Film Review: Dead Bodies Everywhere (2011)

SYNOPSIS:

A group of seven friends embark on a weekend getaway. when they get there, things seem a bit off. they come across arthur grigsby, a brutal serial killer who has one goal: KILL EVERYONE. Watch as Arthur picks off the group one by one any way he can to make sure that there are dead bodies everywhere.

REVIEW:

There is no escaping DIY cinema. It’s everywhere and everyone with a camera is out making films. This can be a bad thing, mainly, it’s a REALLY good thing. The fact is, there’s some really great cameras out previous generations never had access to. I don’t know for sure that “Dead Bodies Everywhere” is a DIY type of film but it sure does feel like it. It isn’t perfect (in fact it’s pretty crude), or even that good, but I will applaud the fact that the film has a clear cut vision of what it is meant to be and never aspires to be more. That is a very smart call in my opinion. So many DIY films try to be more only to fail miserably and while the ideas may be good, if you don’t have the resources, just scale it back. Writer/director/star Shea VanLaningham seems to know his limitations and works well within them to create a fun little slasher film that’s funny and somehow entertaining.

“Dead Bodies Everwhere” has a really simple premise, one we have seen a million times before. A group of friends go out into the woods to stay in a cabin where they are harassed by the locals then must fight to stay alive when a masked killer turns up to leave “DEAD BODIES EVERYWHERE”!!!

I can’t help the fact that I have pet peeves when watching ANY film, not just independents. And I can’t refrain from pointing it out when I see it and the one that bugs me the most is the lack of lighting in night scenes. I know it can be tough but it annoys me to no end. “DBE” manages to do this a few times during the very short runtime of 70min. There were a few scenes near the end that were tough for me to see what was happening in the dark. I also felt like there should have been more dead bodies everywhere.

What I did really find to appreciate in the film was the sense of humor and the fact that most of the characters were doing the stupid things that most slasher movie characters do but were self-aware of their idiotic decisions. It helps to set it apart from some of the recent films I had seen. The problem for me was that I felt the focus should have been a bit more on the humor and not the horror aspects. The films’ strongpoint was the humor so I think it could have benefited more if that had been the focus. The balance between humor and horror didn’t quite payoff in the way that the original “Scream” did, it’s the effort that counts.

The acting was alright, it’s the kind that you would expect from a film that cost $10,000 to make. There is some nice photography and the setting was cool enough to make the film look much more expensive than it was. I would have thought they spent something like $20,000 on it. In the first five minutes of the film, Shea makes a brilliant decision, we see boobies, an attention grabber for sure. The opening sequence (which runs almost a quarter of the films’ runtime) utilizes the 70’s grindhouse style and really works at accomplishing that feel.

“Dead Bodies Everywhere” almost feels like it’s only a step or two above a home movie, I don’t mean that negatively, just that it felt like a starting point. Shea VanLaningham has talent as a writer/director/star (I’m not just saying that because he shared his sh*tty tasting vodka with me before), I’m sure he will continue to grow and improve with experience and that is when I feel he will make something that could be great. As a first feature effort, I have seen better and I have seen worse. “Dead Bodies Everywhere” is worth watching at least once. **1/2 (out of 5) Support indy film and have a pinch of fun with it.

Dead Bodies Everywhere (2011)