Such a frustrating disappointment

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Now, I know low budget zombie films are ten a penny these days; they're the bane of the B-movie genre, a sub-genre which keeps on coming and turning out one piece of trash after another. However, I'm pleased to report that DANCE OF THE DEAD, despite the off-putting title, is actually a gem of a B-movie, and that rarity too: a comedy that's funny.One thing that DANCE OF THE DEAD is, is unoriginal. The general thrust of the plot borrows heavily from RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, while a zombie-fighting gravedigger has been borrowed from DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE. There are various nods to other movies along the way too. Nevertheless, the film works, thanks to a witty script and some engaging characters like the redneck thug who becomes a hero.For a low budget production the splattery gore effects are surprisingly decent, and there are some fun goofy moments like when a guy plays baseball with a zombie head. The scriptwriter can't resist including some more original spins on the mythos either, like having the zombies become hypnotised by music or the cool scene where they come shooting out of their graves. The acting works for the genre and many of the one-liners are funny, particularly from the gun-toting P.E. teacher. I liked DANCE OF THE DEAD a lot.

It's time for the Senior Prom at Cosa High School, but unexpected guests are about to crash the party: the living dead kind, that is. As fate would have it, the only ones who are able to come to the rescue are the people who *aren't* able to go to the prom. These fall into familiar "types": the class clown, the geeks, the tough guy, the rockers, etc. With their gung-go coach leading the way, they go into battle against the zombies.This viewer wouldn't consider himself overtly impressed by this one. It's easy enough to take, but at best it generated some modest chuckles, no real belly laughs. It makes no attempt to hide its low budget, what with the hilarious way it situates a nuclear power plant right by a cemetery. What also helps is its level of energy and its consistent forward momentum. It sure doesn't have a lot of story, but that's obviously not the point; it's just out to show its intended audience a good time. There's enough splatter to go around, and some decent sight gags.The characters may largely be clichéd, but they're not hard to root for, with wise guy Jimmy (Jared Kusnitz, "Otis") leading the way. Greyson Chadwick ("Daddy's Little Girls") is appealing as his leading lady Lindsey. Justin Welborn ("The Signal") is amusing as the punk Kyle, Carissa Capobianco ("The Watch") leaves a favourable impression as the cheerleader Gwen, Lucas Till ("X-Men: First Class") and Blair Redford ('The Lying Game') have fun with their roles as rockers, and Mark Oliver ("Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland") is a hoot as the coach.There's nothing memorable here, unless one wants to count the fact that these zombies can be subdued by rock music. Unfortunately, there's not much of an ending; the unsatisfying resolution seems to be setting up a sequel.Five out of 10.

My first and obvious reaction when I saw "Dance of the Dead" standing on the shelves of my local video store a couple of years ago was: "Yet another highly acclaimed and supposedly hilarious zombie comedy? I think I'll pass…" Zombie comedies (also referred to as 'zom-coms' or even 'zomedies') exist since many years, as in the 80's and 90's we already had cult classics like "Night of the Creeps", "Return of the Living Dead" and "Braindead", but particularly since 2004 and the release of "Shaun of the Dead" we can speak of a genuine epidemic. A selected few of them actually manage to be original and funny (like "Zombieland", "Dead Snow" and "Fido") but the vast majority of them are just dumb, derivative and downright pathetic. Automatically assuming that "Dance of the Dead" would fit right into the latter category, I always refrained from watching until now I could pick up an ex-rental DVD copy for the bargain price of $1. Now I'm pleased to announce that "Dance of the Dead" is a lot better than I thought it would be, merely because it's a 200% unpretentious, straightforward and rejoicing little flick. Nearly all the characters are stereotypes and the gags/situations are hugely predictable, but at least the movie is never boring and doesn't waste any time on wannabe intellectual dialogs or far-fetched plot twists. The film opens with a quirky cemetery caretaker having enormous difficulties to keep his cadavers underneath the ground. As the camera zooms out, we perceive that the cemetery lies right next to an overactive nuclear power plant; so there's your explanation. In this same sleepy nuclear energy town, the popular kids prepare themselves for the annual high school prom, whereas the outcasts carry on with their Sci-Fi club meetings, rock band activities and pizza deliveries. As the zombies adrift from their regular cemetery boundaries and head towards the prom, it's up to the freaks and geeks to rescue the rest of the school. Personally, I wouldn't refer to "Dance of the Dead" as one of the best zombie comedies ever made, and I would definitely not label it as an instant cult classic, but it's undeniably a fun and unhinged little gem. The clichés and stereotypes are amusingly enlarged and the make-up effects are often gloriously over-the-top. The pacing remains fast throughout the entire running time and the movie doesn't contain any redundant sequences or padding footage whatsoever. The acting performances are more than adequate, as you can clearly tell that everyone truly enjoyed starring in this one. Recommended to watch in group, or on a lazy and rainy Sunday afternoon.

'wrong turn' deteriorated with each movie and so did 'the hills have eyes'...now being a horror fan I wouldn't lie that I had similar expectations with this one...after 'land of the dead' and 'day of the dead'...who'd ever like to watch a movie named 'dance of the dead'? I downloaded it and was proved wrong....though the humor intended could got a little crappy and predictable at some occasions and the acting sometimes sucked...the movie overall was a good one...the plot is simple...and happens in every other zombie movie you see...the story of survival of a group of people surrounded by people changing into zombies and a hidden love story amidst it.HOwever, this wasn't as lame as it could have been...it was fun to watch and surely relieved my head a little from all the piling tension of work and study...a definite 7/10.