‘The Walking Deceased’ DVD Review
Stars: Tim Ogletree, Joey Oglesby, Dave Sheridan, Troy Ogletree, Sophia Taylor Ali, Jacqui Holland, Mason Dakota Galyon | Written by Tim Ogletree | Directed by Scott Dow
The Walking Deceased follows a group of survivors from all walks of the apocalypse – an idiotic Sheriff with definite coma-induced brain damage, his hardass son, four squabbling friends forced to survive this zombieland together, and a lonely zombie who just needs love to fully regain his warm body. They all leave their once-safe hideout in search of the rumored Safe Haven Ranch, a refuge untouched by the zombie virus that has ravaged humanity. But despite the comforting name, they discover that this sanctuary may not be as welcoming as advertised.
OK, so if you haven’t gathered by the title or by that synopsis, The Walking Deceased is a spoof of the zombie genre – more particularly of the fantastic Zombieland, AMC’s The Walking Dead and the 2013 Nicholas Hoult starrer Warm Bodies. It also throws in some referneces to other genre flicks as well rather critical comments on todays reliance on social media… But none of that does a good movie make. For this is not a good movie, it’s not even a so-bad-its-good movie!
It’s not like this film shoudn’t have had at least the smallest of chances at succeeding – after all it comes from writer Tim Ogletree, who previously starred in the OK-ish Supernatural Activity and is produced by that films director Daryl Lee Dixon. But as we knw from past experiences with other parody flicks, experience in the spoof genre doesn’t always translate into a good movie, just ask Craig Moss – whose first spoof, a piss-take on The 40 Year Old Virgin was hilarious; and the rest of his spoof movie ouevre? Terrible at best (although his Bad Ass moves are just that – bad ass!)
What The Walking Deceased does have going for it is some pretty decent gore. Yes, for a spoof this flick doesn’t scrimp on just what makes zombie films so great – over-the-top gore and fantastic zombie creature effects. Yet whilst the gore and effects are great the humour falls tremendously flat. In fact the only decent joke is a throwaway line in the opening of the film explaining how the zombie apocalypse started – it was all due to a sushi chef not washing his hands before preparing a meal for dumpster-diving homeless men!
More Epic Movie than Airplane, The Waling Deceased in one spoof that deserves to die a death PERMANENTLY, and not return to life a la the zombies is so tried to poke fun at. If you want to really see “the best zombie parody” ever made, go out and buy The Return of the Living Dead instead!
The Walking Deceased is out now on DVD from Signature Entertainment.
