The Dead and the Damned

The Dead and the Damned (also known as Cowboys & Zombies) is a 2010 American Western horror film directed by Rene Perez, written by Perez and Barry Massoni, and starring David Lockhart, Camille Montgomery, Rick Mora, and Robert Amstler. The film depicts a meteorite that unleashes a zombie virus in the American Old West.

The Dead and the Damned
Film poster
Directed byRene Perez
Written by
  • Rene Perez
  • Barry Massoni
Produced byMattia Borrani
Starring
CinematographyPaul Nordin
Edited byRene Perez
Music by
  • Mattia Borrani
  • Rene Perez
Production
company
Mattia Borrani Productions
Release date
  • July 17, 2010 (2010-07-17) (Another Hole In the Head Film Festival)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

During the California Gold Rush, in the 1840s, Mortimer receives a bounty for Brother Wolf, a Native American accused of rape. Mortimer recruits a prostitute, Rhiannon, as bait to lure out Wolf. However, Mortimer becomes dubious of the charges once he meets Wolf. Meanwhile, a group of prospectors unleash a zombie virus when they attempt to mine a meteorite. Mortimer, Rhiannon, and Wolf must band together to stop the zombies.

Cast

Production

Filming took place near Yosemite National Park.[1]

Release

The Dead and the Damned premiered at the Another Hole In the Head Film Festival on July 17, 2010.[2][3] It was released on DVD in the US on July 26, 2011,[4] and in the UK on August 1, 2011.[5]

Reception

Jim Harrington of the San Jose Mercury News called the plot "as ludicrous as it is fun".[2] Rod Lott of the Oklahoma Gazette called it "proof that bargain-basement zombie flicks, which are dime-a-dozen these days, shouldn't be made".[6] Gareth Jones of Dread Central rated it 1.5/5 stars and wrote, "With too little plot and too little visual imagination to justify a feature runtime, we're left with plodding scenes of predictable exposition, poorly executed action and lingering gazes at bare breasts peppered with occasional minutes of something approaching genuine entertainment."[7] Ben Bussey of Brutal as Hell wrote that despite its amateurishness the film "remains a reasonable bit of fun so long as your expectations aren't too high".[8] HorrorTalk rated it 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "The Dead and the Damned had a lot of potential, on both sides of the camera, and it could have succeeded with a bit more experience."[9] Alex DiVincenzo of HorrorNews.Net wrote, "If there's not a gun fight or a zombie chase on screen, the movie is boring."[10] Writing in The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, Volume 2, academic Peter Dendle called it "mostly a zombie shooting gallery".[1]

Sequel

A loosely connected sequel, The Dead and the Damned 2, was released in October 2014.[11]

References
  1. Dendle, Peter (2012). The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, Volume 2: 2000–2010. McFarland & Company. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-7864-6163-9.
  2. Harttington, Jim (July 2, 2010). "Another Hole In the Head film fest returns to San Francisco". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  3. Miska, Brad (June 16, 2010). "The Undead Head West in 'The Dead and the Damned'". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  4. Barton, Steve (June 10, 2011). "Artwork and More Details on the US DVD Release of The Dead and the Damned". Dread Central. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  5. Jones, Gareth (June 7, 2011). "Cowboys and Zombies Saddle Up for UK DVD Release". Dread Central. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  6. Lott, Rod (July 15, 2011). "Within / The Dead and the Damned". Oklahoma Gazette. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  7. Jones, Gareth (July 29, 2011). "Cowboys & Zombies (UK DVD)". Dread Central. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  8. Bussey, Ben (August 12, 2011). "DVD Review: Cowboys & Zombies". Brutal as Hell. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  9. "The Dead and the Damned DVD Review". HorrorTalk. September 1, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  10. DiVincenzo, Alex (August 3, 2011). "Film Review: The Dead and the Damned (2010)". HorrorNews.Net. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  11. Condit, Jon (September 11, 2014). "The Dead and the Damned Gets a Sequel". Dread Central. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.