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HORRORHOUND #35

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(2007)
Directed by John Pata
Starring Drew Schuldt, Dale Devries, Jordan Brown, Sam Warnke, Mary Manchester

I can't tell you how we dread getting these low budget back-yard movies from young filmmakers. While we applaud their enthusiasm, most of the time, they are terribly made, with no talent in front of the camera, behind the camera, or even somewhat close to the camera. And they can be just painful to sit through. So you can understand our complete shock to get a copy of John Pata's BETTER OFF UNDEAD and find it pretty damn entertaining. And it was made in Wisconsin, no less!

When we were at the recent Flashback show, the young director Pata was there pimping his movie. He seemed like a nice, down-to-earth kind of guy, so we asked him more about his movie. He told us it was done basically for fun and that everyone had a great time making it. So we offered up our services and said we'd be happy to review it. And now here we are.

The film is just shy of a half hour but is paced pretty well. The characters seem real, along with the dialog, even the toilet humor. It seems to fit. Three buddies are hanging out, waiting for another friend to show up. But they decide to take off and go get some coffee. During all of these, it seems that there is an outbreak of zombies. No explanation given, or really needed for that matter. Maybe if this was a feature length film we would need something. But here, it works just fine.

The makeup effects, also handled by the director Pata are simple, but effective. Even the gut-munching scenes are done with zeal and of young horror fans. Meaning...they deliver the goods. You have several victims getting their intestines pulled and ripped out, countless bite and chomps, and plenty of the red stuff squirting about.

Even though the movie is only 29 minutes long, don't let that put you off from spending the $10 on it. The DVD is packed full of extras. There is a making of documentary that is as long as the film. Just about everyone involved in the picture gets to talk to the camera and give their thoughts on the project. Sure, there is a bit of goofing around, but face people, these guys did this for the sheer fun of it. There is also some on the set footage, getting ready for takes and makeup effect scenes. The disc also comes with 4 different audio commentaries! You also get a gag reel, trailer, and much more. For only $10, that is a steal. If you are interested in ordering the DVD, you can place your order through their MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/better_off_undead

After that last low budget film that we reviewed, HOUSE OF CARNAGE, it was a great thrill to see that we can still have hope for this sub-genre. Great job to John Pata and the rest of his cast and crew.