Burning Dead is film #23 in the Decrepit Crypt of Nightmares box set. Discs 4 & 5 wouldn't load for me so I have to skip films 15-22 for the time being. Burning Dead features an unlikable man going back to his home town for the first time since there was a bad fire that killed both his parents and many other people. Once he arrives he has one awkward and unrealistic encounter after another with people he used to know from the town. This includes trying to smash a relatives child to death with a hammer along with him and his wife. They tie him up and see the ghost zombies the main character thought he was paranoid for seeing. This causes them to instantly forgive him and untie him despite it not really having to do with him going into a murderous trance.
The ghostly zombie visions aren't that frequent and one of the few notable parts of the movie even with the cheap makeup and smoke machine fog. They are cheap but work with the overall low budget aesthetic. Unfortunately most of the first hour of the movie is slow, uninteresting dialogue with the main character. He just isn't that interesting and we are even treated to a butt shot before he takes a shower. The filmmakers realize this is an insult to most people with functioning eyesight so make up for it with a shower love scene with the ghost of his sexy teacher who died in the fire and has enormous breasts. He literally becomes "hot for teacher" as she turns into a charred version of herself mid fornication. Late in the film we get one stunning twist and revelation after another but most viewers will be asleep by then. There's a battle with a demon with a gruff voice and a horde of zombies. The horde of zombies in this scene just has smoot rubbed on their face and they even throw in a token black dude at this point presumably because the smooth budget ran out. Burning Dead is an ultra low budget zombie/ghost/demon movie with a lot of ambition but completely lacking in the talent and overall vision to realize it. The idea of a man haunted by his past returning home isn't new but it at least has some unique ideas here and can be applauded for trying something different with a cliched idea. The lack of an appealing main character, limited gore, sluggish pace and rough acting keep me from giving this a recommendation though there is much, much worse at this budget level.
The ghostly zombie visions aren't that frequent and one of the few notable parts of the movie even with the cheap makeup and smoke machine fog. They are cheap but work with the overall low budget aesthetic. Unfortunately most of the first hour of the movie is slow, uninteresting dialogue with the main character. He just isn't that interesting and we are even treated to a butt shot before he takes a shower. The filmmakers realize this is an insult to most people with functioning eyesight so make up for it with a shower love scene with the ghost of his sexy teacher who died in the fire and has enormous breasts. He literally becomes "hot for teacher" as she turns into a charred version of herself mid fornication. Late in the film we get one stunning twist and revelation after another but most viewers will be asleep by then. There's a battle with a demon with a gruff voice and a horde of zombies. The horde of zombies in this scene just has smoot rubbed on their face and they even throw in a token black dude at this point presumably because the smooth budget ran out. Burning Dead is an ultra low budget zombie/ghost/demon movie with a lot of ambition but completely lacking in the talent and overall vision to realize it. The idea of a man haunted by his past returning home isn't new but it at least has some unique ideas here and can be applauded for trying something different with a cliched idea. The lack of an appealing main character, limited gore, sluggish pace and rough acting keep me from giving this a recommendation though there is much, much worse at this budget level.
