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Directed by Gregg Bishop. Starring Jared Kuznitz, Greyson Chadwick, Carissa Capobianco, Justin Welborn, Randy McDowell and Chandler Darby. Zombie/Horror Comedy. USA. 87 minutes.

Release Date (UK) - 19th April 2010. BUY NOW

On the same day as the local High School prom, a local power plant spillage causes the dead to rise once more. And so it takes a group, led by Jimmy (Jared Kuznitz) to take on and defeat the undead masses in this wonderful zom-com.

I for one am surprised it has taken so long for Dance Of The Dead to hit UK shores as the film has had a US release for over 18 months and met with some great reviews from those that have seen it.

The opening scene starts in the towns graveyard (a cheeky nod to the influence of Romero in this film) as the gravedigger investigates some weird occurances and as one of the most predictable shocks ever seen in a horror film, a hand reaches up through the ground and grabs his throat. Yes, Gregg Bishop definitly knows his horror films!

Cut to Cosa High School on the day of prom night which introduces us briefly to some of the films key characters, the cool kids, the cheerleaders and the sci fi club. It's here we meet Jimmy, the school clown who seems to be able to make a joke out of everything, mocking his teachers and even Kyle, the school psycho. The character build up and development is really well done, time is spent introducing each character and none of them are unlikeable. How often does that happen in a teen horror these days? Bad memories of Friday the 13th remake are flooding back to me....

Undeterred by his girlfriend Lindsey telling him that she no longer wants to go to the prom with him, Jimmy ends up being sent off on his pizza delivery job, his prom date heads off to the prom with Mitch. Meanwhile, the school sci fi club investigates the graveyard we are shown in the opening scenes encountering the creepy gravedigger whilst there, being told "stick to the path", another clever nod to a horror classic.

Whilst exploring an empty crypt, it is here where the films flips from being a high school comedy with a hint of horror to full on zombie film. It never loses the comedy side to it's script but it blends the horror and comedy elements very well. It is immensely well written and very, very funny. But 20 minutes in is where the action starts and doesn't let up untill the closing credits roll.

Dance Of The Dead is an exceptionally smart and funny film, I personally loved the scene in the grocery store where the attendant informs the zombies "hey no eating in store" or the scene shortly after as Mr Hammond gets his comeuppance, attacked by a zombie frog! Short, smart interludes to the main story that add very nicely to the overall feel of the film.

Back in the main story, all hell is breaking loose and whilst escaping from his pizza delivery call, he encounters Kyle once again. Another exceptionally funny scene where he ends up wrestling with the undead! Lindsey and the scifi club meanwhile end up in a funeral home with Jimmy, Gwen and Kyle eventually turning up there too. In the ensueing chaos, as the dead rise from their coffins, Kyle ends up being bit, showing a very human side to his character, despite the tough guy exterior previously shown. Dawning on them that every zombie in town is now heading to the all you can eat buffet that is the high school prom, they decide as a group to fight to survive. As they make their escape in a hearse, they find their tyres get shot out by another survivor, Coach Keel. Kitted and booted out in his garage, they grab any available weapons to hand, another memorable line from the coach "little lady, you get the machete" to which Gwen replies "but i don't know how to shoot a machete!!". Wonderful scriptwriting!

Whilst on the way to the school prom, they encounter another band of survivors, the local punk band, refused the opportunity to play at the prom. However their music seems to influence, affect and calm the zombies behaviour (I don't know either??). On arrival at the school, coach Keel hatches a plan to contain the zombies whilst blowing up the school, barricading the doors and planting explosives at key points around the school. In a tense finale, the coach inadvertently drops the detonator leaving Jimmy and Lindsey to retrieve it from the prom, already over run with the towns zombies and former classmates. Saved by the band managing to take the stage and control the zombies behaviour, it gives them both the opportunity to retrieve the detonator and make their escape. However as the rest of the group are making their escape, Gwen, previously bitten by a zombie, lures Steven into a toilet cubicle, kisses him and in one of the films more gruesome moments, chews his mouth off! Excellent! It just goes to show, even zombies can fall in love...

The film ends as the school is blown up and the coach and the remaining survivors make their escape on a school bus, leaving only the gravedigger standing there to pick up the pieces, so to speak.

Dance Of The Dead is a very cool film, wonderfully well written and a great blend of storyline, effects, horror and humour, a rom-zom-com that actually works. What Gregg Bishop has created with only his second feature is nothing short of brilliance, keeping you entertained throughout and just when you think it may just play out as a teen comedy-horror, it really kicks in and ups the pace. Ok, there are parts that don't quite make sense to me, music controlling the zombies for example or how the hell do zombies drive a car?? And just what is the gravedigger trying to protect by saying nothing about what is going on? Minor niggles but nothing that spoils the overall enjoyment of a top notch film.

Don't watch it expecting to be scared and its 15 certificate indicates it's not as gory or as scary as it could be. I'd say if you liked Autopsy or Adam Gieraschs' version of Night Of The Demons then Dance Of The Dead would be a film for you, good story, great effects and a kick ass soundtrack to boot. Jared Kusnitz and Justin Welborn, as Jimmy and Kyle respectively, are really well acted roles, both very likeable although two totally different personalities.

Dance Of The Dead is well worth both your time and your money, I'm just sorry I never got the opportunity to see this with the FrightFest audience. I look forward to seeing what Gregg Bishop does next. In the words of Nash... "somebody's gonna get their head kicked in tonight!!!"

Disc extras comprise a variety of deleted and extended scenes which don't really add anything or show that the final cut of the movie suffered in any way.

Kris Griffin.

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