Video game store clerks by day but when they clock out they are in fact paranormal investigators by night. When a beautiful woman calls for their help, how can they say no, but they soon get involved in something far beyond their expertise and it’s up to them to save the day, one cheesy line at a time. Who could have thought the dead could be so florescent?
The Neon Dead is really what the title suggests, originally titled Invasion of the Undead; no doubt they changed it due to the hype of The Neon Demon, though it is far from the same plot or even a parody. The Neon Dead is a glorious tribute to the trashy B-movies and nasties of the ‘80s. Think Evil Dead, Re-Animator, and Brain Dead (AKA Dead Alive). Yes, the latter was from the ‘90s but The Neon Dead definitely takes influences from one of Peter Jackson’s first features. Throw in a little bit of Disney’s Enchanted for confusion and you’ve got an insane medley of horror and comedy trash. It’s not exactly the horror film of the year but you have to give some credit for its no shit confidence and ardour.
The creators really show their love for ‘80s horror films and comics. The Neon Dead has a very comic book style with the edit choices and fast pace cuts. This colourful and bright horror is filled mostly with light-hearted humour, very Archie (comics) style. What’s so great about this film is that it’s so straight to the point; it doesn’t pander on too long giving too much exposition and turning into a 2hr long film. Though the characters are rather one-dimensional, the cast are obviously enthusiastic and throw themselves into it 100% which makes this film fun and entertaining for such low budget film. With an original concept, it’s a refreshing take on the zombie subgenre. There are some extremely shoddy effects and costume party make-up, however, the shots are technically sound and the crew knows how to make the most with what they have. Whilst watching this there is a sense of something missing, this had to be the soundtrack, there isn’t much of one which creates a horrible emptiness to what is such an energetic film, it really needed this to add to the tone of the film. For those who can put up with bad effects, have a love for the ‘80s horror and the undead you should get something out of this neon mayhem.
THE NEON DEAD / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: TOREY HASS / STARRING: MARIE BARKER, GREG GARRISON, D. DYLAN SCHETTINA, NATHAN DERUSSY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
