Dead South (2016) User Reviews

Vampires vs Cannibals

[shawnblackman · 4/10 · 26 July 2017]

Two brothers head off to fight in the Civil War. They survive the war but end up bitten by a vampire, which in turn changes them to vampires. They decide to grow some crops on their land with some recently freed slaves to get enough money for a potion that will change them back. They run into trouble of course, with the man who owns the town. Land claims and prejudices, starts off the feud.

A few genres are blended to give us one crappy movie. John Savage plays the rich owner who spends most of his time drinking and barking orders. This is probably his worst film yet although he was in Bermuda Tentacles.

The whole film just had a hokey vibe. You got the Night Walkers (the vampires) and the Eaters (the cannibals) who are constantly doing battle with Savage conducting everything. It does seem that the vampires always win. Not much in the way of effects just some vampire teeth and the odd red stain. Just avoid this one and you might have a more fruitful life.

4 shipping crates used as coffins out of 10.

Southern Gothic indie

[Leofwine_draca · 2/10 · 18 January 2018]

DEAD SOUTH is a Southern Gothic tale made on an indie budget and with very little in the way of effects or resources. The setting is after the American Civil War, where two Confederate soldiers return home to find their small town beset by bigotry and hatred. The main plot twist is that said soldiers are in fact vampires returned from the grave and ready to wreak havoc. This cheap offering attempts to tell a proper story but gets bogged down in padding and repetitive story elements; the setting is right but the story isn't. Most surprisingly, Matthew Marsden, of RAMBO fame, has one of the main roles.

Well...it sucks!

[nebk · 2/10 · 22 July 2017]

Dead South also known as Vampire Wars is supposed to be an Action Horror Drama but is in fact a muddled mess of a movie. The premise is that two confederate brothers who were turned into vampires at the end of The Civil War are trying to collect tribute which they want to use as an offering for a shaman who can turn them back into humans. They stumble upon a town in the south where Vampires, Southern Land Owners and Cannibal Ghoul Home Guard have an alliance in order to exploit freed slaves or anyone else who opposes them. The brothers end up with a deed to a piece of arable land and make a deal with some of the freed slaves and unemployed townsfolk who will work the land and receive an equal share of the land for the profits from the harvest...obviously the Vampire- Ghoul-Landowner coalition in not happy with this and fighting occurs.

Whilst the premise of the movie actually sounds intriguing, the acting in Dead South is below par and cringe worthy as is the writing. The sets are also less then believable and cheap looking. There is also narration at the beginning which claims that over one million soldiers were killed in the Civil War when in fact the historical figure is around six hundred and twenty thousand. Obviously who ever wrote it couldn't even do the tiniest amount of historical research. On top of that there are glaring inconsistencies and plot holes in the movie such as the brothers being told that they will be in incredible pain in direct sunlight and then walking and fighting in direct sunlight without any issues. Overall a very poor effort with a mostly unknown cast which makes Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter look like a cinematic masterpiece in comparison.

It is not what it seems

[nogodnomasters · 1/10 · 21 July 2017]

This production is marketed under two titles, "Vampire Wars" and "Dead South." During the Civil War two brothers fighting for the South get turned. They also get a deed to some land. They decide to farm the land to raise money to see "the potion man" to change them back to human.

For most of the film our "vampires" acted more like ghouls. They are in a deadly fight with Stokes (John Savage) over the land. The brothers enlist the help of locals and former slaves promising them a piece of the pie. The plot was terrible as was the acting and accents. The dialogue proved to be too stereotypical, the stuff a seventh grader might write from watching films. There is heavy narration in the beginning which dies off. Slow motion scenes simply kept us in pain longer. More of a drama than horror.

Guide: No swearing. On clothed sex scene.

WOW.... ummmm

[hollishall · 1/10 · 4 January 2018]

I had to fast forward even through the fight scenes. Was REALLY REALLY REALLY bad. Probably in the top 3 worst movies I have ever seen.

Painful!

What the Actual Frak!!!!

[fordcameronh · 1/10 · 4 September 2020]

This movie just comes off as a bunch of people try in to make an audition piece on a early 2000s camera phone, and Bottle rockers/Roman candles.

How it ever made it to DVD much less red box is the mystery of the century.

Companies carrying titles like this are doomed..

[damiankaelgreen-1 · 1/10 · 13 January 2018]

Pathetic! I know Red Box isn't known for having the best of movies, but how in the world did that piece of work slip in there? If Red Box, or any other company in the business of renting or selling movies wants to survive, they had better start screening out movies like this because I think audiences will not tolerate it...

I enjoyed it...

[sofiacyan · 7/10 · 22 August 2020]

I stumbled on this movie by complete accident. I enjoyed the storyline. I don't think I have seen a movie with vampires existing in the time period the movie was set in. If you enjoyed a series called The Son. You will enjoy the plot in this one-with a twist-vampires. I enjoyed Samuel Hunt's performance. Pity some reviews felt differently though.

Not a Common Film

[bemyfriend-40184 · 7/10 · 9 February 2021]

A lot of low ratings and bad reviews attached to this movie. Fully undeserved. Because it's not a common film. It's not an attempt to make something like "Underworld", with vampires vs. lycans. It is an acid trip of a film; with painful scenes from the Reconstruction Era; combined with some kind of vampire fantasy, so we get the worst of all worlds. It's not Bloodrayne for the boys. It's not Twilight, for the girls. It's not Gone With the Wind, for the Southerner. It's not Roots, for the African-American. It's the strangest mash-up of ideas, I've ever seen in a movie. It's not a common film.