I suppose that I owe Tobe Hooper an apology. I’ve said that his entry in the Masters of Horror didn’t appeal from the trailer, but I actually ended up thinking that it wasn’t too bad after all. Mea Culpa, Mr. Hooper.
In the not too distant future, terrorists have attached the United States with chemical warfare. There are moments when the skies turn black and “blizz” falls from them (think black snow) that when it touches your skin it eats it away. Peggy (Jessica Lowndes) is a teenager who works with her mother (Marilyn Norry) and they both work in a diner. Peggy is naïve and innocent compared to the apocalyptic world that is around her.
Her mother wants to keep her that way and is not happy when a group of bad kids (think Clockwork Orange) come into the diner. Peggy takes notice of one of the bad boys named Jack (Jonathan Tucker) and he seems to return her interest. Her mother kicks the kids out of the diner when she notices that Jack is taking interest in Peggy. We’ve seen earlier that these boys are seemingly up to no good when they assault an older couple and take a pint of the old lady’s blood. Peggy goes back to the diner later that night and finds that Jack is waiting for her.
She takes off with Jack, Celia (Lucie Guest), and Boxx (Ryan McDonald). They’re heading for Muskeet, a decadent town where anything goes. They go to a club called the Doom Room where the M.C. (Robert England) has a stage show where the revived victims of the chemical warfare are part of the stage show.
The show participants are called LUPies, which stands for Lifeless Undeath Phenomenon. They’re dead but the chemical reactions causes them to still function and the cattle prods that they prod them with help them to perform. However, Peggy recognizes one of the LUPies and it will lead to revelations that will change her life.
The effects of blizz
I always thought that the trailer for Dance of the Dead was the one that looked the worst to me. Perhaps it was the fact that after watching the feature that it was better than the trailer made it seem.
The story comes from the short by Richard Matheson and the screenplay is by his son Richard Christian Matheson. The land in which the story takes place is one of hopelessness. Hooper also uses a number of camera techniques during the show which you’ll either appreciate or they’ll give you a headache.
Maybe since I had my expectation set so low from the trailer, they had no place to go but up. I ended up liking the story and Hooper’s handling of it. I can’t say that it falls at the top of my Masters of Horror list but it isn’t on the bottom as I was expecting it to be.
Dance of the Dead is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.77:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include two commentaries. One from director Tobe Hooper (with DVD producer Perry Martin) and the other from writer Richard Christian Matheson. The first featurette is 21 minutes and entitled “Primal Scream” and is a career spanning interview with Tobe Hooper.
The next featurette is the 17 minute “Working with a Master: Tobe Hooper.” It has interviews with Richard Christian Matheson, Gunnar Hansen, Bill Moseley, and Steve Railsback. Next is a trio of on set interviews - one with Robert England (13 minute), Jessica Lowndes (5 minutes), and Jonathan Tucker (8 minutes).
Next is the 8 minute “Written Word” on set interview with Richard Christian Matheson. There’s also the 8 minute collection of behind the scenes footage. The special features are rounded out with trailers, a still gallery, a storyboard gallery, and a Tobe Hooper bio. DVD-ROM features include a screensaver and the script for Dance of the Dead.
The Master of Ceremonies
I liked Dance of the Dead more than I thought I was going to. I can’t really say that it’s a classic of the genre, but it entertained me. I’d suggest that you give it a chance.
Masters of Horror - Dance of the Dead is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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