Halloween Movie List 2 #10 (18+)
#10
Release Date: January 16th, 2009
Genre: Horror/Comedy
**WARNING: This movie contains language, desecration of the dead, blood, gore, and supernatural horror. Viewer discretion is advised.**
Summary:
18th century justice catches up with a pair of grave robbers. With only a few hours to go before his date with the guillotine, Arthur Blake tells his life story to Father Francis Duffy. Before long, Arthur spills the beans on how he got started in the grim corpse peddling business with seasoned ghoul Willie Grimes.
Starting off the “sequel” (I can use that word, right? This IS about movies…) to my Halloween Movie List is a rather low-budgeted movie that isn’t just a horror flick, it’s also a comedy.
I Sell The Dead is, in my opinion, the best way to start off your Halloween movie marathon. It’s the right amount of scary with a large scoop of comedy throughout as to prepare you for the upcoming holiday, but not exhaust you too much so that you wouldn’t be able to move on to the next film. Most people (myself included, I will shamefully admit) look down on most low-budget films; especially of the horror variety. But, I can guarantee you that this does not adhere to the stereotype. It does NOT suck, not by any stretch of the imagination.
The movie, set in the 1800s, starts off with one of the two protagonists, Arthur (Dominic Monagham), being held in a prison cell while his partner, Willie (Larry Fessenden) is brought up to the guillotine for execution. While waiting for his turn for death, Arthur is visited by Father Duffy (Ron Perlman) and asked to share his story.
Arthur explains his life, from meeting Willie as a young child in order to learn the business of robbing graves to growing up becoming one of the best at the job. Along the way, Arthur and Willie discover the secret underworld of supernatural creatures after exhuming a slumbering vampire from her rest. After having their boss murdered by the same vampire, Arthur and Willie take control of the business and set out to become number one, competing with the House Murphy.
Starting off my Top Ten Halloween Movie List 2 at #10, I loved the setup to this movie. Told through flashbacks, we get a chance to see into the mind and perspective of Arthur Blake. I greatly enjoyed the unique storytelling in this movie, and despite its slightly cheesy appearing monsters, I think it was well done and not over-the-top like in most movies. The problem with low budget horror films is that they attempt to go above and beyond with what little money they have, instead of the subtle, humble approach that I believe I Sell The Dead did terrifically so. There’s a place in this world for low budget horror films, and at the top of that list is I Sell The Dead!
-Michael
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