The Dead Next Door
| The Dead Next Door | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | J. R. Bookwalter |
| Written by | J. R. Bookwalter |
| Produced by | J. R. Bookwalter |
| Starring | Bruce Campbell Pete Ferry Bogdan Pecic Michael Grossi Phil Critchfield |
| Cinematography | Michael Tolochko Jr. |
| Edited by | J. R. Bookwalter |
| Music by | J. R. Bookwalter |
Production companies | Amsco Studios Suburban Tempe Company |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Dead Next Door is a 1989 zombie horror film written, produced and directed by J. R. Bookwalter.
Plot
[edit]In the near future, the world falls victim to a plague of violent carnivorous undead humans, and a black-ops elite team of soldiers, nicknamed the "Zombie Squad", has been enlisted by the government as exterminators to control the growing epidemic. While on a series of routine containment missions, the soldiers stumble upon a mysterious religious cult which wishes to protect and enable the zombies, believing them to be a punishment ordained by God. Within their compound may be a cure to the virus causing the plague.
Cast
[edit]- Pete Ferry as Raimi
- Bogdan Pecic as Dr. Moulsson
- Michael Grossi as Mercer
- Jolie Jackunas as Kuller
- Robert Kokai as Rev. Jones
- Floyd Ewing Jr. as Capt. Kline
- Scott Spiegel as Richards
- Michael Tolochko as Randalls
- Bruce Campbell as Raimi and Cmdr. Carpenter (voice only)
Production
[edit]Sam Raimi served as executive producer on the film under the pseudonym 'The Master Cylinder' using a portion of his payment from Evil Dead II.[1] Bruce Campbell supervised post-production sound and dubbed the voices of two characters, Raimi and Cmdr. Carpenter.[2] The movie was produced over nearly four years, in Akron, Ohio. Although unsure of the exact figure, in an interview director J. R. Bookwalter estimated that the film cost $125,000 to produce.[3]
The film was shot on Super-8, which is an amateur grade film generally only used for making home movies. Everyone involved worked on the film for a deferred salary.[3] The film is notable for highly graphic gore effects.
Critical reception
[edit]AllMovie wrote, "very stylish for what is essentially an epic-scale home movie [...], this remains Bookwalter's best effort", comparing the film's fast pace to that of a "live-action video game".[4]
Soundtrack
[edit]The score for the film was composed by director J. R. Bookwalter. The soundtrack has been released on CD and in MP3 format by Tempesound.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Dead Next Door (1989) - Trivia - IMDb". Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ Miska, Brad (2017-08-04). "Zombie Classic 'Dead Next Door' Gets 2K Transfer". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ a b Albright, Brian (2012). Regional Horror Films, 1958–1990: A State-by-State Guide with Interviews. McFarland. p. 42. ISBN 978-1476600420. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
- ^ Firsching, Robert. "The Dead Next Door (1989) - Review - AllMovie". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ "Tempe DVD: DEAD NEXT DOOR, THE (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD)". tempevideo.com. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.