The Dead Don't Die (1975)

the audience applauded

Sadly Over-hyped

Really Surprised!

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This is quite a creepy TV movie, a horror story where a naval officer tries to prove the innocence of his brother, which brings him into a diabolical world.The plot is fast-paced and full of suspense from beginning to end. The acting was well done and to-the-point, none of those unnecessary fluff and sappy stuff. The horror level may be tamed by today's standards, but definitely does give you some intriguing and entertaining moments. Grade B+

Don Drake (George Hamilton) promises his doomed brother, on death row, that he will find the person responsible for his wife's murder. Don's search takes him into the dark world of dance marathons, where his brother had been a regular. He meets a man named Moss (Ray Milland), whom Drake will later approach for assistance. He is soon warned off by a mysterious woman, named Vera Lavalle (Linda Crystal), but believes he's seen his brother up and walking around! This leads Don into a nightmare realm he never knew existed. His next stop is a funeral home, where he meets his first re-animated corpse. Some unseen overlord, named Varek speaks through and controls these formerly-living automatons. The deeper Drake digs, the weirder and more dangerous it all becomes. THE DEAD DON'T DIE features some wonderful living dead moments. Director, Curtis Harrington makes the best of the limiting, network television medium, creating a macabre gem. Co-stars Ralph Meeker (THE NIGHT STALKER) as Lt. Reardon, and Reggie Nalder (SALEM'S LOT) as Perdido, the most awesome zombie of the bunch! Watch for Yvette Vickers (ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN, ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES) as a Moss interviewee named Miss adrian!...

"The Dead Don't Die" is a genuinely creepy and inventive 70's made-for-TV gem that regretfully ended up in total oblivion, and this in spite of the involvement of several really highly acclaimed names in the horror industry, like writer Robert Bloch ("Psycho", "Torture Garden"), director Curtis Harrington ("Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?", "What's the Matter with Helen?") and a long series of veteran cast members (Ray Milland, George Hamilton, Ralph Meeker, Reggie Nalder, …). Even more impressive than the names is the screenplay's ability to actually evoke real frights and maintain a continuously unsettling atmosphere. This is story-driven suspense without fancy make-up effects or spectacular stunts, but definitely with a handful of unforgettable jump scenes like, for example, the electric chair execution near the beginning and a corpse emerging from its coffin somewhere halfway through the film. George Hamilton stars as a former sailor called back home to attend the execution of his brother Ralph for a murder he swears he didn't commit. Don vows to clear Ralph's name and find out who really committed the crime his brother got punished for. Searching in sinister places and encountering uncanny people, Don discovers that his brother wasn't actually framed for murder but merely 'selected' for execution by an expert in the occult who wanted Ralph to serve in his army of the undead. The plot isn't exactly plausible, but nevertheless convincingly brought by cast and crew. The events supposedly take place in the 1930's and Curtis Harrington masterfully recreates the grim atmosphere of that decade with exact period details (like vehicles and costumes) and a cheap looking type of cinematography lacking color. Then there's also a copious amount of slick details that are just plain bizarre and indescribably eerie, like a dance hall full of near dead couples and one cute lady spontaneously combusting! Ray Milland is terrific and reliable as always, while Reggie Nalder is one of the creepiest actors who ever lived. "The Dead Don't Die" comes very much recommended, if you can find a decent copy of course.

~Spoiler~ While it may be badly dated, The Dead Don't Die is not nearly as bad as other IMDb'ers will have you believe. As I am writing this (check date above) the film has a rating of 3.5. That's a grave injustice. It's not a masterpiece by any means, but 3.5...come on! For a 1975 TV movie, it's not bad. Of course, it was penned by the man who brought us Psycho, Robert Bloch, so that helps. The film deals with George Hamilton trying to find out who's behind the murder that his brother was executed for. Not what you were expecting? The Dead Don't Die is a great horror title, but this movie feels more like a detective story; something you'd find in a hard boiled dime novel. It does deal with zombies and zombie lords, but in a voodoo mysticism-type way. It's not your traditional zombie flick but the super creepy Reggie Nalder (Barlow from Salem's Lot) is among the undead. You know what, forget super creepy. Nalder may be the scariest man to ever stalk the earth. And Ray Milland is no pushover either. If you enjoyed Dead and Buried, check out this little 70's gem.