Dead Tone (2007)

Finals at the prestigious University of Dreyskill are finally over and it's time to party. "The Crew", as they are known by their peers and dorm mates, are invited to a rich classmate's ... See full summary »

Directors:

Brian Hooks, Deon Taylor

Writers:

Vashon Nutt, Brian Hooks

Stars:

Rutger Hauer, Gwendoline Yeo, Antwon Tanner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rutger Hauer	...	Detective John Criton
Gwendoline Yeo	...	Detective Anne Hastings
Antwon Tanner	...	Kareem
Brian Hooks	...	Marcus
Wil Horneff	...	Scott / Josh
Jud Tylor	...	Karina
Aimee Garcia	...	Jody
Cherie Johnson	...	Roxy
Jonathan Chase	...	Brandon
Austin Basis	...	Crazy Cal
Germán Legarreta	...	Shawn
Kyle Turley	...	Killer
Donald Ray Crockett	...	Investigator
Denyce Lawton	...	Anna
Brian Hilton	...	Killer #2

Storyline

Finals at the prestigious University of Dreyskill are finally over and it's time to party. "The Crew", as they are known by their peers and dorm mates, are invited to a rich classmate's hideaway mansion high up in the hills of Colorado. What was supposed to be a weekend of fun and relaxation quickly becomes a trip they will never forget... If they survive! A simple game of prank scare phone calls becomes an intense game of survival and escape when one of the Crew members accidentally calls the wrong person.

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Plot Keywords:

party | mansion | bare breasts | masturbation | male masturbation | 

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Taglines:

Loosing In This Game Will Cost You.... Your Life

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong bloody violence, language, sexual content and some drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 August 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead Tone

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hooks and Taylor Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[last lines]
Detective Criton: Don't worry about a thing. We'll take care of you. It's over now.

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Connections

References Psycho (1960)

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Soundtracks

Still Waters-Love
Written by Smokey Robinson (as William Robinson) and Frank Wilson
Performed by O Bryan
Courtesy of Capital Records and EMI Music Publishing

User Reviews

7eventy 5ive ... percent of the characters in this movie are incredibly unlikable

The plot of 7EVENTY 5IVE involves college kids who play a cruel phone game that unexpectedly (to them, if not to fans of horror) gets them in over their heads. The STORY of 7EVENTY 5IVE, on the other hand, is that of a horror film that had a wee little bit of promise, sadly outweighed by really bad writing.

What could have been a fun, if somewhat silly, old-fashioned slasher tale is derailed early on by its filmmakers' misguided belief that the audience would enjoy watching a bunch of loud, whiny rich kids bitching at each other for most of the film's running time. With the exception of a police detective played by Rutger Hauer, (in a minor role that is designed mainly to add the movie's only star power) every character on screen is a different breed of young A-hole.

Male and female, black and white, straight and gay, an entire ensemble of shallow and shrill college kids carries the bulk of the film's narrative. Worse, since the tale deals with a PARTY game gone awry, most of the time the scenes are completely filled with these little b*****ds. Because of this, there are few breaks for the viewer, who must put up with the angry sniping of the thinly-drawn protagonists. Even though at least some of these people are supposedly friends, invariably all characters interact in a very hostile manner, long before any genuine conflict has actually arisen. This leads to the worst possible result in a slasher film: The audience, intended to care about the leads, instead not only cheers on the anonymous killer, but wishes that he had arrived to start picking off the vacuous brats far earlier.

The real shame of this poor characterization is that otherwise 7EVENTY 5IVE actually DID have some potential. Visually it's fine. First-time directors Brian Hooks and Deon Taylor know how to build a suspenseful mood. They also manage to deliver on some competent, if sparse, moments of classic 80s-style gore. Surprisingly, the production's cast is also fairly able. It isn't that the actors aren't capable of expressing realistic human emotion; it is simply that the screenplay (co-written by newcomer Vashon Nutt and director Hooks, who fared much better behind the camera than with a keyboard) is short of such moments.

7EVENTY 5IVE can hardly be recommended, as its familiar premise and few thrills can't outweigh the bad taste left behind by a story driven by a gaggle of unpleasant characters. In this tepid whodunnit, the real mystery is why anyone should care about a group of young folk who can't even manage to like each other.