Dead Within (2014)

Load of rubbish!!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The film opens with two couples celebrating and then the next thing you know there are just two people living in a remote cabin who have barricaded themselves in because of some unknown zombie like infection. Mike (Dean Chekvala) dares to go outside to scrounge for food while his wife Kim (Amy Cale Peterson) stays inside and goes squirrelly from cabin fever. That is the entire film and nearly all of it is filmed from inside the cabin. Two characters, one setting, boring dialogue. It was like watching "The Road" as I kept waiting for an explanation or something to happen or the scenery to change.If you want to watch a zombie film, without zombies, that is character driven, this could be your film. Why someone would make something like that, I have no idea.Parental Guide: F-bomb, brief sex, brief nudity.

Very vague, minor spoilers. First, there are zombies in this movie. Only 2 (well, 3, maybe 4), and they are only on screen mainly for a very brief flashback, but they are there. But beyond that I think this could have been a decent little movie. The acting isn't great, but it serves its purpose. The problem is not much happens to string the movie along to its conclusion. I think, perhaps, if they made the subplot with the baby even slighter bigger (or even slightly less implied and more direct) it would have given the movie more depth. And if there had been a bigger "to-do" outside at the end, where they actually could have had a full action/dramatic scene rather than a quick jolt. The movie wasn't about scares, anyway. So why end that way and take away one of the few opportunities to show something happening (other than her opening the front door)?

Good pace on a difficult two-hander. Better than Moon, I reckon.Acting very good, and the sound track maintains tension along with cuts in visuals. The dialogue could have been livelier - the characters had their niggles, but both were reserved personalities. Timeline jumps about a bit, so keep an eye on the hand bandage.Not sure the final shot was necessary - perfectly satisfied with psychosis induced by grief and cabin fever. And how/when could it have happened to her? Maybe a spinning cam in the sunshine with a zombie jaws final frame was best bet.One thing that bugged me was no explanation for running water until about 40 mins in, when it cut off. People - in a zombie apocalypse you'll die of thirst or typhoid way before the brain gobblers get you. So it's important! Then the water turned on again, and I couldn't figure out if it was hallucination.Not as good as The Battery - sort of indoors version without the humour - but definitely deserves higher rating.edit: the ranger story wasn't resolved, so point lost.

I'm glad I gave the movie a chance given the low ratings. It wasn't a zombie movie (as others have said) but a psychological thriller, a journey into the recesses of the human mind. I admit it was boring at first, but I quickly became intrigued with the concept. I soon realized that things weren't necessarily as they seemed (or were portrayed). I began questioning what was real, and what might have been a figment of Kim's imagination. For a film taking place in a single setting with only two characters, it managed to keep me guessing and wondering until the end. I think people always expect constant action, thrills, effects (often to the detriment of the story and the characters) and simply can't deal with anything deeper, more thoughtful, more intricate, and dare I say it - more subtle. I prefer suspense to action and gore any day of the week, and this film delivered. If you are someone open to a slow, interesting build rather than all flash and no substance, you should give it a shot. My ultimate summary statement would probably be something like - "What goes on inside your head can be far scarier than any outside threat."