Zombob's Zombie News and Reviews

REVIEW OF SPECIAL DEAD (2006)

Directors: Thomas L. Phillips & Sean Simmons
Writer: Jared Tweedie
Synopsis: When a zombie plague infects Camp Special Dude, a dude ranch for the mentally handicapped, a ragtag band of campers and counselors struggles to survive the night. Led by the indifferent, nun-chuck-wielding head counselor, Mac, and his wheelchair-bound sister Dale, the unlikely heroes fight their way off the mountain as, one by one, they're picked off and join the ranks of the walking dead. It's a campy stampede of blood, boobs and gore as some "very special" people show that they can kick some serious undead ass.

SPECIAL NOTE: First and foremost, this movie is VERY "politcally INcorrect," so much that some people may be offended by it. It plays up on the stereotypes of individuals that are "challenged," but in all fairness, ALL the characters in this movie are stock stereotypes that we have seen time and time again. If this offends you, perhaps this movie is not for you.

1) ACTING: Amazingly enough, the acting in this movie is very strong. If anything, I would say that some of the dialogue the actors had to say caused more grief with the actors performances. While some of the "special" people in this film are stereotypes, the actors portraying them kept their performances restrained, so not to go "over the top." The stable of stereotypes were here in full force, i.e. the tough dude, the hot goth chick, the grizzled old veteran, the street hood and so on.

2) ZOMBIES: The zombies in this one are "Snyder Runners" and also are capable of hiding, stalking, using weapons and lying in wait for their victims. Throughout the movie, I found it difficult to decipher what exactly would kill a zombie. Some seemed to "die" from stabbings, and some were killed by the ol' standby of a shot to the brain. The zombies in this one seem to "rot" really fast after turning. Nothing new is really brought to the zombies, concerning how they act, respond, kill or anything.

3) PRODUCTION: While the majority of the movie was set at night, the people behind this knew how to light a scene, and make sure that the viewer could see what was going on. Some movies that film at night provide no light source and the viewer really has no clue as to what is happening. The only complaint I had was that I noticed a few times during the "night scenes" was that the film would take on a "grainy" type texture while watching it. And the best part was that it didn't look like it was filmed on a camcorder. Because this was almost a parody of zombie films, I will let the producers off the hook for the heavy metal soundtrack that always played during a zombie attack.

4) SPECIAL EFFECTS: Blood and gore galore! Very much over the top! If someone received a paper cut in this movie, they would've been covered with 3 gallons of blood! The usual bag of "innards" from the local butcher shop were used for body parts, but instead of 1 bag, they used 25 bags! The zombie make up consisted of various stages of "rot" and at times, seemed like layers of mud had been applied to the actors' faces.

5) NUDITY: Very minimal considering all the sex that was going on with the counselors. The actress portraying Cassie does have a nice pair of [...] and lets you have a good long look at them!

6) THE CAUSE: Apparently, there is an infected well nearby that causes instant "zombification" when you drink it. Part of the backstory, (which is revealed near the beginning) is that the guy that owns the Special Dude Ranch got the land real cheap because of a PREVIOUS zombie attack. Zombies are an accepted part of life in this movie. There is no disbelief that a zombie attack is happening. No real reason is given as to why the water in this abandoned well causes one to turn into a zombie though, other than the brief little backstory of a previous zombie attack.

FINAL: Overall, I did enjoy this movie. The "political incorrectness" did not bother me, but I could see some people getting offended by it. This movie is pretty well made for having a budget of only $[...]. Nothing new is brought to the zombie lore, but it's a silly, enjoyable, fun movie to get and watch with a bunch of friends.

RATING: 3.75 out of 5