Exhumed (2003)

Three stories across the centuries of individuals given the power to raise the dead, set in feudal Japan, 1940s USA, and a post-apocalyptic future.

Director:

Brian Clement

Writer:

Brian Clement

Stars:

Masahiro Oyake, Hiroaki Itaya, Bettina May

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Masahiro Oyake	...	Ryuzo
Hiroaki Itaya	...	Zentaro
Bettina May	...	Jane Decarlo (as Claire Westby)
Moira Thomas	...	Vivian Von Prowe
Chelsey Arentsen	...	Cherry (as Chelsey 'Inika' Arentsen)
Chantelle Adamache	...	Zura
Chuck Depape	...	General Deus
Denys Melanson	...	Detective Frank Sterner
Robert J Nesbitt	...	Dr. Farell (as Rob Nesbitt)
Scott Bisgrove	...	Mr. Grey
Kitten Coquette	...	Self
Rei Kido	...	Zentaro's Brother
Gerry Kramer	...	Gerald Norman
Morgan Alexander	...	Doorman
Cam Pipes	...	Drunken Sailor

Storyline

In three different time periods and three distinct cinematic styles, Exhumed tells the story of the corrupting otherworldly power to raise the dead as it falls into the hands of individuals across the world. The first, in feudal Japan, has a samurai and monk battling the living dead in the Forest of Death. The second, a film noir thriller, has a young detective woman investigating mysterious grave-robbings in 1940's America. The third, set in a post-apocalyptic future, has battling gangs of vampire mods and rockabilly werewolves captured and experimented on by a fanatical madman. All three stories tie together with a common plot thread of time travel and the object from which the power of resurrection is derived.

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Plot Keywords:

japan | 1940s | vampire | time travel | samurai | 

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Taglines:

An epic anthology of the undead

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

As originally scripted, the movie has the "Last Rumble" segment in the middle, and the movie ends with the full "Shadow of Tomorrow" sequence, but during editing these were switched.

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Crazy Credits

At the very end of the disclaimer, there's a line: "But don't bring home any glowing objects you find in the Antarctic, OK?"

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Connections

References The Crazies (1973)

User Reviews

Stick with this B-movie, it gets better in its third segment.

"Exhumed" is a microbudget movie shot on DV that features three intersecting tales set in different time periods. Each segment has few things in common: zombies, the Necronomicon, and...horrendous acting! OK, that's a bit harsh. The first story features a samurai confronted with the living dead in the middle of the woods in feudal Japan. It is an interesting concept, but poorly executed with an anti-climactic ending. The second story is a B&W pseudo-noir about a 1940s detective investigating grave robbings. The lead character is likable, but unfortunately the actress is awful (think noir-imitator meets bored porn star.)

Halfway through this segment I was ready to turn off the movie. Fortunately, I stayed with it, because the final story is worth catching. It takes place in the future, where vampires and werewolves are at war against each other. Sounds like Underworld? Well the vampires here are hipster mods and the werewolves are rockabilly bikers! I would love to see a full-length film with such an amusing premise! During a fight, the opposing gangs are terminated by a group of neo-nazi-ish humans. The loan survivors, a female vampire and a female werewolf, are captured, experimented on, and pitted against zombies for the human entertainment! The acting in this story is much better, although it gets a bit grating listening to the lead actresses spit their dialogue out through their fake teeth. The three stories are connected in a clever way, and by the end of the movie I didn't think it was half bad. With basically no budget, I found it to be a rather charming b-movie. The director is clearly talented and I would be interested in seeing what he could do if he were provided with more resources.

My Rating: 5/10.

Details

Official Sites:

Frontline Films

Country:

Canada

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

22 May 2004 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Frontline Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Color:

Black and White Color