Now this was a blast. A real good time. "The Video Dead" is your typical very low-budget, straight-to-video 80s horror that promises you a lot of fun with its gruel and goes on to deliver it despite the limitations. There was no denying how amateurish, small-scale and cheap it came off, but the crew and cast (modest performances) acquitted themselves rather well and went on to conjure up some wicked surprises with adept competency. Hey the enthusiastic screenplay / script even throws in some originality, unpredictability and horror film references in to the living dead sub-genre. While giving it a different spin, it didn't cop out on what makes zombie features. Never boring despite its slight narrative and a great sense of place and atmosphere from its remote surroundings. A crate gets delivered to an unexpected owner who opens it open to find an old looking TV, but this medium happens to be cursed allowing the living dead to transport into the human realm. A couple months have past and some new owners have moved into the house; a sister and brother. The boy happens to find the TV and learns that maybe something is not quite right. Then someone turns up on his doorstep, explaining that a crate was accidentally sent to their address and what was inside was dangerous. Not believing him at first, things change when he encounters the living dead. This is a joke and shock laced outing. Some sequences show some energy, creativity and organic power, like the zombies coming out of the TV, chainsaw carrying zombie and dinner party finale. Sure it's ridiculous, but it can be surprising in how things eventually turn out. The make-up FX might look crumby and pasty, but nonetheless quite effective in its gooey aftermath. Some blood is evident, body parts being cut up, but the zombies spend more time strangling or head twisting their victims. The music score while subtle stays quite chilling and fitting. Brainlessly disposable and bright 80s zombie fun.
"God! I must be losing my mind".
"God! I must be losing my mind".