Dead (film)
| Dead | |
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| Directed by | Hayden J. Weal |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Tammy Williams |
| Edited by | Kerri Roggio |
| Music by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Language | English |
Dead is a 2020 New Zealand comedy horror film, written by and starring Tom Sainsbury and Hayden J. Weal.[1]
Plot
Dane 'Marbles' Marbeck can see ghosts with the help of a homemade drug. While out on his day job of connecting people with their deceased loved ones, he's confronted by a freshly dead cop, Officer Jayson Tagg, who wants help hunting his killer.[2][3]
Cast
- Tom Sainsbury as Dane 'Marbles' Marbeck
- Hayden J. Weal as Officer Jayson Tagg
- Tōmairangi Ihaia as Yana Tagg
- Jess Sayer as The Hoodie/Henna
- Kayne Ngatokowha Peters as Xavier
- Jennifer Ward-Lealand as Janine Marbeck
- Michael Hurst as Ross Marbeck
- Cameron Rhodes as Lloyd Llewellyn
Production
The script was co-written by Sainsbury and Weal, with both also performing the two lead roles. Weal also directed and co-produced the film.[1] It was shot over four weeks with a budget of $41,000.[4]
Release
The film was released in New Zealand in August 2020, and internationally on 6 October 2020.[5]
The film was later released as an eight-part web series.[1][6] In New Zealand, the series is available to view on TVNZ's free-to-air streaming service TVNZ+.[3]
Reception
Kate Rodger of Newshub praised the film, stating that it had great performances and a cracking script. Rodger wrote that Dead "was, in fact, full of life, and death and was an unexpected delight" and gave it four out of five stars.[2] Writing for Stuff, reviewer James Croot stated although there were some inspired moments, "Dead’s combination of the supernatural and silly behaviour just felt a little too forced," and rated the film three stars.[6] Cath Clarke of the Guardian gave it 2 stars and says "Dead loses its way completely in the last 30 minutes, when the plot takes a turn for the mega bonkers – either the writers have consumed a large quantity of Marble’s trippy formula or have simply run out of decent ideas to stretch their sitcommy idea into a 90-minute film."[7]
Simon Morris from RNZ's At The Movies says "The good things about Dead are it’s well executed, and many of the performances are rather good – even strangely moving at times. But it does get a bit exhausting if you’re not in the mood and feels rather longer than its modest 90-minute length."[8] In the Austin Chronicle Richard Whittaker gives it 2 stars and writes "It’s not that Dead is unfunny – it’s just not consistently funny enough. The jokes don’t always land, and sometimes they’re on-the-nose, like Marbles and Tagg taking about possession as a way to be inside each other. That’s where Dead really feels like a lost opportunity, and occasionally veers into the uncomfortable."[9]
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4 out of 10.[10]
References
- 1 2 3 "Dead". NZ On Screen. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- 1 2 Rodger, Kate (19 September 2020). "Film review: Dead has great performances and a cracking script". Newshub. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- 1 2 "Dead". TVNZ+. TVNZ. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ↑ Bohny, Skara (7 September 2022), "Covid ushers shoestring budget Kiwi paranormal buddy cop film to silver screen", Stuff
- ↑ Barton, Monika (21 July 2020). "Kiwi comedian Tom Sainsbury speaks to ghosts in creepy Dead trailer". Newshub. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- 1 2 Croot, James (17 September 2020). "Dead: Tom Sainsbury takes a more serious turn in tonally odd Ghost story". Stuff. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ↑ Clarke, Cath (30 October 2020), "Dead review – stoner serial-killer comedy runs out of puff", The Guardian
- ↑ Morris, Simon (7 September 2020), "Review - Dead", At The Movies, Radio New Zealand
- ↑ Whittaker, Richard (25 September 2020), "Dead", The Austin Chronicle
- ↑ "Dead". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
External links
- Dead at IMDb
- DEAD the movie
- Dead at TVNZ+