Dead Meat (2004)

This looked horrible, really amateur style. They tried to be creative but it just looked bad like it was shot on a handycam in 2003. The audio was nominally better, but still dull and horrible music. Really basic 'special effects' that were supposedly frequent, strong and bloody. Completely unoriginal and unimaginative amateur zombie film with dire acting and an almost non-existent script. Very difficult to watch all the way through. It wasn't even remotely entertaining.

This is the first part of my little review series: Movies that are way better than you expect.This short and sweat Irish zombie slasher doesn't only convince with beautiful landscapes but also with a few original ways to slaughter some zombies (you get pretty much anything from high heels to Hoovers) and a very artistic camera work that particularly stands out and gives a really dynamical, refreshing and surprising bonus to the movie. There are also a few scenes that are really frightening and well done like the atmospheric opening sequence, the first fight scene between the young couple or the mad cow scene. There is also a lot of original and dark humour in a couple of scenes for example when the zombies have their meal in tranquillity or are simply falling asleep at night on a big field. More positive points go to the clothing and make ups of the movie that are really trashy and give a certain cheap charm to the movie. I sincerely hope that people in the Irish country side are not dressed the way the actors are in our real world.On the other side, there are also a few negative points that must be mentioned. The acting is a little wooden and only the gravedigger is doing a rather good job while the other actors are mediocre or bad. The special effects of this low budget slaughter are also rather mediocre. The story itself remains superficial and copies from many classics of the genre. The ending is also not the best choice that could have been made.This movie turns out to be not only entertaining but interesting from an artistic point of view. Anybody that likes zombie video games or some good slaughter movies with a cheap charm might like this flick that surprised me in a truly positive way.

When I was attending a horror convention with a friend we bought together this flick, the man who sold it had a big laugh on his face just to give the statement, you've been ripped off but it costs only 2 euro's so we couldn't be ripped off I guessed. Was I right, this is an excellent zombie flick. Of course it's low budget and it shows but it gives something extra on it. I mean, the night scene's are a bit too dark so you don't really see what is happening so by that way you can't see the cheap effects, but again, they are well done. Just watch out for the end when the zombies really attack. There are decapitations, pitchforks going into bodies and everything else you would like to do to a attacking zombie. That's all done very well but the make up of the zombie's faces are really bad. But don't hesitate to go search for it, is will well worth your money. The only thing I could say that was a bit annoying was the Irish language, I have nothing against that but it is sometimes hard to understand and sadly there were no subs on it.

It seems weird that I find myself complaining this movie is too short, given how many movies are at least an hour too long these days, but Dead Meat really needed more space. It's tiny 70 minute run time barely gives it time to introduce characters, let alone explain it's whacked-out plot-line.While Dead Meat is getting itself cracking, it's pretty cool. For one, it's daylight, which is a little different for these movies, and the sprightly camera work recalls movies like Braindead and the Evil Dead series (if a little less proficient than those two.). Still, it already has problems. The plot suggests that it's trying to be funny, but aside from a few bad taste laughs at gore shots, you won't be finding this movie remotely funny. It's got more in common with Night of the Living Dead than Bad Taste, and almost all the laughs come at the expense of the gore-shots, which are messy but very derivative (aside from one fantastic instance involving a vacuum cleaner and an eyeball.) and no gore-hound will be particularly impressed with what's on offer, originality wise.It sucks at being scary too. Zombie attacks are badly handled, with no real scares to speak of and shoddy lighting and direction leading to a lot of confusion as to who's fighting who. Not that you'll care, with the exception of undertaker Des, the characters are weak and badly written, not that you'd notice given most of them are packing effected accents that garble half their lines. I'm not talking about the Irish guys either. Main character Helena is indecipherable for a lot of the run-time.I wish this film had carried through on it's excellent first half, but once a plot has to come out, it just doesn't have the goods. The only real joy you can pull out of this movie is if you view it as a cheap gore flick and go in for the blood, as it has a lot, and it's surprisingly nasty for a 15. If you REALLY dig gore and don't care how bad movies are if they have good gore shots, check this out, if not, I'd avoid it. Oh, and on a side note, the ending sucks. Do yourself a favour, avoid this and rent Versus or Undead instead.