The Dead

Name: The Dead
Genre: Horror
Released: October 14, 2011
Duration: 105 min
Rating: 59

2011

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Ratings

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6.5

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6.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Ratings

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The Dead

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Movie Details & Credits

Global Cinema Distribution | Release Date: October 14, 2011 | R

Summary: When the last evacuation flight out of war-torn Africa crashes off the coast, American Air Force Engineer Lieutenant Brian Murphy emerges as the sole survivor in a land where the dead are returning to life and attacking the living. (Global Cinema Distribution)

Director: Howard J. Ford and Jonathan Ford

Genre(s): Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 105 min

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Critic Reviews

Chuck Wilson

Oct 12, 2011

The Dead, with its vast, pitiless landscapes and moral seriousness, is "Night of the Living Dead" reimagined as a Sergio Leone western. It's a knockout. Read full review

Lawrence Toppman

Oct 20, 2011

The Fords give us old-fashioned predators: Zombies shuffle slowly, silently, patiently forward, as implacably destructive as Time itself. Meanwhile, the Fords play off our memories from books, TV news and other movies. Read full review

Marc Savlov

Oct 12, 2011

The film provides a whole new way of looking at the same old dead things. Eat up. Read full review

Staff (Not credited)

Oct 12, 2011

The Dead, evocatively filmed in grainy 35mm, might carry the cinematic vibe of an old-school, flesh-eating adventure, but as it should be with stories like this, it's not a pretty picture. Read full review

Chuck Bowen

Oct 12, 2011

The Dead ultimately doesn't have much of a pulse, as it fails to transcend the banality of its inevitable theme. Read full review

Neil Genzlinger

Oct 13, 2011

Its scenes frequently feature Africans machine-gunning other Africans or hacking them to death with machetes. This is a disturbing sight indeed. Maybe it was intended as a metaphor, but this movie isn't nearly sophisticated enough to pull off that kind of commentary. It's not really even sophisticated enough to be an absorbing zombie movie Read full review

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User Reviews

hollowfication

Sep 19, 2012

this movie prove to be automatically good zombie are attacking right away the is not really much dialogue but zombie are all good only thing frighten me is the eye colour all white light bluish

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TheQuietGamer

May 30, 2021

Shot in grainy 35mm and featuring slow-moving undead, the Ford brothers are clearly familiar with the classics of the zombie genre and have created a terrific throwback to them. An African soldier and an American Air Force engineer try to survive as the former looks for his son. While thereShot in grainy 35mm and featuring slow-moving undead, the Ford brothers are clearly familiar with the classics of the zombie genre and have created a terrific throwback to them. An African soldier and an American Air Force engineer try to survive as the former looks for his son. While there are regular encounters with the undead, it's a bit of a slow-burner. This may be a turn-off for those who prefer their romps with the infected to be more action-packed and spectacular, but for purists The Dead is a real treat as it genuinely feels like something that could have come from Romero or the Italians.

The setting plays a huge role in the film's success by allowing it to feel unique and fresh despite the fact that it follows a very familiar formula. It also makes room for a little bit of political subtext just like the true greats of the genre have always had. It's never in the viewers face though, meaning that the audience can draw their own conclusions or ignore this aspect entirely and focus solely on the flesh-devouring horror if they so choose.

For such a low-budget project it also looks really good. Particularly the gore effects which are fantastic and suitably gnarly. The zombies themselves are handled in such a way that hearkens back to the qualities that made them scary in the '60s and '70s. They're portrayed as enigmatic, silent creatures completely unrushed in their relentless pursuit of the living. No matter how fast or far the protagonists run, the reanimated dead are an ever-present, inescapable threat due to their numbers and time always being on their side. This leads to a bleak tone, a sense of hopelessness, and a constant feeling of tension even when the characters aren't doing much other than simply traveling.

The Dead successfully recreates the kind of thrills and chills found in the forerunners of zombie cinema. In fact, had this released alongside the likes of Night of the Living Dead and Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2 (or whatever title you know it by), it would likely be held in just as high of regards. Watching the cast trek across the African landscape, regularly encountering road bumps and narrowly escaping by the skin of their teeth is a blast even if the retro style means it could have trouble appealing to those with more modern sensibilities. Enthusiasts however? Dive right in. This is a fantastic resurrection of old-school walker horror.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

micktaylor

Jul 21, 2012

An incredible zombie flick, i can't believe all of the negative user reviews... seriously, are you people high, i bet you couldn't see a good film if it hit you right in the face...

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

phillyjeff

Apr 15, 2012

in the first 40 minutes of this movie, I think I counted 4 or 5 lines of dialogue. These two guys are just driving around and around for what seems like ever. Nothing is ever explained. Really bad zombie movie.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

seifer

Jul 2, 2012

Again, I find the story line dull and pointless. The death scenes are if anything cheesy, i put this down to mediocre acting. Another point (as a question to others), do you notice the same actor is used more than once even if that zombie has been killed? They do this in Shaun Of The Dead,Again, I find the story line dull and pointless. The death scenes are if anything cheesy, i put this down to mediocre acting. Another point (as a question to others), do you notice the same actor is used more than once even if that zombie has been killed? They do this in Shaun Of The Dead, but they do it discreetly.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MikefromAngus

Mar 24, 2012

what a boring boring zombie movie!! yeah a zombie movie being boring? you say? that takes talent! lol
The movie had no atmospehere, no scary zombies, no fear. Avoid at all costs!!!!

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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