CLUB DEAD

Produced by Joseph Mark James
Directed by Mike Bowler
Written and Edited by Dennis Devine and Mike Bowler
Director of Photography - Alan Goldstein

Mr. Ex - Ron Waldron
Cathy - Lisa Bawdon
Shakespeare - Leonna Small

CLUB DEAD is a timewarp back to the late 1980's, where horror films had some originality. Anthony Hopkin's Hannable Lector hadn't made it onto the scene yet, and there was more to horror films than just the flavor of the moment serial killer. There was just something different about the horror films of that specific era. Most were pure cheese, but that was part of their charm.

Benson's Health Spa is going out of business, or at least was going out of business. A strange figure known as Mr. Ex steps from the shadows and provides Benson's with a new advertising campaign; "loose all the weight you want and don't pay a dime." The only hitch is that you will loose weight one way or another, or you'll pay with your life.

Mr. Ex works for a company called The Corporation, which may or may not be run by the devil. We never find out, it's a joyful secret the filmmakers keep to themselves. The corporation has been taking over failing businesses for the past few years and turning them into profitable enterprises. The plan is to take over the world, and anyone who gets in their way will meet their fate at the hand of the trenchcoat-clad Mr. Ex.

CLUB DEAD is a scathing look at Reagan-era America where corporate greed led the way to world domination by old men. The era begat a dog-eat-dog world where financial survival was placed above personal survival.

The Corporation wants to be nothing less that the ultimate entity of financial power, and it's well on it's way. All hope in halting their rise lies is a trio of liberal Bernstein and Woodward wanna-be college reporters who are ready to out the injustices of society. The events transpiring at Benson's Health spa are their own personal Watergate.

It's interesting to note how CLUB DEAD uses the events of the time to examine human frailty very much the same way George Romero did with DAWN OF THE DEAD. Both films are examinations of the sheep-like nature of America and our fixation on marketing-induced trends in popular culture. It was during the 1980's that the health craze boom struck America, and rightly so it did. If, as a nation, we didn't work off the weight that baby boomer companies such as Hostess and Hershey's helped us put on, we would surely die from an epidemic of diabetes and heart failure. The downside is that as a nation we put physical perfection above all else when examining those around us.

There are elements of CLUB DEAD that feel uneven. Moments of confrontation are shown in a flat visual style that contradicts the Argento-esque kill scenes. There's one sequence in particular that occurs early on where all the action is backlit and the majority of the events are seen in long shadows. The stylistic effect is beautifully haunting and atmospheric. It would have been nice if the rest of the movie could have maintained that same flair.

Despite the single visual shortcoming, CLUB DEAD is a fun movie that's more entertaining than the formulaic tripe that I see on shelves passing itself off as horror. You won't find teenagers cracking horror references. No brooding, self-absorbed anti-heroes. And more importantly, no stupid characters, only flawed individuals marked by human frailty. CLUB DEAD is good old-fashioned horrific fun. Social relevance is just a plus.

Unknown Productions