Dance of the Dead (2008)

On the night of the big High-School Prom, the dead rise to eat the living, and the only people who can stop them are the losers who couldn't get dates to the dance.

Director:

Gregg Bishop

Writer:

Joe Ballarini

Stars:

Jared Kusnitz, Greyson Chadwick, Chandler Darby

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jared Kusnitz	...	Jimmy Dunn
Greyson Chadwick	...	Lindsey
Chandler Darby	...	Steven
Carissa Capobianco	...	Gwen
Randy McDowell	...	Jules Reiner
Michael Mammoliti	...	George (as Michael V. Mammoliti)
Mark Lynch	...	Rod
Justin Welborn	...	Kyle Grubbin
Mark Oliver	...	Coach Keel
Blair Redford	...	Nash Rambler
Lucas Till	...	Jensen
Hunter Pierce	...	Dave The Drummer
Jonathan Spencer	...	Frank Hammond
Stephen Caudill	...	Principal Castlemoody
J. Jacob Adelman	...	Mitch (as Jeff Adelman)

Storyline

It is prom night in middle America. Tuxes have been rented and dresses have been bought. But when the dead unexpectedly rise from their graves to eat the living, it's up to the geeks, the nerds, the outcast and the losers who couldn't get dates to the dance to save the town from the undead. Unlikely heroes will rise to the challenge as they are forced to put aside their differences and band together to fight for their lives. Armed with bats, sledgehammers, garden tools and guitars, this rag-tag group of high-school teens are in for a prom night they will never forget.

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Plot Keywords:

zombie | anti gay language | meanness | schoolteacher | generation y | 

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Taglines:

It's their night to come alive.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for horror violence and gore, language and some drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

On September 30, 2015, Sundance.TV named "Dance of the Dead" the #1 zombie comedy of all time. Rounding out the top 5 was Peter Jackson's "Dead Alive" at #2, "Dead Snow" at #3, Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead II" at #4, and "Fido" at #5.

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Goofs

After the group arms themselves at Coach's garage, they pick up the band at Mitch's garage where Coach kills all the zombies single-handed. In the next scene, they arrive at the school and their weapons are all covered in blood even though they haven't eliminated any zombies.

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Quotes

Jimmy: I know this is last minute, but will you please go to the prom with me?
Terry: Ewww!
Jennifer: Get lost, Jimmy.

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Connections

Referenced in Z-O-M-B-I-E-S (2018)

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Soundtracks

That Time
Performed by Paul Layton (as Layton)
Written by Paul Layton
Published by Songs Music Publishing LLC O/B/O Layton Songs (ASCAP) and Ram Island Songs (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Illicit Paradise

User Reviews

You may not want to bite on Dance of the Dead

I always bite on B-horror films like this (and Black Sheep) and so far, the same results - disappointment. Dance of the Dead has absolutely no suspense whatsoever, and the pacing of the movie, along with comedic timing, is a bit off at all times. Then there's the acting which ranges from acceptable to down-right BAD (I guess that's what you get when you cast real High School-aged actors). All in all, it's no better than a b-film. I wouldn't even rank it a B+. But that's not to say it lacks any redeeming value. The character development is weak, but not non-existent. There's some serious lack of creativity (Power Plant for example) and there are moments of complete cliché (I understand what kind of movie it is but let's face it), but there's also some good gory laughs thrown in during later scenes if you can bare with it a while. The gore is here and there, and the special effects are good enough. My main problem was the amateurish aspects of it. The pacing, the timing, etc. The movie just seemed to skip too quickly without building up scenes or parts of the plot. It does get better as it goes though.

I'm no disgruntled employee, but I do think the movie is way over-hyped. It's by no means anything comparable to the likes of Shaun of the Dead or Evil Dead for that matter, but it does have a few things going for it. Only recommended for zombie fanatics that have an affinity for b-quality films. If you like polished production values, you might want to avoid it. A good test is watching the intro sequence.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dance of the Dead

Filming Locations:

Rome, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Compound B, Bishop Studios LLC, Bleiberg Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1