Carnival of the Damned (2008 Video) User Reviews

Carnival Of The Damned rocked!

[zombiecinemafan · 15 September 2008]

Carnival Of The Damned rocked it hard! I love zombie movies, and this one was really good. Problem is that when new directors try to make a zombie movie it is always copying other ones or they try wayyyy too hard. This one was really original. Always on the look out for new zombie movies I was perusing through Amazon and found COTD, glad I did. It was amazing, Raphael Carlo is like Snake Plisskin and Dirty Harry all in one with a great bod too! He has leading man sex appeal and was really funny. Hope to see more of him in other movies, anyways watched it twice already because some of the lines got stuck in my head. Some one the funnest stuff in the movie wasn't even the undead munching on people. There are lines in this movie that will catch you off guard and make soda come out of your nose, if your drinking soda. The gore in the movie was very realistic and gross. What was with the clown at the carnival? He was crazy scary, I think he gave me more bad dreams than the zombies did, wish it was in there longer but there is supposed to be another one soon so who knows. Can't wait to see the sequel, it sets you up for a larger story. I recommend this movie 10 out of 10 indeed!

The Worst Zombie Crap I Ever Saw

[sexytail · 1/10 · 14 September 2008]

My friend and her brother played extras in this movie so we watched it today just to see their parts. It sure wasn't worth our trouble. I understand this was a low budget movie, but even for that it was some cheap crap. "Carnival of the Damned" (which has a total of zero carnivals) is a zombie movie in which the viewer is treated to about thirty minutes of badly re-dubbed dialog while waiting for poorly photographed and sometimes topless zombies.

The cast of nobodies included a deeply irritating woman the director insists is "this generation's Audrey Hepburn" who plays a "fun" waitress who gives police exposition about the occult before getting kidnapped by cult guys who want to sacrifice her to their god. Talentless lead males portray unlikeable cops, reporters and assassins. We're unlikely to ever hear from any of these "actors" again, but Chris Thompson may soon gain reputation for being worse that Uwe Boll or Ulli Lommell, who previously held the record for making the worst zombie movies ever.

There's also a cherry on top of this fecal sundae of a movie: it's "neo grindhouse" cinema so computer generated film scratches run over the whole movie and trailers for 70s style exploitation occupy the first ten minutes. Musically a lot of copyrights appear to have been infringed on, so the filmmakers might be getting some unpleasant phonecalls soon.

Luckily this monstrosity isn't available in stores so you'll probably never suffer through it, unless you were foolish enough to give out your hard earned dollars and order it on amazon.

By the way, I am the only negative review of this movie and also the only review made by someone who reviews other movies. I think all other comments were made by the filmmakers and their overly loyal friends.

Worthy of 0 Stars

[drphilmybaby · 1/10 · 23 January 2020]

Words cannot express just how worthless this movie is. They're clearly going for an exploitation/grindhouse feel, but failing miserably at it. The acting sucks; the story (actually, was there a story?) was lazy, nonsensical, and meandering; and it just looks awful. The only positive thing about this film is the music, but I'm pretty damn sure they didn't pay for the rights for any of the songs. I have no doubt in my mind that every single one of the positive reviews are from the cast, the crew, and their friends and family. It definitely isn't worth your time or money.

Not to bad

[johntitorback · 10/10 · 15 September 2008]

I have watched a lot of B type films and this is not the best or worse that I have seen. Some of the plot had me wondering what was going on, but as a total film goes this was good. Harry was funny and engaging, Blair played a great scream queen and the makeup was very passable. I would have liked more of a back story, and I would like to see what the plot leads to if there is going to be a sequel. As for the people that like to hate on films of this type try and make one I am sure this is not an easy task. So take it for what it is and kick back drink a couple of beers and enjoy the campy fun that is a Zombie movie, because really they are all camp. So rent it if yo can and get ready for a fun movie night, and take it all for what it is a good time. a blunt might make it even better. Peace.

An excellent B-film for B-film lovers!

[sithtemple · 15 September 2008]

I got this film off the website for the company that put this out, so I got to see the "special edition"... and I loved every minute of it! The film starts off with a bunch of stylized exploitation trailers that looked great in a variety of genres. It was graded to look like a damaged film print, they pulled it off nicely, usually people use one program to put "damage" on, but they used different ones and real film elements to grade it, so the entire thing has a unique look to it. The feature itself is great, I was honestly entertained all the way through and could see the different influences that went into the characters and production design. There are tons of in-jokes all throughout the film and homages as the director puts it, on the very informative commentary track. There is a lot of extra content here for an independent feature, including hidden easter eggs which were a nice touch. If you like horror films in general, or enjoy the exploitation genre, get this film! I read the comment that was written under this one and had to laugh, I didn't quite know what they were on, but I assumed at first they just didn't get the style of this flick, but then I read the other comments they made about other films (and there's like four pages of them) and they didn't have very nice things to say about any of them! Oh and by the way, there IS a carnival in the film, that is actually a major plot point, but they did it in a way that makes the title more important as it has to do with the Psyche of a principle character by going into her past as a little girl (both actress did a great job doing the same character). Chris Thompson is a director you will definitely be hearing from again, he has his own style and its a unique, stylistic, plain cool one. One thing was clear, this guy loves movies. You'll love his...Check it out.

Lots of fun!

[mentalcorrode · 10/10 · 16 September 2008]

If you want my opinion, Carnival Of The Damned is drawn for the feel of movies at a drive-in from back in the day watching old exploitation films. This movie stands as PROOF, that a fun film CAN be made. There was a lot of dedication in making something this great, and I think its a great stepping stone in movie making. Chris Thompson, in my opinion, got it down to a science, and nowadays no one can have fun watching a film; EVERYONE'S a critic. Have people stopped enjoying films and want to be a poser Gene Shalit? Apparently so. But with Chris Thompson making his first film, I can see him moving up on the totem pole, because he has what a lot of people lack: Passion. True, honest passion. This man has a love for movies that is overwhelmingly excellent.

This movie doesn't cut corners. It shows his love for his favorite directors in a great way, seeing that this is a splendid homage to the likes of Argentino to Romero, and the grindhouse feel gives you a feel for some kooky spooky thrills and a good time.

I recommend this movie, because it is a great tribute to grindhouse films. Plus its a good time if you got some beers and a big tub of popcorn. Enjoy!!!

Carnival Of The Damned at the movies...

[justanothercritic-1 · 10/10 · 20 October 2008]

I got to see a screening of this movie the other night at 'The World Premiere' in Port Orchard, Washington and liked it a lot. The crowd was small, but they were into it, they responded well to the film and the atmosphere was good. The film was an exploitation style movie but pulled it off nicely, it started out with fake trailers much like the film Grindhouse but were highly fun and entertaining. People laughed at some of the over the top humor and fx, which added even further to the experience. After the movie, the film makers and some of the actors were on hand to talk about their memories during the shoot, some of the answers were great and I could tell they really enjoyed doing what they do. All in all, it was a fun night that I will always remember with fondness. If you get a chance to see this movie, do it, I know I am going to get a copy myself just so I can see the extras...just one guys opinion.

A horror flick worthy of the grind house image it touts...

[battlestar_reliant · 10/10 · 12 December 2008]

I am a huge fan of horror films, especially independent ones like Dawn of the Dead (1978), Suspiria (1977), and exploitation films like Coffy (1973), I spit on your grave (1978), and They Call her one eye (1974). This film has the flavor and feel of all those films and more. The director is a fan of these films and you can tell by the way he lovingly made CARNIVAL of the DAMNED, it was a serious films with black humor, not a comedy, but it didn't take itself too seriously at the same time. It paid homage with lines from a bunch of films hidden within it (Star Wars, Jaws, and more), and references to other films, all the while it was original and entertaining. The film isn't Oscar caliber, none of the originals were either, but its not that kind of film. It is however worthy of awards and kudos, and worth the reviews and ratings it has gotten. The front of the box says "10 out of 10", I have to agree. I was going to stick a synopsis here and my review of the film, but I think what I wrote says it all with one exception...watch it! If you are a fan of the films mentioned above, you will enjoy CARNIVAL of the DAMNED.