Dead and Gone (2008)

   

Directed by: Yossi Sasson

Written by: Harry Shannon

Starring:

Quentin Jones .... Jack Wade
Gillian Shure .... Kate Edison
Kathrine Bates .... Frankie
Robert Herrick .... Moss Rose
Marilyn Ghigliotti .... Nurse Clark
Ben Moody .... Booger Rose

Special Appearances:

Kyle Gass .... Reverend Grass
Felissa Rose .... Peggy Goldstein
Chris Bruno .... Constable

Release Dates: Direct-to-DVD: July, 2008; Horrorfest Japan: November 2, 2009

 

Rating:

A struggling actor Jack Wade (Quentin Jones) takes his comatose wife Frankie (Kathrine Bates) to an isolated cabin in the mountains-a place where a man once murdered his entire family.
However Jack seems to be disturbed by his past as well as some eccentric neighbors in which he starts seeing hallucinations on Frankie acting wicked towards him along with spotting other creepy situations.
He gets aquainted with the Constable Kate Edison (Gillian Shure) in which he flirts with her.
He continues to spot hallucinations on Frankie taunting him which he tries to take her life while still in a coma but that won't stop her as he goes berserk and killing others who have wronged him while residing near the cabin.

 

The film looks very interesting and almost intense and disturbing when we spot some sort of a maniac being vicious towards his wife as he has tied and gagged her as he plans to do his killings on her and a child and then himself as this was an impressive start to this horror film and having a feeling what will happen while we continue watching in the plot. This looked pretty strong to watch indeed.
We also have present day with nice sunny shots on the cabin as well as everyone helping the lead character Jack Wade which flowed well with the discussions happening here. Plus there's nice shots on someone spying on these certain events as this also looked well done too.
There's an odd scene with a hillbilly named Moss Rose drinking some moonshine that's being made as he looked sort of zombie like which really draws you in wondering if he is for sure alive. Also there's some powerful struggling moments between him and a lady constable named Kate Edison struggling against him and acting violent in which this looked very powerful to watch as to making you wonder why she is doing this too. It certainly draws your attention here.
We spot a real dark and twisted moment with Jack in his cabin talking to his wife Frankie who is in a coma in a hospitalised bed and speaking nasty things which was well put in since it adds to the story that this person is very disturbed on what he's telling her while she's in this coma as this looked greatly done here.
In the story we spot a mysterious moment when a family member named Booger Rose brings groceries to Jack but he prevents him from going into the cabin and acting forceful about it all as this looked impressive for a horror stoary as to what may reside in there. It comes across as good and serious as well as Booger acting like a dork about things. The timing looked right for all of this.
Also there's a camera shot on Jack menacingly chopping wood but the backgropund of the woods and cabin seemed to look like a special effects type of shot as if he was not outoside doing this. It looked cheesy but yet the scene with him showing his insane anger looked pretty strong. He also runs int the strange man who took his life in the beginning of this story in which he approaches him creepily as this was a clever moment for the horror story.
Also inside of the cabin we spot great hallucination sequences with Frankie looking up from her chair drooling blood and showing and evil expression as this for sure looked haunting like. This should please some of you horror fans indeed.
There's some cheesy slapstick moments with a preacher on TV looking over the top on what he is saying and then he's talking about doing something vengeful as this boggles you out wondering as to why he's saying this since it's a nice sign that Jack's hallucinating once again. The shot on the TV and all of this looked pretty phony.
We spot a nice romantic discussion between Jack and Kate out in the woods and her drinking alchohol as their discussions really flowed in well. The writing and everything else looked very natural and dramatic too. It's nice to have something like this in a horror flick to have something peaceful before more terror starts to happen later on.
Also there's many good takes on Jake beating up on Booger in which this looked impressive and powerful to spot all of this. Some of this was pretty intense and well done.
A nice shot on Jack swinging an axe in a room of the cabin and hearing the sounds of him hitting flesh in which this sounds pretty gross to hear and powerful and horrific to watch at the same time
Plus we have more great creepy hallucination sequences with Frankie speaking wickedly towards Jack as well as smoking a cigarette with good close up shots on this. This for sure makes you think that this dude has a few skeletons in his closet dealing with this woman as well as him tempting to put a pillow over her face lying in a coma. It makes you cringe as to wonder if he will succeed on taking her life.
Also we spot him running outside with a knife screaming and crying out someone's name and just going berserk as this seemed pretty psychotic to watch and having a nice dark feel to all of this especially the fact it takes place late at night.
Then we have Jack watching the weather report which looked cheesy not looking like a real newsweather report spotting the effects for this but yet when he is about to do a nasty deed we spot the weather man watching him from his TV which looked pretty strange and witty too and telling him what to do. This looked pretty clever for another hallucination sequence.
Things look impressive when we catch Jack showering in the outdoors and then Kate stops by as her approaches her and comes on too strong with her as she backs off a bit in which you wonder if something terrible will happen here. Yet we spot a good lustful moment on the two of them in the woods in which this looked well shot.
Then in the story we spot our hillbilly Moss trespassing in the cabin and seeming like he's attempting to rape Jack as this looked pretty brutal and powerful on their struggles against one another and nice shots on this too. As well as some results as to what Rick does which looks impressive. Moss almost looked like a zombie trying to attack him as this was strongly impressive to watch.
A perfect situation with Kate seriously speaking to Jack about his arrest in which this seemed very realistic on a situation with a maniac as well as him being peer pressured by his hallucinations like Frankie and other that he killed on what to do. Pretty intense stuff here. Also good shots on him nearly plunging down an axe towards her shoulder and stopping. Certainly disturbing to watch this wondering if he will succeed on slaughtering her.
A perfect attacking sequence on him attacking Booger and partly slaughtering his arm with him struggling away in which this looked believeably painful to spot this and a must for people who love horror violence.
We spot some zany slapstick discussions on the dead people Jack has killed in which he's hallucinating again including a decaptitated head in which this enlightens the story a bit on the terror that has happened beforehand. This for sure takes a nod at Evil Dead 2 and in a good fashion too.
There's a nice twist with Kate towards Jack in which you wonder if it's another hallucination sequence or if this is actually happening as this worked in cleverly well here.
Then we have a bit of the closing credits but it teases you showing that there's more in the storyline as this seemed impressively done too.
Bottom line is that this is a very strong psychtoci type of horror flick in which was a greatly made story for an indie flick and a decent budget too which is impressive as well. Sometimes it's a little overly long and lagging though. Still incredibly well done and pays a tribute to films like Pet Semetary and of course Evil Dead 2 as mentioned. Worth checking out if you enjoy independent horror. You won't be disappointed.

The acting is very good and strongly performed by most of the cast here. Lead actor Quentin Jones (Jack Wade) knew his stuff by acting disturbed with his attitude as he knew on how to act short with someone and getting blunt about it all in which he was well focused while doing all of this. Plus was great by showing an angry rage inside the cabin with his wife in a coma in which he comes across strong here. Plus he does a great job just rolling with the punches when he gets aggressive while hallucinating too. He shows alot of terrific powerful blocking while beating someone up and going into a rage which showed alot of paranoia into what he was doing here. He also showed plenty of this while running out of his cabin and screaming insanely while calling for someone He brings up the pace big time here showing tons of adrenaline. He does a nice job by speaking peacefully whenever he was acting charming and romantic in which this showed a nice versatality into his role. Plus he does a nice job acting forceful in certain situations as well as acting believeable by coming on too strong with his lustful behavior acting believeably dominant here.
Gillian Shure (Kate Edison) certainly struts her stuff perfectly as a female constable in which in the beginning of her performance shows a ton of great intense energy with her blocking while she beats someone up in which this was quickly paced on what she was doing here and goes with it big time. She also shows a nice turnaround when she speaks seriously towards who she was brutalising and acting straight forward as this was right on target here. Shows a perfect friendliness to her role introducing herself and coming across as believeably genuine and having a good wise type of behavior. Plus she was great with her words when she gets romantic and getting into her discussion while sitting in a wooded area. Plus she does a perfect job speaking firmly about an arrest in which she looked very sharp while doing this. She also shows great fearful energy when she is struggling to get away from being killed which also shows off some good adrenaline here. Plus was impressive when she speaks coldly in a small scene here showing a different side of her. She was for sure a great character actress and deserves a good pat on the back.
Kathrine Bates (Frankie) draws in the attention big time having the most effective supporting role in the film and proving to be a worthy horror character actress with her cold behavior and wicked attitude. She was perfect whenever she acted taunting like as well as being perfectly bitter on stuff. Shows some great wicked expressions whenever she has an aggressive type of attitude to what she does here. Plus really knew on how to act forceful within her speaking too acting wildly insane. She drives every ounce of negative energy onto this film and is rewarding for all of this.
Robert Herrick (Moss Rose) for sure showed a great masculine presence in his redneck role at first looking zombie like as well as just rolling in with his energy later on in the story by trying to attack someone with his perfect forceful energy as well as showing a good insaneness to his part by his low gruff laughter and speaking too. He draws in alot with his supporting role even if he isn't seen alot in the film. His looks were a plus too.
Ben Moody (Booger Rose) was another effective one in his supporting role in which he draws as one of those immature type of outsiders just not taking stuff too seriously but trying to have a tough type of rough neck attitude and coming out as a wimp instead. He does a great job freaking out like a sissy when he is attacked and acting believeably freaked out too. He also reacts well when he is nearly killed and struggling which the tensity is at a perfect high pace. Plus he offers great humor while he's dead and just having a great whiny type of attitude here.

Kyle Gass (Reverend Grass) brings on an over the top witty attitude as a preacher on TV which he drives alot out with his aggressive speaking preaching religion. It looked impressive alot but in someways he was over doing it too. But he was a total attention grabber with this especially with his wild expressions too which looked comedic.
Felissa Rose (Peggy Goldstein) doesn't seem over the top as she usually is in these types of flicks in which she shows some interesting spunk into her performance and seems to know her stuff in this part by speaking calmly which most of her scene's are talking on a phone. She does a good job acting leary in the end of her performnace and shows a great scared facial expression in which almost resembles to her ending scene in Sleepaway Camp.

Quentin Jones reveals a brief butt shot while wrapping himself in a towel after taking an outdoors shower
Gillian Shure
exposes her breasts in a wooded area while performing a sex scene

An arm is chopped off
A face is burned
a hand is chopped off as well as a head revealing the results which look bloody but a wee bit fake
A side of a woman's shoulder is briefly cut by an axe

There's the today's standards of horror composing here in which would sound good for a made for TV or cable horror flick as we hear some violin synthesizer music as well as some high pitched sounds. Plus there's the odd strum plucking as well as a scene where we hear southern accoustic guitar twanging too fitting what was shown here. There's also good peaceful sounds for the nice moments used in the film too. There's also chiming sounds as well as the music thumping too which is a real sound catcher. Plus we have cheesy comedic type of music for the dark comedic scene's which works in for the plot too. Also good hissing sounds which sounds very effective as well as some piano playing. Harry Mandfredini uses new stuff than just his same old Friday the 13th music but however he blends that in as well for the silent suspenseful moments with the high hissing and chiming sounds. It sounds good as always.