The October Zombie-Thon - Day 29: Dance of the Dead
Posted by Trevor Snyder on 10.29.2008
We all know the real reason kids go to prom, and I'm pretty sure it ain't fighting zombies.
DANCE OF THE DEAD (2008)
Directed by: Gregg Bishop
Written by: Joe Ballarini
Country: USA
If there's one thing I wasn't expecting heading into this year's Zombie-Thon, it was the discovery of so many decent zombie-comedies. I've been among those complaining about the recent surge of those kind of movies (including in this very column, earlier in the month), most of which end up feeling like exactly what they are: uninspired attempts to duplicate, or at cash-in on, the success of Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead.
And yet, despite my initial reservations, a number of pleasing zom-coms this month have forced me to eat my words (or my flesh, if we want to go for an analogy more suited to the column). First there were the mild, unassuming joys of Undead or Alive and Boy Eats Girl. Then, just in the last few days the pure, unadulterated hilarity of Die and Let Live and Fido. Those movies alone should have been enough to have me reconsidering my position, but even still I couldn't help but approach today's movie with the same kind of "here we go again" attitude. Turns out that not only did I have nothing to worry about, but I was in for a real delight, as Dance of the Dead is easily one of the most enjoyable times I've ever had watching a zombie-comedy. Actually, check that…one of the most enjoyable times I've ever had watching a zombie movie.
In what could simplistically be described as a pitch-perfect meeting between the worlds of George Romero and John Hughes, Dance of the Dead tells the story of the students of Cosa High School. Like every other movie high school (and, I suppose, like almost every other real high school), the student body is divided into easily recognizable groups – jocks, burnouts, sci-fi geeks, cheerleaders…you get the drill. It goes without saying that these groups rarely intermingle, for fear of upsetting the perfectly-honed and time-honored social traditions of high school. But there is one night where these different factions actually do come together and party together. I'm of course talking about prom night, and Cosa High is going to be having a particularly interesting one this year.
You see, it seems radiation from the town's nuclear power plant have been reviving the occupants of the local cemetery as brain-hungry ghouls (perhaps someone should tell John McCain about that potential risk). In a remarkable example of bad timing, the problem reaches its apex on Cosa High's big night, given the newly risen dead one location where nearly the entire youth community of the town has congregated. With the zombies closing in on this veritable brain smorgasbord, it's up to a motley collection of students to put their differences aside, band together, and kick some undead ass.
No, it's not the most original zombie tale, and yes, the characters are the same sort of stereotypical clichés that you encounter is just about every teen comedy. But here's the thing – that doesn't matter as long as the filmmakers get it right. And in this case we have a duo (writer Joe Ballarini and director Gregg Bishop) who understand just that. Obviously intended as a loving homage to the genre, Dance of the Dead doesn't try to re-invent the zombie movie, or introduce new ideas into the familiar mythology (except for a couple clever exceptions, which I'll mention later). That kind of approach can be admirable on occasion, but more often than not we end up with overly-ambitious filmmakers with ideas clearly bigger than their budget and talent, who end up falling flat on their face as a result.
Bishop and Ballarini instead keep it basic, choosing to embrace the genre's numerous conventions but perk them up with a tight script, first-rate humor, and honest-to-goodness likable characters that actually feel like real teenagers. In fact, for the most part they're played by real teenagers…huh, imagine that. The one notable exception is Justin Welborn as bad boy Kyle (who at one point uses a series of professional wrestling type moves to fight off a zombie assault, in one of the film's most gleefully outrageous moments). Welborn, who recently starred in the critically-acclaimed pseudo-zombie film The Signal, looks a little too old to be playing a high school student, but he's such a hoot as Kyle that it's easy to forgive. Actually, now that I think about, it actually works for the movie, since Kyle seems like the type who was probably held back a number of times.
And while performances are strong across the board, the other actor who deserves special mention is Jared Kusnitz, as the movie's main character, Jimmy. Once again, on the surface Jimmy isn't all that different from a whole slew of similar characters – the lackadaisical slacker who barely cares about anything. And, in all honesty, his character arc, which consists of his attempt to prove himself as a decent boyfriend to his girl Lindsay (Greyson Chadwick) while leading a zombie resistance, holds more than a passing resemblance to Shaun of the Dead. But, once again, familiarity is OK if handled well, and Kusnitz's effortless, deadpan performance is a perfect anchor for the all-out anarchy around him.
And while the movie primarily works as a rather excellent take on familiar themes, it's a further testament to its strengths that when it does add a couple new ideas, they're absolutely killer (and I of course mean that in a good way). Like the revelation that the zombies can be temporarily placated by rock music (who knew zombies were such big Pat Benatar fans?), which would probably be as ridiculous as it sounds in a lesser movie, but here is offered with such conviction that it actually works. Even better is the unique approach to the actual rising from the grave. These ghouls don't slowly claw and crawl their way out of their dirt-beds. No, these bastards literally burst from their graves and hit the ground running. I could think of a more intellectual way to express this, but let me just say it like I feel – this is freakin' awesome looking, and it's a shame the sequence in question isn't longer, so I could have spent even more time marking-out over it.
With its cool mix of characters, rock'n'roll sensibility, and zombies crying out for "brains," Dance of the Dead kinda feels like a Return of the Living Dead sequel that never happened. Actually, it's too bad this movie couldn't have actually been the fourth film in that series, as it would have been a much more effective fit into the franchise than the crappy one-two punch that was Rave to the Grave and Necropolis. Then again, Dance of the Dead deserves to stand on its own two feet. At a time when the sheer quantity of these particular kinds of movies feels somewhat overwhelming, this movie is a prime example that there are still ways to make a truly kick-butt zombie comedy…and it need not even require a brand-new take on the material. Dance of the Dead succeeds because every frame of the film is drenched in the passion and energy of everyone involved. It's an absolute blast of hilarious, gore-drenched excitement from beginning to end, and is easily the best zombie-comedy since Shaun of the Dead. Trust me, you're not gonna regret attending this Dance.
