Customer Reviews

ALIEN DEAD - 25TH ANNIVERSARYEDITION

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this dvd and was completely surprised! I was not expecting anything at all, due to the other reviews I read about this movie. This movies plot was very interesting and somewhat similar to ZOMBIE LAKE, but a lot better. Basically comes down to water zombies. I was completely surprised with the intro to the film and the really cool and subtle soundtrack. The acting lacks a lot, but that actually makes it more fun to watch. For the budget it had the zombies actually look really cool.

Very bad, even for the price. I heard Fred Olen Ray spent $12,000 on this film and I'd like to audit his bookkeeping records because this does not even look like a $12,000 film. There is a lot of badly done day-for-night shooting, the edits are choppy and uneven, the FX and sound are subpar by any standard..
I am a big fan of low budget videos and Fred Olen Ray.This is not without enjoyment,though more of a learning tool than a so bad its good classic..

Normally I am a big fan of cheap, cheesy 1970s horror films, especially if they take place in swamps and star aging has-beens. So you'd think I'd love this film. Nope. For one thing it is too self-conscious: it actually TRIES to be funny but isn't. For another thing, whatever redeeming qualities the first half of the film may have, by the time you get to the second half it is so repetitious that it become extremely plodding. And there is no payoff at the ending because THE FILM HAS NO ENDING! Somehow Ray forgot to give the film either any sense of resolution or some sort of shock. I'd settle for even for a poorly done shock. But no, the film just ends when it could have similarly ended after the first 25 minutes.

Even worse, the prologue Ray added to the beginning of the movie some time after he finished filming and everyone had gone home manages to make the non-ending even more of a non-ending. Now THAT was an accomplishment!

Filmed in the swampy inland of Florida in 1980, "The Alien Dead" is a horrendously low-budget zombie movie. The premise is that a space-born disease infected a bunch of bayou rednecks and after they finished up all the alligators they start eating the locals.

The acting is utterly terrible, everyone sounds like they're reading a script at a rehearsal. The only good actor is veteran Buster Crab, who does a good Southern accent and plays the old "Pappy" pretty well. Everyone else has the most hideously affected accent, and they go right back to non-accented speech as soon as they start to get scared.

OK now, for those into zombie lore, as I am: first off, these are more like the zombies of "28 Days Later" than Romero, as they are actually still alive, just diseased. They are also able to use weapons, like axes and pitchforks. The makeup consists of Halloween masks for the male zombies and the women, interestingly, are mostly leggy hot blonds with white and black face paint. The music is one of the best parts of the movie, I think. It's that eerie 70s-80s synth music like you hear in Romero's early "Dead" movies which, even though it's cheap, is kind of spooky in an 80s horror movie way.

The zombie carnage in this film is actually not THE worst I've seen. Most of the victims just get knocked out, spit blood, and get dragged off screen to become food. There is one surprisingly good vore scene with a hot blond girl who gets knocked down, a female zombie rips her hand off and munches, while she writhes and vomits blood. Then, still alive, she dribbles more blood as her other arm is gnawed by a zombie guy and her throat is chewed.

All in all not the worst zombie movie ever, but far from the best.

even homemade ones. I knew this was a bad movie, I didn't mind that. But the whole production makes this unwatchable. For instance, the whole opening scene on the lake looks like it was lit with a match. You cannot make out anything because it's so dark. Just because something is shot at night doesn't mean you don't light the scene!

Even if you like bad z horror movies, I say stay clear of this one. Buy something like Zombie Bloodbath or Children of the Living Dead. Those movies are horrible as well, but at least you can see what's going on.

The first time I saw this old movie, I laughed all through it.It was sooo cheap. And the actors? SURPRISE there arent any! I'ts just a buch of local Yokals somebody convinced to be in their movie.The old lady with the shotgun...Or was it a pitchfork? Oh well. She was particularly Bad, but So fun to watch as she can barely keep from smiling while she's supposed to be horrified.That to me is the main reason to get a film like this. Of course it's not Romero. DUH. You want Romero, go watch Romero, this is an example of getting a movie made,when you really don't have the money to make it. But you go ahead and do it regardless! If your a spoiled kid who demads his HD, and Hollywood blockbusters, don't bother with this. This is for people who simply enjoy old, home made, low budget schlock. You like bell bottoms? You like plaid shirts, and sideburns? JACKPOT!

Avoid! This is terrible. This 25th Anniversary Edition should have been executed after its First Anniversary. Just terrible. If you want to see a "classic" early zombie film, get George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead". I'm totally disappointed.

The other reviews for this movie had me rolling on the floor and I am not kidding! I have to agree it is one of the worst movies ever made which is why I gave it 5 stars. Ed Wood eat your heart out. The best part is that I think that Fred Olen Ray was thinking he had directed a decent movie since he got Buster Crabbe to star in it.

I really like the soundtrack though.

WHEN YOU WATCH A LOW BUDGET FILM MADE FOR AROUND 12,000 DOLLARS YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET STAR WARS! Now that I said that I found this low budget film entertaining. It doesn't match the directors latter work in quality, [Fred Olen Ray], but the script was decent and watchable. Buster Crabbe gave a decent performance, and so did the rest of the cast who tried. Granted their acting was a bit rough. It has a good zombies VS us plot. It was fun and watchable like a 1950's style Sci-Fi. But it has a real 70's feeling to it. The soundtrack music was also quite good. When I read the other reviewers comments, it is as if they felt it should look like a million dollar plus film to be good. It won't for that money. It is very easy to say YOU STINK!, and laugh at anthing made cheap. No ultra low budget film will look like Star Wars. For the budget it was a good job. I saw it on TV around 1980 too.

This is the cheapest, worst movie ever made. The budget for the film must have been $9.50 ($5.00 of which was the payment to Buster Crabbe). The other $4.50 was for the videotape and payment to the remaining cast.

I have this on videotape--and will replace it on DVD someday. As bad as the movie is, it is SO bad that it is hilarious to watch. Bad scripts, bad acting, bad special effects--it doesn't get any better (or worse?) than this.