Dead Shack

If you live in a city, just like me, you can meet a lot of stressed people. You might even meet some insane ones as well, especially Jehovah Witnesses of course. I don´t know how they get so many members, is it because a free chocolate bar is included in their welcome package ? Must be the reason, it actually makes sense. Overall, i love living in the city. You can choose between many different types of restaurants, different shops, or going to see the latest movies in cinema. Unfortunately, we don´t have many strip bars here. I think that may be because in Sweden we have something called The Gudrun Schyman Cult Sect, a very dangerous organisation, that want all nudity to go away. I know, it is bad. Well, im glad Denmark and Germany are more open minded on this page, so well done both countries. Sometimes, when people want to relax and get away from the stressful big city, many people love to go to the countryside. Just to go to a cabin in nature, hug trees, swim naked in a lake, the basic things we all love to do. But in movies we have seen a lot of times, that cabins may not always be the best idea. And one of the most classic horror films that proved this is of course director Sam Raimi´s cult classic Evil Dead. A very small horror film, with a very limited budget, but made with a lot of passion for gory horror. This was the film where we really got our minds hooked up on legendary actor Bruce Campbell. I still think that Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn, is my favourite Evil Dead film. If you have not seen Evil Dead 2, you have made one of the biggest sins of all time. This is a film everyone must see. Army Of Darkness ( also known as Evil Dead 3 ) is a hell of a good time, also a must see. Speaking of horror films in cabins, how many remember director Eli Roth´s film Cabin Fever ( not the remake ) ? This film released in 2002, was actually not that bad. The plot reminded us of Evil Dead in some ways, using some other elements from old school slasher films. Director Eli Roth continued delivering a good time, especially with his classic film Hostel. Since i watch B horror movies every month, i always try and pick out the ones who looks interesting. And this is where i came across a film called Dead Shack. The trailer looked like a fun tribute to VHS video violence in the 80´s. What else do you need than zombie killers and different weapons to make Sunday evening pleasant ? Is this the best horror comedy in many years, or is Dead Shack not worth spending your precious time with ?

Roger ( Donavon Stinson ) is taking his latest girlfriend Lisa ( Valerie Tian ) and his daughter Summer ( Lizzie Boyz ), including her younger brother one of their friends ) to the countryside in a cabin. Summer don´t like her father´s girlfriend Lisa, but she tries to stay out of trouble. As Summer and her brother find a strange cabin with many cars, they discover that a Neighbor ( Lauren Holly ) is keeping flesh eating zombies, who feeds on new victims. Neighbor discover her new guests, and she hopes to have their bodies become food for her darlings. Summer is not going to let that happen, and she strikes back with her brother and his friend, hoping to survive.

Dead Shack is not the most original film you will watch this year. But that´s ok, since this is a film made for B movie lovers. This is the kind of film you want to watch if you love classic films such as Evil Dead, Braindead, Inbred, and many others. Dead Shack is a fun mixture of splatter comedy, that makes fun of stupid people, and also make fun of the horror genre. To be able to do this, you have to have the right characters and a concept that works. This film manage to balance these ingredients pretty good. The best part of the film is the gory scenes. A lot of flesh wounds, and lots of blood. To have flesh eating zombies is of course nothing new, but this film knows what kind of audience who appreciate this genre. The acting is of course not top class, but that´s ok in a film like this. You can still enjoy some of the characters anyway. The plot is so simple, you don´t have to think too much about it. And that is ok, because Dead Shack is more focused delivering a gore feast than a solid story, and i appreciate that. My favourite character in this film is Summer, played by young actor Lizzie Boys. She is tough, but also use her intelligence to handle the situation, when her stupid brother don´t know what to do. I also like the creepy neighbor, played by legendary actor Lauren Holly ( remember her from the 90´s classic Dumb & Dumber ? ). There are a few other characters that also make this film a good time. Director Peter Ricq have worked on different movie projects, and was the co-director of the documentary film Come Together. However, Dead Shack is his first real directorial full feature film in the horror genre. And i must say, he knows what he is doing. He may rip of some classic ingredients from horror classics, but he does it with style and still show respect to the B movie audience. His strength in this film, is that he have made sure to use a lot of practical effects, instead of CGI. And this is a very important detail, when you take on the zombie concept. There are a couple of details that could have been better about this film, but that don´t take away the entertainment level on this film. Dead Shack is a good time, for us who grew up during the 80´s and watch a lot of splatter films. If you want a fun movie to watch this summer, that will bring up the memories of classic B movies you loved as a teenager, make sure to get Dead Shack on DVD ( when it will be released worldwide ), and i guarantee your summer night will be a bloody feast.

Rating: DDD