I Sell the Dead (2008)

The Plot: In this winner of the Slamdance Film Festival Best Cinematography Award, an 18th-century grave robber facing the guillotine confesses his sins to a priest, revealing a life filled with supernatural high jinks. Directed by Glenn McQuaid, the macabre comedy stars Dominic Monaghan as the doomed digger and Ron Perlman as the cleric, and the supporting cast includes Larry Fessenden as the robber’s ghoulish cohort.

The music was very fitting to this type of flim. The opening song kinda reminded me of the opening music of ‘The Re-Animator’, It set a great mood to start the film off with. There was some other Irish drinking song used in the bar scene that made me want to drink a pint or ten. Other then that, some background music here and there set up the scenes well.

The cinematography was fun to watch, mostly due to a couple of nice tricks with the camera that I haven’t seen done much in other movies. The film quality looked a bit grainy, I’m not sure if this was intentionally done, but it really added to the overall feel of the movie. A lot of dissolves were used throughout the picture to keep the story flowing along.

The acting was excellent. Dominic Monaghan portrayed the witty grave robbing bastard with seemingly little effort while Ron Perlman did the sarcastic, gallows humored holy man justice. The chemistry between the two of them conversing was interesting enough to hold your attention. Larry Fessenden had a filthy look with an accent to match. As some of the accents spoken by the characters are so authentically thick, you need to pay close attention or you’ll miss out.

The effects impressed me with quality sets, costumes, and top notch makeup. I could have done without the CGI’d throwing knife in one scene. It wasn’t too bad but it did take away just a little something from a great movie. There was another CGI scene that was good…but the shots were so prolonged that it showed too many flaws. All the undead looked awesome…really dusty old and crusty corpse’s that were a great treat to watch on film.

Overall: I did enjoy watching this movie. It was like a Hammer film with some traces of ‘Evil Dead 2’ mixed into it. The slap stick humor made for some good chuckles at times. At other times, the dialog did start going flat, but was saved by a much needed scene change. If you like a little humor with your horror, this would be a good fit…you sick wanka.

3 ½ Out of 5 Crom’s

Let the Right One In A.K.A: Låt Den Rätte Komma In (2008)

 

The Plot: Twelve-year-old Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), the constant target of bullies due to his extreme awkwardness, spends his time plotting revenge and collecting news items about the grisly murders plaguing his town. Things change for Oskar when he meets Eli (Lina Leandersson). This filthy looking girl befriends Oskar, and he soon finds out that she’s actually a fucking vampire. As a serial killer continues to prey on teenage boys in the small village outside Stockholm, Sweden, Eli helps Oskar find the courage to stand up to his tormenters.

 

The music was mood setting…and that mood was depression. It set the tone for the down mood that the main character was feeling during most of the film. I enjoyed this cause in a way it changed my views to that of the characters even more.

 

The cinematography was done really well in my opinion. There was a grainy feel to the film and the setting was very somber. This gave the movie a similar feel as “The Shining” which I loved. All the shots were steady and clear, this is something that’s hard to find these days. I’m sick of this music video bullshit in most horror flicks where the camera shakes like crazy and you can’t see shit.

 

The acting was superior for a horror movie. Both Kåre and Lina play there roles flawlessly. They make this unreal situation believable and just draw you in as the plot progresses. Their chemistry is so good that even when the movie is slow at parts in the first half, you cant help but want to find out what’s gonna happen next.

 

The effects were top shelf for sure. This movie has numerous effects that are all amazing. One of the best effects in the movie, in my opinion explains something that I have always wondered about in regards to the vampire mythos, but I have never seen described on film. What happens if a vampire enters a home without permission? I can’t give it away and tell you what does actually happen according to the filmmaker, but it’s defiantly worth the watch…trust me.

Overall this was an excellent movie. There was a scene that was very disturbing and almost unnecessary in the film, which is explained in detail in the novel. I suggest reading up on it after watching the film so that you can tie everything up and not spoil the film. Other then that, the first half of this movie has a slow, plodding pace. I was thinking of giving it 3 Crom’s at the halfway point. Then, after watching the ending it earned the 4^th Crom hands down.

 

4 Out of 5 Crom’s