Dead & Breakfast (2004) User Reviews

Funny and Entertaining

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 8 March 2008]

While heading to Galveston in a RV for the wedding of a friend, the driver Johnny (Oz Perkins) gets lost and arrive in the small town of Lovelock and his friends Kate (Bianca Lawson), Sara (Ever Carradine), Melody (Gina Phillips), Christian (Jeremy Sisto) and David (Erik Palladino) decide to spend the night in the Bed and Breakfast owned by Mr. Robert Wise (David Carradine). David has an argument with the chef of the inn, Henri (Diedrich Bader), and when the chef is found dead and Mr. Wise has a heart attack in the middle of the night, the local Sheriff (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) suspects of the group and asks his assistant Enus (Mark Kelly) to take the key of their trailer and stay in Lovelock during the investigation. Then the Sheriff arrests a drifter (Brent David Fraser) that becomes his prime suspect. When the clumsy Johnny accidentally breaks a box of Mr. Wise, he releases the fiend Kuman Thong and the evil spirit possesses the locals transforming them into zombies.

Matthew Leutwyler certainly wrote and directed "Dead & Breakfast" with the intention of making a cult-movie. Unfortunately his target is never reached, but this gore comedy is funny and a worthwhile entertainment. There are good lines and most of the characters are likable, and one of the best moments if the phone call of the maid of honor Kate to the bride Lisa, with a hilarious dialog. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Adivinhe Quem Vem Para Morrer" ("Guess Who is Coming to Die?")

S10 Reviews: Dead & Breakfast (2004)

[suspiria10 · 6/10 · 10 September 2005]

Three couples are on a road trip to a wedding in Galveston when they decide to make a pit-stop in a weird little rustic town Lovelock. They stop over for the night at the local bed and breakfast (run by none other than 'Bill" himself, David Carradine). But when the chef winds up carved and filleted and the owner dies of an apparent heart attack these road weary friends learn the story of Pandora's Box the hard way and with possessed zombies to boot. 'Dead & Breakfast' is the perfect companion piece to 'Shaun of the Dead'. 'Dead' one ups the zany genre referencing humor of 'Shaun" by adding absolutely hilarious songs the link (and even further the plot) many of the scenes together. The comedic timing of the actors greatly improves as the feature progresses as the humor gets crazier and the gore gets going. "Dead" is quite gory and conjures many a fond memory of past 80's gore classics.

Humorous Horror on a Budget... I Approve

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 15 February 2010]

A group of young adults decides to stay in a bed and breakfast for the night, but by morning two people are dead. Now witnesses and possibly suspects, the sheriff keeps them in town... but that's not the best idea, since there's about to be an outbreak of zombies, and not many will survive the next few days.

Maybe you stumbled on this film because you like horror comedies. And if you did, that was a good idea. It's funny and has gore that may remind you of such low budget classics as the early works of Peter Jackson ("Bad Taste" and "Dead Alive"). Nice blood, decapitated heads, a chainsaw and a homemade shotgun.

Maybe you stumbled on this because of the cameos from Diedrich Bader and David Carradine, or the appearance of horror regular Jeremy Sisto. Bader and Carradine are both great, though their parts are small. Sisto is also his typical self, which means you'll probably enjoy him. He's not as prominent as he is in other films (such as "May"), but he does not disappoint.

The reason you should have watched this film, but you probably didn't, is for Zach Selwyn (also known as simply Zachariah). He plays Randall Keith Randall, the musical gas station attendant. His songs are great, particularly one where he mixes rap and country, and has zombies dancing the "Thriller" dance. (Outside of this film, he is marginally known for his songs "CILF" and "TSA Gangstaz"... YouTube them.) The film would have been great without him, but he brought the enjoyment over the top.

I had known of this film's existence for years, but never had it forced on me until now... I'm glad it was. The picture's a little grainy and the budget is clearly nothing special, but if you're the type of horror fan who can look past that... you'll love it. The only problem is that Billy Burke (Charlie Swan from "Twilight") dropped out and doesn't appear... but you wouldn't notice.

Hilarious splatter horror/comedy- I laughed from beginning to end.

[ben_retan · 25 September 2004]

I was at a screening of Dead and Breakfast tonight at the Sidewalk Film Festival here in Birmingham and really enjoyed the movie.

Warning- this movie is not for the weak of stomach. Gore content is out of the roof. However if you are a fan of splatter comedies such as the Evil Dead series, this movie is a must see.

The premise of the movie is your stereotypical horror movie set up. On the way to a wedding a group of semi-strangers get stuck in a small town overnight and someone gets killed.

The highly comedic twist to this horror is apparent even after the first killing as one of the group spends a good thirty seconds trying to run away from the dead body and instead slipping in a pool of blood over and over.

This movie was very much influenced by the Evil Dead series (in fact you can even see an Evil Dead poster in the closet where they first find the chainsaw) but does the comedy even better.

The appropriately over-the-top music of Zach Selwyn serves as a good and humorous progression between the scenes. He features original songs such as "Comin to kill ya", "Possessed" and "Quiet Little Town".

This was one of the best movies that I've seen in a very long time and I would give it a 9/10.

Very enjoyable gore flick with lots of humorous moments.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 7/10 · 22 January 2006]

A group of friends on their way to a wedding get lost in the vast Midwest,and are forced to stop for the night in the quiet little town of Lovelock.The friendly innkeeper,Mr.Wise(David Carradine),shows them their rooms then promptly drops dead the next day,forcing the group to stay in town during the investigation.But while the local sheriff does his work,a mysterious force sweeps the town,turning its residents into murderous zombies."Dead and Breakfast" is a vastly entertaining zombie flick filled with amusing jokes and gore.The make-up effects are some of the best I have ever seen,especially when Erik Palladino is dancing around with a chainsaw grinding into his neck,or when the top half of a zombie's head is removed.The combination of humour,gore,and good old fashioned zombie horror gloss make "Dead & Breakfast" one of the finest horror films of 2004.The cast is okay and the action is never dull.If you enjoyed "Evil Dead 2" or "Braindead" give this film a chance.7 out of 10.

Only a 2 star because of my prolific film watching

[jamesmawebb23 · 2/10 · 8 February 2012]

I would give it 3 stars if I hadn't watched too many zombie movies. Despite the dross out there it only shines because of the unique musical aspect. It doesn't as a zombie movie. Have a care about what you will watch and you can find better. It IS worth seeing if you want a standard to judge things by. A bad standard admittedly but a standard nevertheless. Good sets but I feel like it was an advert for a terrible country band. It conforms to some faintly amusing stereotypes and there are some interesting use of weapons. The characterisation owes much to the 'Hammer' school of glossy hair and a wide mouth for screaming school of acting. You won't like them and so the musical interlude about their endeavors serves only to annoy, frustrate and occasionally judge others by their standard.

Short, simple and horrifically funny

[darkforcepet · 7/10 · 16 August 2005]

This is one of those movies I enjoy watching after a hard days work and when you don't have neither the time nor the mind to spend on a movie.

It uses a photografy I found quite good and sometimes even plays with cartoon postcards which then passes to reality with very nice graphics. The soundtrack is hilarious and perfect! The whole movie is accompanied by a small band which has a few sketches singing about the movie's plot though the band itself interacts with the story, it's not a new idea but it's really well adapted.

The story itself isn't innovative but still entertaining and provides a refreshing/dark humour. It lasts about 1h and 30m of which 1h is filled with hacking, shooting and of course thousands of litters of blood. It has a good pace and never gets boring.

I'd recommend it for a light and humorous audience.

NOT a 'Shaun' equivalent

[wishinhart · 4/10 · 30 July 2006]

The review note on the box remarked that this was the "american answer to 'Shaun of the Dead'"...so perhaps i had high expectations coming into this. First off, its a fun movie -- cheesy, funny, worth 90-120 minutes of your time. There are enough snippet funny moments and lines delivered with perfect timing to keep you interested (especially enjoyed the homage to 'Thriller')...but if you're looking for a Shaun of the Dead companion piece--this isn't it. While 'Shaun' mixed a perfect amount of suspense, humor, and gore, 'Dead & Breakfast' merely provided some humor and a whole lotta blood. This movie was worth a rent, just don't go into it with high expectations. I wouldn't place it next to my other zombie movies in my home collection, i would put it somewhere else...like probably back on the shelf at blockbuster. :-)

Pretty funny, highly entertaining and lots-o-gore.

[stormruston · 9/10 · 31 December 2005]

I just watched this one last night with my brother-in-law we both got allot of chuckles out of it and a few good laughs.

This movie is a cross between "Evil Dead 2" and "Shawn of the dead" with a touch of "kungfu Hustle" style dance scenes thrown into the mix, but not quite as good as any of the above mentioned movies.

It starts abit slow but picks up pretty fast.Lots of gore in the second half so if you have a weak stomach...

Some of the funniest bits in the movie are the song interludes, listen to the words,as it is funny stuff.

The acting is all pretty good,and the special effects well above average.

Highly recommend this one.

Don't compare this to Evil Dead or Braindead Please!

[Bibbzter · 6/10 · 13 February 2006]

People who compare this to Evil Dead and Braindead should be ashamed! I'm not saying this movie is bad but those two movies are so much better. I gave this movie a 6 because I enjoyed it the whole way through.

The comedy aspect of it was the worst part. The actors wasn't that funny and the jokes was usually a bit tired and took away too much from the vibe of the movie. I would have liked the humor to be a bit more sinister. And the gore a bit more visual and extended.

Everyone who likes splatter will probably enjoy this but don't expect a masterpiece like Evil Dead or Braindead.

BAD & Breakfast

[PWT20 · 3/10 · 10 October 2005]

My bro & I picked up this DVD based on a positive review by Rue Morgue which was written on the cover. Boy, was RM WRONG!

Bottom-line was that this film tries way too hard to be "indie" by concentrating on elements like the music, wannabe quirky characters, and comic book additions - neglecting the basic foundations of good storytelling.

The results? Another throwaway horror flick that you SHOULD graze over at your local video store.

Here's the bad stuff: - no character development. I basically didn't care who turned into a zombie or who survived. Characters also had little to lose.

• ANNOYING country music interlude. A reminder of why I hate country music. At first, it was cute, but then it became annoying, like everything else in this movie.

In the end, any potential this movie had was wasted due to the attention that fell short in the storyline dept.

AWESOME loved it

[suzepstein · 10/10 · 17 March 2005]

My roommate got a bootleg of Dead and Breakfast from a friend and had a few people over to watch it this weekend. Al I can say is AWESOME. It's hilarious. Jeremy Sisto rocks. Ever Carradine is a kick butt heroine. It was just tons of fun. I am told that it has a lot in common with Evil Dead, which I have not seen but am definitely going to check out. Now all I need to do is find the soundtrack. Does anyone know when this films coming out in theaters or on DVD 'cause the copy we have is in terrible shape. As for any any comparisons to Shaun Of The Dead, they are, in my opinion, very different movies. Yes both are comedies with zombies but that's pretty much where the similarities end. Shaun has a very British sensibility (which I loved BTW) and Dead and Breakfast is just a crazy, musical, and much bloodier, send up of the horror genre. Not to mention the budget for Shaun had to be to times what they had on this little movie. Point is, no need to compare, they're both great fun.

On the menu today, tacky gore.

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 12 October 2009]

I had this one sitting around for awhile (as I recorded off TV about two years ago), but I heard mainly poor things which made me leave to sit on my shelf gathering dust. Clearing out my copies, I decided to take the dive and in all honesty it wasn't too bad. It might be dumb, but still sorely entertaining. The very low-budget horror / comedy 'Dead & Breakfast' is completely daft, but surprisingly amusing with its tongue-in-cheek pulp send-up of the zombie sub-genre. Its influences are obvious, but it doesn't try to hide it but wears it on its sleeve. After an imaginative get-go, it does fall on the familiar side (small rural town under threat/people boarded in a house with the dead outside) with its running joke beginning to wear thin, but its comic book enthusiasm (and crazy blood splatter) drives it on. It really relishes in the gruesomely squishy make-up FX and oddball pluckiness. However it has some interesting facets like the storyboard illustrations cutting between scenes and linking the erratic storytelling is a singing narration (which does feel longer than it is) with a real country swing. But the leering one would be variation of how the zombies come about. Nicely done. Roaming through is a rock soundtrack, and a score that's got the flair to match. The performances are light-head, but colourfully quirky and sharp with the likes of Gina Phillips (who's perfectly wholesome), Jeremy Sisto, Bianca Lawson, Ever Carradine, Erik Palladino, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Brent David Fraser and Miranda Bailey. It was cool to see David Carradine pop up in a cameo role too. Also recognizable showing in minor parts are Vincent Ventresca, Portia de Rossi and Diedrich Bader. Spiritedly goofy, messy fun.

No originality...lots of gore. Stupidity aplenty.

[spacemonkey_fg · 3/10 · 25 October 2005]

Title: Dead and Breakfast (2005)

Director: Mathew Leutwyler

Cast: Jeremy Sisto, Ever Carradine, Erik Palladino, Oz Perkins, Gina Phillips, David Carradine

Review:

Some people are calling Dead and Breakfast America's answer to Shaun of the Dead. I don't agree so much with that comment but oh well thats what their calling it. Read my review to see why I don't agree.

The story is about these friends who are on their way to a wedding and on their way there they end up staying at a Bed and Breakfast in the small town of Lovelock. Everyones a hillbilly and the place is full of weirdos. When one of the kids mistakingly opens a little oriental box that has a demon trapped inside it people start to get possessed and the bloody mayhem and gore begins. If that isn't a tired and worn down premise for a horror movie I don't know what is.

The problem with this movie for me was that it lacked a lot in the originality department. It was influenced by a few other horror movies and was desperately trying to imitate them and therefore sacrifice its freshness. First off, we get mixing music with the zombie mayhem which is good and all, but we've seen that before. These zombie go as far as imitating - step by step- the dancing zombies in Michael Jacksons thriller video. Even worse is the fact that this same gag had been used in a film called Shaolin Soccer. So right off the bat I felt this "been there done that" vibe. Not only that but since it wasn't something all that original the sequence felt forced. Like they were just trying to duplicate something that they found funny in some other film they saw.

It also wanted to be Dead Alive a lot. This is most noticeable in a sequence in which one of the main characters is assaulted by a swarm of possessed folk and she goes crazy hacking them up into pieces with a chainsaw resulting in a very similar ending then the one we saw in Dead Alive in which Lionel goes crazy with the lawnmower. Only thing is that when we saw that scene for the first time in Dead Alive it felt fresh and new, here it just feels like something we've seen before.

The movie has some comedic moments here and there like the scene in which one of the possessed uses a head as a ventriloquist dummy. But the problem is that when the film finally does find a cool visual gag or joke it overuses them till the point where they are annoying. They keep using that ventriloquist joke all through out the film. Same thing happens with the country singer who appears every few minutes to sing about whats going on in the movie. The first few times its funny...but then it just feels over used.

The possessed folk don't look posses at all! I mean if this movie was so influenced by the Evil Dead as it obviously was (heck there's even an Evil Dead poster hanging from one of the walls at one point) then why not take a hint from that movie and make your possessed people look scary? Nope, not here. Here we only get people with a little bit of black make up underneath their eyes and cheeks and thats it. Thats what passes for posses people here.

OK, OK, I'm not only going to bash this movie, it had a few cool things going for it. #1 thing that they got right? The gore. Its plentiful and unrestrained. Its got some cool gory scenes to boot. One that stands out is a sequence in which a dude gets a chainsaw stuck to the back of his neck as he sprays blood all over the place. And some people get their heads blown off by shotguns. But as we all know, a movie isn't good simply because it has gore in it. This movie needed to beef up its characters so we could care about em, it needed to explain its story in a better way (the whole thing with the Chinese box was a bit fuzzy) and it needed to come up with better gags and not just using the same jokes over and over again.

And as for this being America's answer to Shaun...well I don't agree for various reasons. Number one being that these are NOT zombies, they are possessed people. They talk and act like normal people and the only thing that makes em look possessed is the fact that they have black make up beneath their eyes. Thats it. Second, Shaun of the Dead was actually funny. This one is trying too hard to be funny and ends up being dumb and stupid.

Its a fun film, but nothing grand. Its repetitive, dumb, gory, fun at times but ultimately not fresh and original. On the plus side, I liked a few of the hillbilly songs that the band sings. Specially the one that all the zombies dance too. But that wasn't enough for me not to feel disappointed while watching this over-hyped film. Its like watching Evil Dead, but without Sam Raimis great directorial skills behind the camera. Final Word? Watch only for the gore.

Rating: 2 out of 5

No Evil Dead 2, but it quite good.

[stupidill · 19 April 2006]

I had to post a comment as the previous one was far too harsh on this film.

I saw this film with quite a lot of expectations of it and was pleasantly surprised that it didn't let them down too much. That's not to say it is the greatest horror comedy, but it it really entertaining.

Caradines appearance seems to have more to do with having a famous face, than anything, but his appearance it welcome.

The "crazy" songs in the film vary from being a reasonable narrative device to being incredibly grating, but i guess in the spirit of how the film is presented they are okay. They could put people right off the film though, if they are too humourless.

So it's no Evil Dead 2 or Bloodsucking Pharoahs, but it a good watch for your horror fans and your non horror fans looking for a light horror romp to kill an evening.

Midwestern Zombies meets Johnny Cash

[jaimelesbellesamericaines · 6/10 · 21 March 2005]

A group of friends has to go to a wedding, and decide to take a drive trough the American Midwest to get there... but they get lost...have to spend the night in a bed and breakfast, in a little Midwestern town. Soon the whole city turn into zombies, and start killing everyone. Let's face it, you should not expect a great scenario, but who would expect a great scenario in a zombie movie. This one is a especially good. Cut into chapters, separated by country songs, the whole thing is well directed and well played (in context : this is a zombie film, not the next Oscar winning blockbuster), and blood is dripping all over the place, a bit of humor, and bits and pieces of bodies. A future classic of the genre. And you should watch the remix of Jackson's "Thriller" while the zombies are attacking : hilarious. Another highpoint is the presence of Carradine (Bill in Kill Bill), yeah! Zombie Rocks.

If only it was funny, or scary, or something

[mgleez · 2/10 · 9 November 2004]

What!? Maybe I'm not the right person to write about films in this genre because I found this to be so bad I walked out half way through. As fairly big name TV actors kept popping up I had hope that something would gel. It didn't or, at least, nothing gelled before the "Night of the Living Dead" siege started, the chainsaw was brought into play, and I left.

The overacting was at best fair. The troubadour was annoying. The comedy was for folks that still find slipping on a banana funny and also find slipping on a banana ten times to be ten times as funny; things like a severed head as a hand puppet (though funny to write) is not that funny to see. Ironically, the gory slapstick was the best thing about this film because it didn't give me nausea, as well done gore or implied violence can, and because it offered so much variety.

All and all, it is not my cup of blood. If you found the previous sentence funny then you should not miss this film.

Mediocre Zombie Comedy...

[EVOL666 · 6/10 · 5 March 2006]

DEAD AND BREAKFAST is a relatively entertaining zombie film, with some OK gore and some pretty funny moments. Nothing really exceptional, but worth a look to splatter fans.

A group of kids are on their way to a wedding and stop at a bed-and-breakfast in a small hick town for lodging for the evening. When the owner (played by David Carradine) has a heart-attack and another person ends up murdered in the inn, the gang has to stay put until the investigation is concluded. As it turns out, Carradine was involved in black-magic and when one of the bumbling boarders unwittingly opens an evil box - things start to really go downhill for the townsfolk and out-of-towners alike...

DEAD AND BREAKFAST has a few decent gore scenes and is good for a few chuckles, but is pretty mediocre overall. The film brings very little new to the zombie genre, and is far less appealing than other films in the comedy/horror realm. The performances are all decent, but the end standoff between the zombies and the survivors that are holed-up at the inn is rather uneventful. Personally, I'll stick to BRAINDEAD if I want to watch a better example of a zombie comedy. 6.5/10

Fails on all levels

[mrush · 1/10 · 6 May 2006]

This is one of those horror movies that tries to be hip and witty and scary all at the same time.It fails miserably at all three.Boy does it fail.

Six people get lost while RVing and find themselves in a sinister little redneck town.Some evil spirit has turned the townspeople into zombies and the 6 outsiders must fight them off while trying to destroy the evil spirit.It sounds better than it is.

Oh sure there is plenty of blood and all sorts of objects are used to kill the zombies but you won't care.Halfway into this movie you'll be praying for the end and more than likely you'll be ejecting this DVD before it ends if you're unlucky enough to rent this piece of junk.

One of the women in this movie actually says "This is like some bad horror movie." Amen, sister.

Run from this flop like you would a diseased beaver.

Outrageously Funny Splatter Comedy

[miseryslo12 · 10/10 · 8 November 2004]

We saw this at the Hollywood Film Festival a couple weeks ago and loved it. I have been tracking this thing on the internet for what feels like the better part of the year and I have to admit I was surprised it lived up to my expectations. Not sure how anyone couldn't like it. It's got such a fun spirit and the cast... Gina Philips, Jeremy Sisto are probably the best known but the rest really shined too. The guy who played the Sheriff - Fing hilarious. I read a review on here that said the cast was ugly?? What movie was he watching. This is a stellar cast that got the joke and ran with it. The blood flows in this pic too so if you're squeamish you might have to look away a bunch of times but its all done with a humor so it doesn't really freak you out too much. Now for the negatives - One really. The ending. It just kind of slows down and stops like they didn't know what to do when they got there. (or maybe they just blew their wad on all the other gags). Oh yes, one more thing - - The music. The country / rapper and the dancing zombies - - All I can say is WOW. Any Evil Dead / Shawn Of The Dead (actaully better than Shawn - but not the ED series) fan must see this pic.

Dying is easy, comedy is hard

[Tender-Flesh · 6/10 · 3 November 2009]

A quirky semi-zombie tale about a group of friends going to a wedding in their RV. They stop for the night at a quaint little bed and breakfast. After pissing off the residents, they settle in for the night, only to find out that one of the caretakers, the chef, has been murdered. The reasons for his death are not concretely known and are guessed at by the guests. Then, the owner, David Carradine, kicks the bucket, seemingly the victim of a heart attack.

What follows is a rather unusual attempt to bridge zombies and Eastern mysticism with a magic "soul box" controlling most of the small town's inhabitants and sending them out to siege warfare against the bed and breakfast where the surviving members of the RV crew, the sheriff, and a mysterious drifter must build makeshift weapons(the pipe guns are particularly effective) to defend their domain from wisecracking possessed townsfolk lead by one of the RV peeps.

Horror hounds will find references to other horror films, subtle and not so, such as Psycho, The Burning, Evil Dead, and Braindead/Dead Alive peppered throughout. The comedy doesn't always hit the mark, but the gore effects are pretty outstanding. I was also reminded of Kill Bill since not only was David Carradine present, but Ever Carradine reminded me of Uma Thurman in a way, and Portia is referred to as "The Bride" in the credits. I don't know if this was intentional or not, but it probably was. The film is rounded out with an eclectic musical soundtrack and a rather unnecessary though amusing country-western bard who appears now and again to tell us the obvious in song.

Some of the editing was rough, and certain cuts to actors' faces seemed botched or inappropriate at times. Still, you will find a lot to enjoy about this flick if you like zombie-ish films or plenty of gore. I'm willing to overlook the few flaws of the film since the producers heaped a giant helping of exploding heads and chainsaw slashings onto my plate.

Zach Selwyn

[timonschenko · 8/10 · 9 October 2005]

I do not like Country Music, but Zach Selwyn's tunes in this movie were great. I found myself leaving up the EXTRAS menu just to hear his music. The movie itself is OK, but Zach's little commentaries and the Music are incredible. What an edge on the typical yodeling of country music. Movie average, but see it for Zach Selwyns music-it'll make you laugh and tap your feet. Good stuff. I have never bought a country CD-ever, even though I worked in Nashville for two years. If Zach's work on this film is put out as a soundtrack, I will buy it.

The movie itself had some amusing moments. A nice little distraction and sometimes that's what we need.

Pretty funny, but watch it for the gore & violence

[Shattered_Wake · 6/10 · 4 December 2008]

On an RV trip to a friend's wedding, a group of six buddies get lost along the road and are forced to stop at a small bed & breakfast for the night. When the B&B's owner and chef are found dead, the group is held by the sheriff under suspicion of guilt. Their innocence seems imminent and their safety returned when the sheriff arrests a drifter he suspects of the murders. . . but, when one friend releases the evil spirit of Kuman Thong (seriously), the friends are forced to fight for their lives against a gang of the undead.

Comedy? Musical? ZOMBIES? Where have you been all my life? The combination of those three elements sounded like an easy win for someone like me. Toss in a pretty damn good cast of Jeremy Sisto (Wrong Turn), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Supernatural), Gina Phillips (Jeepers Creepers), Diedrich Bader (Drew Carey), Portia de Rossi (Arrested Development), and David Carradine (Kill Bill), and it's looking even better. All it needs now is some strong horror violence & gore. . . oh, wait, it says that right there in the MPAA rating! Well, gee, looks like this film simply CAN'T fail! And, I suppose it doesn't. However, it doesn't really succeed all that much either. To start with, there are some very good elements. The gore & violence are excellently excessive. Not Dead-Alive excessive (even though a certain chainsaw scene is eerily reminiscent of a certain lawnmower scene), but there's still plenty. Also, there's some good humour (most notably the Jeremy Sisto puppet), but it occasionally goes over-the-top or takes one joke too far (like slipping in blood for a full minute or the Thriller dance). Technically, the film's alright. The direction isn't anything special, but it looks pretty good, especially for the $500k budget. The script's actually quite good and entertaining: It flows well and the dialogue works well with the characters, even if the actors don't always portray it perfectly. What probably hurts the film most is that it doesn't really properly achieve either side of the horror-comedy subgenre very well. The horror isn't scary and replacing scares with gore simply isn't enough here. The comedy, while occasionally funny, is inconsistent and doesn't really keep the film as a laughfest. But, when it all comes together, the gore & violence added to the occasional laughs make it an entertaining flick worthy of a look for fans of Shaun of the Dead, Dead-Alive, and the Evil Dead series.

Obligatory Zombie Elements:

Cause of Outbreak: Possession or Voodoo or something

Zombie Characteristics: They're pretty much just the townies with some white makeup and fatal wounds. They use weapons, run, talk, etc., so not obviously traditional zombies.

Zombie Effects: There really isn't much. Just some white powder on the face to pale them up. That's all.

Violence/Gore: This is probably the best element of the film here. The gore is excellent and excessive. The violence is all very cool and there are a ton of different kill methods used throughout.

Social Commentary: If there was any, it was extremely subtle.

• - -

Final Verdict: 6/10. Eh, give it a look if you want to kill some time.

Recommended? I'd say a tentative 'yes.' It's enjoyable, and that's enough for me to suggest.

-AP3-

Not so good, even for an indie horror-comedy

[iegiegieg · 5/10 · 11 August 2004]

Well since no ones seen this movie I thought I'd say a few words about it. It blows chuncks quite frankly. It's a indie horror-comedy but ends up just feeling like a bad, scream like, spoof.

Set in a small hick town our six heroes stay at a small bed and breakfast hotel. (Thats where the name "dead and breakfast" comes from). While you clearly get the feel your trying to be exposed to character development, during the first third of the movie, by the end you still don't know the names of any of the characters. Again and again people say well its a low budget movie and its amazing what they did for so little in just 3 weeks... who cares, it's still low budget. Don't see this movie.

Then again it has a nice cameo by David carradine (Kill Bill's Bill) and some fine dancing zombies, if you like that kind of stuff.