The Dead Matter (2010)

Just so...so bad

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

What we have in this film is a seance, a book of grimoires, an ancient amulet, zombies, vampires and a vampire hunter that creates a really fun independent film that is sometimes humorous and other times creepy. Let's not forget that Tom Savini is in this film AND the movie has some of the very best Gothic music on film you will ever hear by Midnight Syndicate. If you don't take the film seriously, and just lighten up to kick back to an hour and a half of fun entertainment then you might really enjoy this movie. I really don't believe the film deserves this low of a rating it's getting.I obtained this film in DVD format and it came with Midnight Syndicate's soundtrack for this movie plus it has their Halloween Collection CD! I would highly recommend the The Dead Matter: 3-Disc Deluxe Edition if you are wanting this film in your personal collection.6/10

A group of teenagers perform a séance in the woods only to unleash a less than benevolent spirit into the world, or was it a dream? People like to have dreams in this movie. Anyway, the man bad guy, a vampire, wants to get an amulet that controls the dead from a member of said aforementioned teens who wants to make her dead brother return to life.I found this movie to be very boring and a tad reminiscent of the overall better "Warlock" Unsurprisingly the seemingly always typecast Andrew Divoff does nothing to dissuade those notions. Having seen it on Instant Redbox, and not going out of my way to view this movie, I still felt ripped off.

Andrew Divoff stars as Vellich, he has to have that relic and will do anything to get it. Watching this film, I realized how much I missed him in the Wishmaster films. He truly makes this film a blast to watch. If you take away the vampire and zombie parts, this felt like Wishmaster 3 should have felt. This is true indie movie gold. What a fun film from start to finish, this film is just a treat to the genre. You get the bad wig worn by Divoff which made him look like a 70′s stoner with a weird touch of Col Sanders. You have Tom Savini, who plays Sebed, a vampire lord that really gives Divoff some of his best moments in this film. To watch those two icons act with each other is almost the equivalent of watching Robert Plant sing with Paul McCartney. There is a scene in the film where Gretchen opens the fridge and the food becomes reanimated. To watch the chicken act the way it did, was such a nod to Evil Dead, without feeling like it ripped it off. You also get a beer drinking zombie, hey zombies get thirsty also you know. The special effects were done by Robert Kurtzman, who a few of you may have heard of once or twice maybe? And get this, you get a Jessica Cameron cameo. Some of you guys may have heard that name before as well.This is old school horror meets new school ideology with a twist. The script was fun, it was dark humor and it was smartly written. The characters felt fresh, as did the situations. And the nod to Fulci The Beyond. Kudos for having the guts to attempt it, and not only that, but succeeding where you know Fulci is in his grave clapping the effort. If you are going to rent this to be scared, you may be watching the wrong film. This film is not a scary horror film, it is a fun one. And such a breath of fresh air, that all horror movies can still be effective but yet has heart and humor. This film gives you a fair amount of gore and blood goodness. This is clearly a nod to us old school fans, and it is such a fresh breath of air in the lungs of people who suffer thru so much junk to get to good films like this. This is a must watch, and will enjoy film.The extras on the DVD are very amazingly fun. There are two Midnight Syndicate music videos, three finalists' music videos from the Midnight Syndicate 13th Anniversary video contest, gag reels, audio commentary by Ed Douglas, Robert Kurtzman, and Gary Jones, a feature called Maximum Dead Matter that allows you to watch a scene in one corner of the screen while simultaneously watching the actual filming of the scene in another window, interviews with cast and crew members, locations, and concept art. Also included in this triple disc combo is 2 soundtracks.All in all, this is so much fang for your buck

As a fan of the musical duo Midnight Syndicate, I was thrilled to learn that Edward Douglas was working on a feature film entitled 'The Dead Matter.' I have followed the musical exploits of this group for over a decade and I looked forward to how their audio work would translate to the medium of film - with the chilling music they created it just seemed like a natural progression for them. Was it worth the wait? Most definitely – but there is a catch. First off it helps to have a healthy dose of Hammer Studios and Universal Monsters blood in your veins. If you grew up watching b-movies starring the likes of Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi, and Boris Karloff in late-night creature features, then you'll totally 'get' this movie's vibe. If, however, you aren't cursed with a wickedly warped sense of humor (and fun), then 'The Dead Matter' might come across as just another off-beat vamp flick. For me, I totally jived to the old school approach to horror that screenwriters Ed Douglas and Tony Demci offered up. You can see how they were influenced by their horror forefathers, but they also give the film a groovy twist by injecting a bit of George A. Romero into the picture's undead veins. I've tried to think of another movie that incorporated vampires AND zombies into the same film and came up empty. Nice! Throw in the fact that the film is capably directed by Douglas, has a healthy sense of humor (you'll dig the classroom dream!), sports a likable ensemble cast including genre legend Tom Savini, not to mention some killer make-up effects, Midnight Syndicate's Gothic, Hammer-esquire score, some genuine scares (I was all about the creepy cemetery 'death is the answer!' scene) and you'll understand why this movie satisfies an old-school fan-boy like me.There were, however, a few minor points that I felt kept 'The Dead Matter' from becoming a classic film. For one, there were a lot of characters to keep track of – none of whom are fleshed out to their fullest potential. A little more backstory on the main characters of McCallister and his vampire adversaries would have been nice, as well as more history on Gretchen and her group of friends (not to mention the amulet). Likewise, some of the acting was hit or miss. I can't help but feel that some scenes might have been a bit rushed, resulting in fewer takes, so the actors weren't able to achieve the best performances they were capable of (Also – here's my idea: Douglas should have worked Vellich's horrible wig into the story somehow. Since he seems like such a vain vampire, seeing him put the wig on over nasty, patchy hair would have been a hoot. There was no way to hide the fact that he was wearing a wig, so they should have played it up rather than try to sell it as his real hair). One last point is the effects. While the make-up designs were amazing, some of the CGI was not entirely convincing. I also thought some more locations were needed and the ending was a bit too vague for my taste – but these gripes have more to do with budget constraints than anything and are minor issues that don't dramatically decrease the quality of the film as a whole.When the final bloodsucker is staked, I thought Edward Douglas's 'The Dead Matter' was a fun-filled horror-fest that mostly satisfied and definitely entertained – which is what Douglas set out to do – so in that regard, the film is a smashing success. The clever plot, the gnarly make-up, the perfect score (that had many nods to Midnight Syndicate's past), and a healthy mix of b-movie charisma make this film a refreshing change from the usual horror schlock that Hollywood churns out. It's always a thrill to see when a group of filmmakers 'get it.' For me, the dead definitely matter!As I mentioned above, the acting is a hit or miss affair in 'The Dead Matter.' Some of the actors came across as rather over-the-top (Divoff as Vellich needed to be de-fanged), many were somewhat wooden in their delivery (Sean Serino as Gretchen was pretty and definitely talented, but I just couldn't connect with her performance), and some, like Jason Carter as McCallister and Brian Van Camp as Mark were as solid as you can hope for. I can't come down too harshly on the cast as I feel like they were doing the best they could within the constraints of the script. Crafting more subtle, nuanced, and natural performances is something director Douglas will perfect as he grows as a director.For his first full-length feature film, I thought Edward Douglas did an admirable job. With the amount of money invested in this picture it would have been easy to buckle under the pressure, but Douglas definitely holds his own. The direction tends to get a little static in places, particularly when there's a conversation taking place, but thankfully Douglas makes up for it with an energetic style when the pace of the film picks up – and I know he will only improve as a director with each film he gets under his belt. Well done!