Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditsAwards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guidemessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsmemorable quotesDid You Know?
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
box office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsReviews & Ratings for
Dead at the Box Office More at IMDbPro »
| Page 1 of 2: | [1] [2] ![[Next]](http://i.media-imdb.com/f86.gif){kind=small} |
| Index | 16 reviews in total |
33 out of 41 people found the following review useful:
Some heart, very little braaaaaaaaaaaaaains, 30 October 2007
Author:
jessedorjeirwin from Chicago, USA
It's obvious that the people who made 'Dead At The Box Office' love
B-movie horror. Overt references to the genre are peppered throughout,
from stock characters (the authority figure who doesn't believe the
monstrous invasion is really happening) to Kevin Smith style
discussions to reenacting Duane Jones' last moments from 'Night of the
Living Dead' not once but twice.
Unfortunately it takes more than love to make a good movie.
The staging and shot choice are unexciting and unimaginative. While a
common admonition in film school is to avoid 'Mastershot Theatre,'
telling the story completely in a wide master shot, here we find the
obverse as in several sequences it's hard to figure out the spatial
relationships between characters as the story is told in a series of
medium shots with no establishing shot to tie it together. Editing is
drab and basic and at times there are unmotivated cuts. The lighting is
flat and sometimes muddy, making the scenes in the darkened theatre
hard to make out (was there lighting, or was this shot with available
light only?). Some shots are out of focus. The dialogue is trite, and
the performances, for the most part, one-note (Isaiah Robinson shows
some energy and screen presence as Curtis, and the fellow playing the
projectionist has some pleasantly dickish line readings; Michael Allen
Williams as the theater manager and Casey Kirkpatrick as enthusiastic
film geek Eric have some nice moments). The premise is silly, even for
a B horror flick (Also, it's too bad Dr Eisner was unaware of Project
Paperclip - he could've saved himself a lot of trouble!). The 'zombies'
are non-threatening, and their makeup is unconvincing (although the
chunky zombie trying to get a gumball out of the machine raised a
smile). For a zombie fan film, there is very little blood or violence,
although what there is, is handled pretty well. The incidental music,
while stylistically uneven, is kind of nice at times, and there are
some good foley effects. The 'Time Warp' parody was a fun listen,
although the images going along with it were less fun to watch.
Unfortunately, the looped dialogue sounds flat. Was this shot non-sync
(doubtful, it looks like video through and through)? I watched the
special introduction by Troma Films' Lloyd Kaufman before the main
feature - although it consisted essentially of Kaufman plugging his own
stuff and admitting that he hadn't seen the movie while someone mugged
in a Toxie mask, its production and entertainment values were higher
than 'Dead...' itself (quick aside to whoever put the DVD together -
the countdown on film leader beeps only on the flash-frame 2, not on
every number plus one more after). For that matter, the vampire film
theatregoers are seen watching early in 'Dead...' looked a lot more
entertaining than this. Recommendation to avoid, unless you know
someone involved in the production or are an ardent Lloyd Kaufman
completist (he plays 'Kaufman the Minion' in the film-within-a-film).
(Full disclosure: my girlfriend is an extra in this movie. I swear this
did not color my review.)
42 out of 63 people found the following review useful:
Bad movie, even with the sound down., 18 January 2007
Author:
goreygrrl from United States
30 seconds into the opening credits, I had this feeling that this was going to be a bad movie, but I didn't know just how bad. Then the actor playing the evil Nazi scientist opens his mouth and my friend and I decide that in order to survive this movie, we'll have to turn the volume down, make up our own dialogue and double the speed on the DVD. But that didn't help. About half way through we turned it off. Now, I've lived through some very bad movies before, both with and without the aide of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" and "Svengoolie," but there are just some movies which I doubt even the Bots can save. The biggest part of the movie that bothered me the most was that the people hypnotized into believing they're zombies had rotting green skin. I guess they were all hypnotized into death, then hypnotized into rotting themselves. Stick to the real B-movie cult classics like "Plan Nine From Outer Space."
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Cheesy, corny, and campy z-grade fun, 5 November 2010
Author:
Anthony Pittore III (Shattered_Wake) from Los Angeles, CA
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Perhaps best known for once being the lowest rated horror film on IMDb,
'Dead at the Box Office' tells the story of a struggling independent
movie theatre looking for anything they can to save their beloved movie
house. As if their prayers are answered, the cinema's crew discovers an
old movie reel of what they believe is a classic B-movie preview.
Unfortunately for them, the reel actually holds a mind-control device
created by a mad Nazi scientist. Soon, the theatre is overrun by a
horde of murderous, flesh-eating zombies and the employees must find a
way to put a stop to the ravenous monsters.
Perhaps it's low expectations. Perhaps it's an unending passion for
zombie cinema. Or perhaps it's a warped mind that has lost its ability
to recognize horrible cinema. Whatever it may be. . . but I just
couldn't seem to hate this movie the way so many others have. Sure, the
acting is as unimpressive as can be. And sure, the writing is pretty
terrible, with ridiculous dialogue and uneven pacing. And, maybe all
the lame special effects could have been purchased for $10 from Party
City. But, the film did seem to have some serious heart to it, not to
mention a pretty wicked story. It was pretty obvious that it was made
by people who love the zombie subgenre; and, for that alone, it should
be placed above most other ultra low-budget horrors that have come out.
Now, this isn't to say this is a good movie. No, it's a bad movie. A
very bad movie. But it's far from the worst, if only due to its
watchability and comedy. As long as there are films like 'The Zombie
Diaries' or the 'Night of the Living Dead 3D' remake, 'Dead at the Box
Office' should be saved as the bottom-level zombie flicks.
The one thing a movie like this brings to light is the unfortunate
hypocrisy that rules the film industry. It's a sad state of affairs
when someone with true passion for the genre like director Shawn Sutler
is forced to be stuck with z-grade inadequacy while remake hounds like
Nelson McCormick get to helm multi-million dollar productions with no
heart or soul whatsoever.
Perhaps one day our genre will go back to rewarding people who actually
care about horror, but it seems a far way off from now.
Final Verdict: 4/10. If only for the passion behind it.
-AP3-
4 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Lots of fun, 5 April 2009
Author:
TheFiendsThatPlagueThee from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
When the employees of a theater find an old reel of film, they decide
to show it at the midnight screening of Night of the Living Dead,
assuming it's an old preview reel. Unfortunately, it's actually an old
Nazi mind control experiment that turns the audience into a horde of
mindless shuffling zombies.
I can't understand the hate for this movie. It is a low budget
independent production with a lot of camp, but it doesn't deserve a
"1.1" here on IMDb. It is just so much fun. It is obvious that the
filmmakers have a reasonable knowledge and love of old horror movies,
and they have created an entertaining tribute to them sprinkled with
references and homages to a variety of them. It has the feel of such
things as Night of the Living Dead (in many ways, very similar), Evil
Dead 2 and Army of Darkness, and various others.
I liked the explanation of how the zombies, though really just
hypnotized into thinking they are zombies, actually come to have the
physical attributes of the living dead-unbelievable, perhaps, but I
appreciate the effort by the writers to explain it. The gore effects
were decent for the budget, the acting was all right, and the story was
entertaining.
I liked it.
7 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Dead at the Box Office..., 30 July 2008
Author:
pyromanticways from Italy
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I bought this film sending a message to the authors, on "Dead at the
Box Office" Myspace page. It's been an interesting experience to watch
a film, knowing then I'd communicate my impressions to... Dr. Eisner in
person! Well, despite some flaws on the "thrilling" side, I guess you
should appreciate this movie for what it is: a low-budget, willingly
camp, horror comedy! As a child of its time, it shows conscious
approach to a genre that, if not dead, sure has changed much! Since Mr.
Ryan A. Markle's answer to my letter contains hints about the film
nobody else could give (not a watcher, at least), I'd like to copy &
paste portions (the whole thing would exceed the number of words
allowed in this comment) of our exchange of letters (Since Ryan himself
divided my e-mail in parts he separately answered to in his letter,
I'll just add our names to this sort of unintentional mutual interview
we had!)
Dario: First of all, let me say it was really a nice surprise to find
English subtitles in the DVD's menu! I'm quite used to watch films in
English but... having matching subtitles too! I didn't miss a word and
learned some new ones too!
Ryan: We're actually fans of English subtitles ourselves, even though
English is our native language. Sometimes it's hard to understand
what's being said in any movie, and having the subtitles makes sure
that the viewer can catch everything the writer wanted to get across in
the story. So we put them on there because, if we were watching it for
the first time, WE would want them to be there.
Dario: The plot was good! My favourite characters were Eric, Curtis and
Yours! The bite scene (a due homage to good ol' Dawn of the Dead!) let
me know I was going to enjoy fantastic splatter & gore SFX! I'm not
saying I'd expected some fu**in' computer graphic or other latest
Hollywood's crap, but, you know, you may never know what to expect from
indie films and low budget cinema in general... You seem to know the
old formula, though!
Ryan: That was the goal! We love the movies that made horror great,
especially the ones that were made with almost no money but were rich
in creativity. And of course none of them use CGI! As filmmakers, we
believe that CG should only be used to enhance practical effects -- not
to replace them altogether.
Dario: Some of the siege and chasing scenes reminded of some Italian
horrors I adore like Lamberto Bava's "Demoni" (Demons) or Andrea
Bianchi's "Le Notti del Terrore" (Burial Ground). In its (deliberate, I
know) campiness it kinda reminded me of Timothy O' Rawe's "Ghoul
School" too...
Ryan: High praise, all the way around! You definitely know your horror
history -- exactly the kind of person we made the movie for! :)
Dario: I absolutely loved the laughing reaction of the stereotyped
audience, when the nazi logo shows on screen. Lloyd Kaufman's presence
was already in the air when he showed up and the Rocky Horror Show-like
pseudo-happy ending, finally released the Hollywood's parody that was
around the bend (that made me think of early John Waters' films,
somehow).
Ryan: We've definitely been influenced by Lloyd Kaufman and Troma (not
to mention 'Rocky Horror'), but I never really thought about how much
the campy shock twists in 'Pink Flamingos' -- a movie several of us
watched over and over when we were teenagers -- have contributed to our
style. You probably have something there!
Dario: I'd liked to see more of "Harry's Daughter" though... I found
priceless the final scene (unexpected after ALL the end titles!).. will
you make a sequel?!
Ryan: We had discussed it, but after finishing 'Dead at the Box
Office', we all pretty much went our separate ways. We made the movie
near Chicago, but after it was finished, the actor who played Eric (who
also co-wrote the script with me) and the director both moved to New
York, while I moved to Los Angeles. If the movie is a hit, maybe we can
get the financing to get back together for a sequel ... but since we're
living 3000 miles apart, it won't be easy!
Dario: OK... sure there's more I could say on the positive side, but it
doesn't come to mind now... The only spot I'd recall, thinking of this
basically good time I had with Dead at the Box Office, would be maybe
the pacing of the action scenes. The "zombies" were a little too...
unwilling; and I'd swear I've seen a couple of them laughing too,
but... I know, I know! This horror movie is a self-conscious campy
comedy as well, right? Maybe It's just that blood was so convincing,
I'd loved to get some thrill too!
Ryan: I understand completely. Looking back, we realize that we might
have tried too hard to make the movie equal parts comedy and horror,
when we should have concentrated more on one or the other. We really
wanted horror fans to love it, so if we had the chance to do it all
again, we would have concentrated a little more on the tension and
action.
Dario: By the way... It still has very interesting cues, not only for
gorehounds and... I totally agree with the revolutionary spirit of
Romero's films!
4 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Clever social commentary, 2 March 2009
Author:
keanho from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
This film, shot entirely on location at a movie theater, makes us rethink what it means to be a zombie - must one be an actual undead human, or can the definition extend to those who have been hypnotized into being whatever the media tells them to be? As we see the theater staff overtaken with the idiocy around them, one begins to wonder - are we just puppets, and if so, who is the real villain pulling our strings? "Dead at the Box Office" aims to answer this and other important questions about American life, including what happens when panicked law enforcement agents attempt to deal with something they simply don't bother trying to understand. Ten stars!
7 out of 31 people found the following review useful:
Tons of fun, 15 December 2007
Author:
lupineaura from United States
This movie was so much fun! Classic "B" horror movie, well done without
taking itself too seriously. The plot line was clever and original, yet
included some of the best parts of the zombie "formula."
Two of the actors did a great job- Casey Kirkpatrick ("Eric") and
Isaiah Robinson ("Curtis"). Who would have thought that cute kid from
Hook would show up in an indy zombie flick? I also liked the use of
public domain film and nods to cult classics.
After watching it, one of my main thoughts was that if this movie had
had a Hollywood budget, it would have been a blockbuster. I really hope
this troupe makes another flick!
9 out of 35 people found the following review useful:
It truly does pay homage to the classics, 30 October 2007
Author:
iamfester_pi from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
This is the epitome of what any fan can do when they really put their mind to it. You can tell both from the film and from the directors commentary that they had little funds or equipment to work with. Still though, they pull off a great story with all the essentials parts of a classic horror film of any sub-genera. Sure the special effects are kind of cheesy, but that's what makes a low budget feature great. It's the inventive ways that directors use what limited space, manpower, actors, and resources that they have that make this kind of movie so great. Eric's speech about horror movies and what makes Night of the Living Dead so extraordinary is pure genius. If you're a fan of horror this is a must own.
6 out of 32 people found the following review useful:
It has the kid from Hook in it, 31 October 2007
Author:
Thebluemaji from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
"Dead at the Box Office" may not be "Shaun of the Dead", but it had the kid from "Hook" in it. Sometimes you have to look at movies in steps. You can rip a movie apart as a critical viewer or you can see the good in it and enjoy it for what it is. I don't exactly know these guys well, but I met them at the screening and they have great potential. Look at "Clerks" if you want to see how a group of people can grow. Kevin Smith started out with a decent film and they evolved. DATBO was easily as entertaining as most of what goes on TV lately. Do you really want to be the guy or girl who jumped to criticality over someone's dream? The bottom line is that this is a start. With such a minimal budget, I'd say DATBO was a hit. What could they do with 50 million? Some see crap, but I see great potential. I was lucky enough to meet with some of these guys through Mark Racop and Magic House Productions. The Dead at the Box Office people are going somewhere. These people have a passion for film. There are always going to be a few kinks on the first ones, but I think it's great that someone is seeing through with their passion for creating Art. The only people who should criticize a film are fellow filmmakers. You can't fully understand the difficulty behind a film unless you make them yourself. Give these people time and see what comes from them. I personally liked it and I thought they did an excellent job overall. It was kind of like trying to sit through a Tom Cruise movie in some places, but mostly I just laughed. Could you do any better?
7 out of 35 people found the following review useful:
"I think it's fine to like bad movies", 1 November 2007
Author:
damian_zolos from United States
As one of the lead characters stated, "I think it's fine to line bad movies," and I couldn't agree more. Granted, there are some lacking aspects to the movie; poor sound recording and thoroughly implausible ending for example. Still, I can gladly look past the flaws to what is right about the movie. For a low budget indi, it's special effects are good, the dialog is solid, and it's a fun movie. It takes a unique plot line while giving homage to many of the genre classics. This isn't trying to sell it self as a 'serious' scary movie. It's a light-hearted B movie that brings some laughs and fun to an evening. Mix with a little alcohol, and this can be a great movie night.
| Page 1 of 2: | [1] [2] |
Related Links
| Plot summary | Ratings | External reviews |
| Official site | Plot keywords | Main details |
| Your user reviews | Your vote history |
Copyright © 1990-2013
IMDb.com, Inc.
Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy | Interest-Based Ads
An 
company.