Dead at the Box Office (2005)

Waste of Money.

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

I bought this film sending a message to the authors, on "Dead at the Box Office" Myspace page. It's been an interesting experience to watch a film, knowing then I'd communicate my impressions to... Dr. Eisner in person! Well, despite some flaws on the "thrilling" side, I guess you should appreciate this movie for what it is: a low-budget, willingly camp, horror comedy! As a child of its time, it shows conscious approach to a genre that, if not dead, sure has changed much! Since Mr. Ryan A. Markle's answer to my letter contains hints about the film nobody else could give (not a watcher, at least), I'd like to copy & paste portions (the whole thing would exceed the number of words allowed in this comment) of our exchange of letters (Since Ryan himself divided my e-mail in parts he separately answered to in his letter, I'll just add our names to this sort of unintentional mutual interview we had!)Dario: First of all, let me say it was really a nice surprise to find English subtitles in the DVD's menu! I'm quite used to watch films in English but... having matching subtitles too! I didn't miss a word and learned some new ones too!Ryan: We're actually fans of English subtitles ourselves, even though English is our native language. Sometimes it's hard to understand what's being said in any movie, and having the subtitles makes sure that the viewer can catch everything the writer wanted to get across in the story. So we put them on there because, if we were watching it for the first time, WE would want them to be there.Dario: The plot was good! My favourite characters were Eric, Curtis and Yours! The bite scene (a due homage to good ol' Dawn of the Dead!) let me know I was going to enjoy fantastic splatter & gore SFX! I'm not saying I'd expected some fu**in' computer graphic or other latest Hollywood's crap, but, you know, you may never know what to expect from indie films and low budget cinema in general... You seem to know the old formula, though!Ryan: That was the goal! We love the movies that made horror great, especially the ones that were made with almost no money but were rich in creativity. And of course none of them use CGI! As filmmakers, we believe that CG should only be used to enhance practical effects -- not to replace them altogether. Dario: Some of the siege and chasing scenes reminded of some Italian horrors I adore like Lamberto Bava's "Demoni" (Demons) or Andrea Bianchi's "Le Notti del Terrore" (Burial Ground). In its (deliberate, I know) campiness it kinda reminded me of Timothy O' Rawe's "Ghoul School" too...Ryan: High praise, all the way around! You definitely know your horror history -- exactly the kind of person we made the movie for! :)Dario: I absolutely loved the laughing reaction of the stereotyped audience, when the nazi logo shows on screen. Lloyd Kaufman's presence was already in the air when he showed up and the Rocky Horror Show-like pseudo-happy ending, finally released the Hollywood's parody that was around the bend (that made me think of early John Waters' films, somehow).Ryan: We've definitely been influenced by Lloyd Kaufman and Troma (not to mention 'Rocky Horror'), but I never really thought about how much the campy shock twists in 'Pink Flamingos' -- a movie several of us watched over and over when we were teenagers -- have contributed to our style. You probably have something there!Dario: I'd liked to see more of "Harry's Daughter" though... I found priceless the final scene (unexpected after ALL the end titles!).. will you make a sequel?!Ryan: We had discussed it, but after finishing 'Dead at the Box Office', we all pretty much went our separate ways. We made the movie near Chicago, but after it was finished, the actor who played Eric (who also co-wrote the script with me) and the director both moved to New York, while I moved to Los Angeles. If the movie is a hit, maybe we can get the financing to get back together for a sequel ... but since we're living 3000 miles apart, it won't be easy!Dario: OK... sure there's more I could say on the positive side, but it doesn't come to mind now... The only spot I'd recall, thinking of this basically good time I had with Dead at the Box Office, would be maybe the pacing of the action scenes. The "zombies" were a little too... unwilling; and I'd swear I've seen a couple of them laughing too, but... I know, I know! This horror movie is a self-conscious campy comedy as well, right? Maybe It's just that blood was so convincing, I'd loved to get some thrill too!Ryan: I understand completely. Looking back, we realize that we might have tried too hard to make the movie equal parts comedy and horror, when we should have concentrated more on one or the other. We really wanted horror fans to love it, so if we had the chance to do it all again, we would have concentrated a little more on the tension and action.Dario: By the way... It still has very interesting cues, not only for gorehounds and... I totally agree with the revolutionary spirit of Romero's films!

When I first heard of this movie I didn't expect much, but after watching it I was very impressed. Any movie with Nazi's tied in is amazing! (ex. like Hellboy and Indiana Jones) I mean this movie costars one of the lost boys in HOOK! The special effects and makeup was very convincing and the directing was bar none. Dead at the Box office definitely pays homage to the the old school Romero movies, and Casey Kirkpatrick did an excellent job paying his respects to the Legend himself. This movie wasn't dragged out either and had a very cool and funny twist in the end. When I checked the features on the DVD...being a big fan of toxic crusader...seeing the owner of Troma giving his approval...paved the way for a good zombie killing fun.

As one of the lead characters stated, "I think it's fine to line bad movies," and I couldn't agree more. Granted, there are some lacking aspects to the movie; poor sound recording and thoroughly implausible ending for example. Still, I can gladly look past the flaws to what is right about the movie. For a low budget indi, it's special effects are good, the dialog is solid, and it's a fun movie. It takes a unique plot line while giving homage to many of the genre classics. This isn't trying to sell it self as a 'serious' scary movie. It's a light-hearted B movie that brings some laughs and fun to an evening. Mix with a little alcohol, and this can be a great movie night.

I can honestly say that I'm not usually a big fan of zombie movies. I felt compelled to see it being that I was a part of Shawn's RHPS cast. I do have to say that Dead At The Box office was a great movie in my eyes. For the budget that they had, it had great special effects. I got to hear all about how it was made, and I was impressed with the quality performance. Granted it's a B-movie, but so was RHPS, and look how that turned out. I say to anyone that doesn't like it, maybe give it a second chance, or a third. It's a fantastic movie, has a decent plot, and is quite original. It definitely opened up my eyes to other zombie movies.Sammi C.