DVD Review: A CADAVER CHRISTMAS (2011)

   
A CADAVER CHRISTMAS
Directed by:  Joe Zerull

It's getting closer to Christmas, so this will be my last post for a few days while I spend time with family and friends over the next few days and nights.  What better way to end it than with another Christmas themed horror flick.  This time, we have director Joe Zerull's independent feature film, A CADAVER CHRISTMAS.  Here is the basic plot of the film from imdb.com:

United by terrifying and bizarre circumstances, the janitor, the drunk, the bartender, the cop, his perp, and the student security guard must fight to undo the professor's work. A dark force is at work in the cadaver lab this Christmas and this unconventional band of heroes are the only hope the world has against an army of living corpses that are quickly recruiting new members. The undead have been given the gift of life and it's up to the janitor to take it back.

This was a very fun film, and one I would definitely recommend.  I love zombie films, and you just don't find too many zombie Christmas films, so it is good that we have A CADAVER CHRISTMAS!

The film is a very low budget film, but the filmmakers do the best with what they have.  I am primarily talking about the gore effects.   The zombies themselves aren't too impressive  (although as the janitor will tell you, these are not actually zombies, just reanimated cadavers), but it is the zombie kills that are most impressive.  This is especially noticeable in the final climax of the film when our survivors go off on the zombies in a rampage of gun blasts and exploding heads, all set to the tune of a the beautiful Christmas song, O Holy Night.  That scene was brilliant for many reasons, but the contrast of that beautiful song set against the gore and massacring occurring on screen was very effective.

The acting in this film was great, especially for a film of this caliber and with no star actors.  There was as much humor in this film as there was horror, so you can enjoy this film in both aspects.

One more cool thing about this film I want to mention is the way that is was shot.  It was very stylistic with some great camera angles and shots.  Also, the film is made to look like an old theater print of a film, complete with scratch marks and debris that used to get on the film and show up on screen.  That and some saturated colors and tones give this film a 70's or early 80''s grindhouse feel to it.

Again, I highly recommend you check this one out.  This will be essential viewing for me every Christmas from here on out for sure!

Merry Christmas everyone!!


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to visit the official website and purchase the DVD  (click on the Merchandise section)