A lot of first time filmmakers are so deeply concentrated on making their own Citizen Kane, they don't take time to make a good film on its own merits. They get lost in sweeping views, tricky camera shots and intensely crafted dialogue and they forget to let their own voice shine through which is where they can fail so miserably. On the other hand there are first time filmmakers who set out to make a re-hashing of all of the films that inspired them. Not an homage to them, but literally the same film that's been made time and time again over the past forty years.
The Dead Deads is a film which bravely creates its own universe by way of David Lynchian surrealism entrenched in the Mumblegore genre of independent cinema. It was made in Rochester, NY in January of 2013 on a ZERO budget. Essentially the filmmakers Eric Maira and Patrick Montanaro (collectively known as Werewolf House) picked up a camera and filmed whenever their friends were free to shoot and paid them in beer and pizza.
I was recently invited to a private screening of a rough cut of this film and I can say without a doubt mentioning its nonexistent budget is only in an effort to emphasize how inventive this film is on what it doesn't have financially.
Teagan is a young twenty-something with nothing really going for him in life. He works a job at a tv station he doesn't really care for, and spends time each day taking care of his Mother who barely notes his existence as he tirelessly looks after her. His sister is caught up in her life as a single parent, and Teagan's love interest tries desperately to get his attention to little avail. He becomes obsessed with a VHS camcorder; making his own videos and watching old VHS videos which traverse times in his life. This is when the story really starts to shape. We're taken on a dream like journey through the Christmas holidays through Teagan's eyes. Things get progressively more suffocating as he reaches out in all directions to find what it is he's looking for, even when it's not clear to him what he's seeking out.
Some moments in the film are darkly comic, others heartwrenching while some are just effortlessly beautiful. The sound design and score in this film are an easy mix between 70s Giallo and 80s John Carpenter synth. In the end The Dead Deads is a polarizing film. Either you'll love it or you'll hate it, there's not much room for in between. If you're a fan of films which don't spell out all the beats and allow you to take away from the film what you see and not what they want you to see, you're going to fall into the former category.
The Dead Deads plans to hit the festival circuit, but in the meantime Werewolf House are actively seeking distribution for their debut film while working on their next feature. The film will have it's premiere at independent arthouse theatre The Little Theatre (thelittle.org) in Rochester, NY on May 2nd ahead of a 35mm screening of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Keep up to date on The Dead Deadsfor the time being via the Werewolf House Facebook page.