that evoke wilderness and moaning sounds. It gets under your skin. These none-too-bright kids take a not-so-fresh(but curiously flaccid) corpse into their cabin for a series of humiliating (can one humiliate a corpse??) gags bordering on necrophilia. After ignoring pleas from his players to stop, Alan takes the body (named Orville) as his 'corpse bride.' This last bit seems to REALLY chap Satan's hide (maybe Satan is anti-gay marriage), because the dead begin to rise with a vengeance. While the zombie makeup is hit/miss, the slow-mo photography and unearthly music create great mood. Yes, it IS derivative (or is it an 'homage?') of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (people trapped in a house during a zombie fest), but it is still very entertaining. And the ending seems to forecast future Romero efforts (the zombies begin to think). So... are ALL westerns rip-offs of John Ford movies? Of course not. Are ALL current space operas in debt to STAR WARS? Perhaps in some small way, yes. Does it make them less enjoyable? Not if they're fun and made with some character. That, for me, is the case here. When I was a kid, this film scared the hell out of me. I still dust off my DVD copy around Halloween every year and play it. No, it's not the most original film ever made (there are only so many ways to do a zombie flick). But is it still enjoyable? Wade through the first 40 minutes or so (don't fast-forward, though; it's best to let it build) and then enjoy a good, raw, unrefined zombie flick. It's the cinema equivalent of a carnival spook-house. Often cheesy, sometimes you can see the seams, but every so often...it gives you a good jolt. Enjoy!

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Horribly Frightening, 18 May 2006
Author: peekthemorpholux from United States

I was nine, and extremely impressionable. Moreso than most, I'd say. All I saw of this film was the t.v. spot, and I had both nightmares AND daymares for several years afterward. Reading the comments on the film tonight, I am terribly relieved to find that the very worst of my childhood "horror factories" was a campy film manned by bickering Hippies. Sounds like the Monkees meets Dario Argento. Or something.

In any case, if my comment is allowed to remain, I highly recommend to all parents and guardians that they pay very careful attention to what their children are watching and listening to. For their OWN benefit if not for the children. Not many parents enjoy sitting up at all hours of the night holding the sweaty palms of their little ones, protecting them from the Devil, wiping their copious tears, hugging their shaking little frames.

Little wonder that I'm a horror writer now, eh?

~ Skadi meic Beorh

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Don't make the dead mad you guys!, 1 October 2005

Author: Nightman from Brentwood, USA

Early knock off of Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead (1968) is still one of the best imitations out there.

A group of actors come to an island as part of a joke, but the joke ends up being on them when they raise the dead. No kidding.

Low-budget, but densely moody and some what Gothic horror works pretty well, especially for fans of the era. By today's standards the movie is very much dated, but still it manages to be chilling. There's lots of dark atmosphere and dark humor to be had. There's some good and gory zombie FX, which provides for a memorable 'grave rising' scene. The cast, while often over-the-top in performance, is entertaining. Also, this movie has one of the neatest titles of the genre!

It ain't Night of the Living Dead, but it's a good watch that horror fans will enjoy whether they scream or laugh!

*** out of ****

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