# The Sinister Horror Movie Review: Dead & Breakfast



## Sinister (Apr 18, 2004)

I'm always on the lookout for an independent Horror fest that will change my mind as to how I feel as far as this particular little corner of the film making world goes. Did *Dead & Breakfast* accomplish this feat? Not really, but it came close to pulling me out of that disinterested entity I have become after viewing a barrage of total **** that I have heard fans tout was great film making. Just because it's independent doesn't mean it is good despite what others think. Believe me people, you aren't doing the film community any favors by upholding the cause of independent film making if the "artist" in question is producing drivel. That being said, I move onto my review of this particularly strange little film.

Six friends on their way to Galveston, Texas to participate in another friends wedding stay over in a town called Lovelock in a Bed and Breakfast ran by David Carradine. There must be something in Carradine's contract stating that he will do a film only if they can find some angle where he can insert his Zen-Bhuddism beliefs into the role, because it bleeds over here for the full five minutes he's in the movie. Anyhow, this town seems to be a cross between Mayberry and Twin Peaks, its residents being inbred cousins to the aforementioned country bumpkin townfolk. Not long after the happy campers board down for the night, murders start occuring and one of their party becomes infected by some evil spirit in a box that Carradine has in his bedroom. I'm still puzzled who the first victim was killed by, as the actual evil spirit wasn't released until _after_ that, but, oh well. After the box is opened the possessed one heads to town and starts offing the populace that are embroiled in some hoe-down taking place in a barn and soon the flyspeck -in-the-road is overrun by a horde of the undead bent on murdering the wedding party that pulled into their sleepy little village. Those that are alive hole up in Carradines kooky hotel and do their damndest to hold off the marauding zombie yokels. There are many winks and nods to several movies of the genre including *The Evil Dead* and *Phantasm* that I think were done well, despite the insanity unfolding all around the place, but that is one of the finer points of the movie. The others include some crazy-ass country/rap songs by some dude named Zach Selwyn and pretty decent gore effects. Not a total bust by any stretch of the imagination, but nothing you could totally recommend either.

I think the largest flaw with this film is that it was meant as a full bore Black Comedy and couldn't decide whether it wanted to play up on the Horror elements or the Comedy. It should have stuck with Horror, because if it had, it could have been a very satisfying peice of cheese. However, most of the time it relied heavily on the visual and verbal gags, and most of the intended humor fell totally flat. The director/writer Matthew Leutwyler, has all the ear marks of a fair Horror director, but that is where he should have concentrated his efforts, but sticking with the other made this movie was a lesser work when it could have been much better as a true blue Horror flick.

All in all, not a bad way to kill an hour and a half, and worth seeing for those wacked-out country songs I was speaking of earlier and the claret as opposed to Four Star acting and and a great plot.

Rating: 2 1/2 stars out of a possible 5.


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