Handpicked by Sam Raimi's production company Ghost House comes the Lions Gate Zom-Com Dance of the Dead, a hoot of a horror spoof.
In the shadow of a power plant, the small town of Cosa is marinating in toxic effluent that is causing to the dead to stir in their graves. On the night of the high school prom, the geeky Sci-Fi club head out to the local cemetery with Pizza boy Jimmy for some ghost spotting, while backyard wrestler Kyle finds himself finishing detention again. Meanwhile, cheerleader Gwen is let down by punk rocker Nash who refuses to take her to the dance, and Lindsay, the Student Council Vice President, discovers her date Mitch is anything but the perfect gent.
When the dead literally explode out of their tombs (no lumbering here), it's up to this band of misfits, armed only with guts and guitars, to warn their schoolmates. But first they must escape from a funeral home surrounded by zombies. Thankfully, military-minded survivalist Coach Keel is on hand with a bomb he bought off craigslist to help the gang save the day.
This is a madcap comedy with a great young cast, cool action, witty script and top-notch special effects (favourite bits: a headless Mitch chasing after Gwen; Jimmy dissecting the head of his frog-faced biology teacher; and the suburban zombies being mesmerized by Nash's Cramps-inspired punk band).
Special features include stacks of deleted and extended scenes. The only thing missing is the soundtrack, which you can download from iTunes.
This is geek chic at its best, and a worthy successor to the loveable Shaun of the Dead.
Welcome to The Return of the Living Dead: The Next Generation.
Released 19 April http://youtube.com/v/kmdUJJSQzhI
