Hey gang, Valkor here. I was getting kind of worried when it came to the type of films that came through here, which were mostly horrors, dramas, a few action but not enough comedies – film makers of the world, especially you indies, we must have some kind of balance and push out more comedic efforts. But please, nothing like the film I'm about to sink my teeth into – Dead Before Dawn. It has an amazing cast, a few chuckles and not much else.
Dead Before Dawn puts the focus on Casper (Devon Bostick - Sacrifice) and his friends, who accidently break a cursed urn that unleashes an evil spirit. Unfortunately for the troop, the evil spirit they've unleashed places a curse on them that if they should make eye contact with anyone, then that person will kill themselves and come back as a zemon (Zombie/Demon). Not only that, but the zemons can infect others by giving them hickies (I'm not making this up). The only way they can stop the curse is for the group to gather up a set of ingredients before dawn or else the curse becomes permanent and they can never look another soul in the face again. On a positive note they can subdue the zemons and make them their slaves by seducing them (yup!). But with the clock winding down, will the gang gather the components in time to reverse the curse?
Christopher Lloyd (Bake to the Future) makes an appearance as Casper's grandfather Horus and Martha MacIsaac super cutie from "Super Bad" fame plays Casper's love interest Charlotte. The film was released in 3D and trutheshly… I just don't see it. There's nothing about the film save for a few explosions that would make it work as a 3D film. I even checked on Amazon and there's no 3D version of the film, but does it even matter?
The Good:
Dead Before Dawn has all the elements of an 80s cheesefest film; you have stereotypical characters such as the slutty cheerleader, the lonely heart nerd, the goof, the jock, and the bully, all collected in a film with the cheesiest of plots whilst they toss out stereotypical jargon. And in that sense, I can totally appreciate where the film was going. The story is wicked over the top and in some areas it works, but in others, it's just weird. As a comedy, it's definitely unusual, but there were some parts where I chuckled. The acting is just… well there isn't much to say about that, because it looks as though everyone was just spouting lines and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it were all improv. Again it feels way over the top. In the end, Dead Before Dawn is just a really goofy movie with a tiny bit of entertainment value, but not much else. Finally, while all the women present would get the tip, it's April Mullen who's won me over completely and gets the PerfectView nod this round. Dead before Dawn – there are some things to like… but not a whole lot as we switch gears to…
The Bad:
When I say this film is over the top, I mean this film is waaaaay over the top! I mean a plot about hickey giving zemons who can be seduced into being slaves? I… I just can't with that… And there's other stuff that's just too silly such as the mug guy Seth and any scene he's in, the Seth and Dazzle flashback scenes… everything! The film is so full of dumb it'll make your head spin! Even if it's intentional dumb, it's still not good; why not toss in some goofy sound effects to boot, don't just half-ass it – go all ass in! Finally, there were a few scenes I thought were funny, but soon after realizing maybe they weren't supposed to be funny after all. For example when Casper's mom dies; her death and what happens when she becomes a zemon is pretty silly (she takes a toilet brush to the throat and gets run over by hillbillies), I mean it's kinda funny… but then that's his mom right, so you kinda want to feel bad? Ugh!
The Ugly:
Lucy frenchin with Zemon Josh… I threw up a little in my mouth!
Dead Before Dawn, what can I say, it's simply one of the dumbest movies I've ever laid eyes on; there are some things to like about it, but the over the top plot mixed in with crazy acting and other really dumb scenes doesn't make this one a charming or very entertaining effort. You might take a look if you catch it on late night television or pick it up out of curiosity, but be warned you will groan, roll your eyes or toss the remote at the screen with all the dumb. And out of TOV 5 stars, I give Dead Before Dawn a 1.5.
