Dead Shadows (2012) (Blu-ray Review)
Directed By: David Cholewa
Starring: Fabian Wolfrom
Rated: UR/Region A/2:35/1080p/Number of Discs 1
Available from Scream Factory
Dead Shadows tells the terrifying story of Chris (Fabian Wolfrom), whose parents were brutally killed 11 years ago, on the same day that the Halley’s comet could be seen from earth. Tonight, a new comet is appearing and everyone in Chris’s building is getting ready for a party to celebrate the event. As the night falls, Chris discovers that people are starting to act strangely. They are becoming disoriented and violent and it doesn’t take long before they begin to mutate into something far beyond recognition! In a fight for survival, Chris tries to escape from his building with the help of a gun-toting tenant (John Fallon Death Race, Saw II) but will they make it out alive?
If nothing else I give this movie credit for at least being very spooky and creepy if nothing else. I’d say the eerie atmosphere might be the best art of it when you get right down to it. The movie at least fits the part in the style, it is just that things do seem to go a bit astray in the substance part of the film. None the less, the movie gives us a somewhat short trip into a world where comet is getting very close to Earth. Things get crazy soon after that and we are feed a nice dose of cool effects and somewhat questionable CGI. At least it is a good mix and I can understand why some of it needed CGI. I don’t know if we ever have time to really get behind a certain character, because things get in the way of that, but who needs character development when people are getting their heads bashed in with baseball bats right?
There is a bit of a love interest tossed into the mix and push comes to shove she might be the best character we have. Which makes me wish we had her as the lead instead of the person we get. That all being said, it is pretty cool at times to see what happens to people who become infected or tainted by what has come to Earth. It makes for a somewhat short blood splattering pop-corn flick, but not much more than that when all is said and done. The film does look very nice only dealing with a few minor transfer issues. Overall, I don’t think people will love the release, but I’m sure they will at least like it for the madness that comes with it.
– Making-Of Special Effects Featurette
– Deleted Scenes
– Interview With Director David Cholewa
– Theatrical Trailer and Teaser Trailer
