Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave (2005)

   

Directed by: Ellory Elkayem

Written by: William Butler & Aaron Strongoni

Starring:

Aimee-Lynn Chadwick .... Becky
John Keefe .... Julian Garrison
Cory Hardrict .... Cody
Claudiu Bleont .... Aldo Serra
Sorin Cocis .... Gino
Cain Manoli .... Jeremy

Special Appearance:


Peter Coyote .... Uncle Charles

Release Dates: Frightfest: August 25, 2007 (U.K.); Sitges International Festival of Fantastic and Horror Cinema: October 11, 2007; Gérardmer Film Festival: January 24, 2008

 

 

Rating:

 

One cannister of Trioxyin-5 is illegally sold to a man Charlie Garrison (Peter Coyote) and is killed off by zombies along with the others who did deals with him.

His nephew Julian (John Keefe) finds two of them in his attic with his girlfriend Jenny (Jenny Mollen) in which they ask their friend Cody (Cory Hardrict) to analyze and research the product.

Cody instead uses it as a drug which is similar to ecstasy and tries to make money off of it off the college campus they attend to before the arrange a Halloween dance there.

These people suddenly turn into brain eating zombie's and go to the aid of two agents Aldo Serra (Claudiu Bleont) and Gino (Sorin Cocis) to try and wipe out all of these zombie's before an invasion to the city starts to happen.

 

We spot a sort of ok beginning that involved Uncle Charles and other researchers Aldo and Gino in a lab dressed in black like what you'd see in a flick as detectives looking for clues on things. It kind of also looked like a mafia type of business within what they were discussing.
They corpses lying there in which they try to do tests on the them. Suddenly the corpses turn into zombies attacking and screaming BRAINS but people's reactions look very lacking. The attacking moments though looked good and fast paced. Plus good camera shots on them biting people's heads and necks.

Then a bunch of college students are having a pool party and moments like this. All of this was supposted to make you want to join the fun but it fails miserably with strip teases, dancing and jumping into the pool. This was all too set out and unnatural.
Yet during these situations, there's a boy next door type Julian Garrison getting a devastating call that his uncle was killed in which was a nicely and naturally focused moment while this happened.

Along in the story Aldo and Gino have terrible discussions when they try to track down the zombie's and blast them away which looks like the moments on this resembled the stuff off of Ghostbusters and Police Academy. More annoying situations in other scene's on them doing all of this.

Julian and Becky go to the lab where his uncle was killed in which they spot some cannisters just like what we spotted in the first two flicks. Leaves almost a creepy touch by wondering as to what might happen later on in the story.

The college students try to test a formula on Jeremy with good close up shots on Jeremy rolling his eyes and other expressions while being tested with this liquid. Of course things happen too fast as he spins and stuff like this. The effects looked mildly cheesy.


While they think this is a good idea to use as they sell it to other students things start to happen with some of them getting sick.
This leaves a good drawing card that they will soon become zombie's.

A good natural moment does occur when the students prepare for an outfoor Halloween dance with jack o lanters and stuff like that. Made me want to join in on the fun on all that happens here. Of course when Jeremy is helping out he is coughing with his friends concerned that he is getting sick. Left a feeling that he will soon turn.

We do have a good shot on a canister of Trioxyin-5 opening up with out favourite zombie fromt he original Tarman yelling BRAINS but that's about the best moments there is in this film. A classic moment while spotting this. I was hoping later on the story would become exciting but no such luck.

While some people change a good close up shots on two people in a living room suddenly becoming zombies saying "BRAINS!" Yet when these zombies attack in the school it looked too corny and silly while watching the putcomes off al this.
Other situations fall flat when the zombies go out on the street and try to come after a woman as it looks extremely wooden.
Also there's a scene with a bunch of zombie's in front of a college campus ready to attack some people as that looked incredibly lacking. Plus some cheerleader tryouts are being attacked too. This was nothing too great to watch either.

One of the students gets scratched by a zombie as her and her boyfriend thinks these living dead people are dressed up for Halloween. While they are parked somewhere at night she changes and makes out they are lusting. This moment was totally lame brained big time.
However, there is a slightly funny situation with both Aldo and Gino in a football field trying to blow away zombie's while attacking a cheerleader but yet the moments on this was quite rusty on that too.

Some weed smokers are having discussions in their vehicle talking nonsense while driving along with a back seat passenger. I hoped would turn and kill these two as they were getting on my nerves big time.

Tarman makes another apperance when both Becky and Julian try to blow him away while he is creepily going down some stairs at the universaity. He manages to escape.
What's stupid though, later on this zombie is hitchhiking near a freeway. (I'm not kidding folks!) This really spoils the terror on this character. Whoever wrote him in this scene should be ashamed of himself.

The action piles up though when both Becky and Julian crash the party when zombies are attacking the guests and so fourth along with both Gino and Aldo as their sidekicks dressed in costumes. I found this showed decent timing for a comedy horror. Yet it doesn't save the flick from bombing.
A good touching moment when Julian tells Becky that her brother Jeremy isn't the same anymore and that she must shoot him. This is a tough decision but it worked in well to the story.


Bottom line is that I can't describe how terrible this film is with the performances and most of all the writing in it. None of it is convincing at all even if they try to make the humor and horror the same as the first one with the zombie's saying BRAINS! I can see more and more why there's remakes nowadays cause there's no creative ideas anymore. Let's all hope that another one won't happen. Better off see a remake of the original one if anything. Skip this one and watch Dance of the Dead which has alot more class.

The acting is very bad and unconvincing as most of them stand out whatsoever but I will mention some of the one's that were worth mentioning here....

Aimee-Lynn Chadwick (Becky) seemed to do not too bad with her healthy good girls looks and appeal. Definitely shows off as someone whom is intelligent and can seem to try and get into her role. ALso seemed to do okay by acting emotional as well.

John Keefe
(Julian Garrison) was one of the best in the cast as he had the good looks and the mature attitude. Does well reacting to stuff and showing nice upsetting actions. Plus shows off some good adrenaline when going into action or having a nice dramatic discussion on certain topics.

Cory Hardrict (Cody) seemed a little mediocre but however he tried to pull of some energy within whatever he did here. Gets into the action and excitement in each scene that he appeared in and came off well onto the camera within his whole performance.

C
ain Manoli (Jeremy) seems to be the best out of the rest delivering some good comedy to his part in his role since he seems to act believeably goofy. He seemed to have performed not too bad when he's a DJ at his booth for the Halloween dance not feeling too well and turning into a zombie.

Peter Coyote (Uncle Charles) delivered well even if his role was only in the beginning of this flick. Offered a somewhat cocky type of attitude and did it with good stride. On his earlier days was in more mainstream successful roles. He still knew on how to get into character like he did in this one. Bummer that he became a has been.

Many women at a pool party take their bikini's off barebreasted.

People's heads are bitten
Necks are bitten
Other parts are chewed up
Bloody gun shots in the head
Zombie's heads are chopped off with blood gushing out
Plenty of blood

The composing by Aimee-Lynn Chadwick (Yes the lead actress), Robert Duncan and Ralph Rieckermann is the only good thing about this movie which we have the good old classical horror sounds along with some thumping and banging too. Also a touch of soime deep rough sounds. Surprisingly in the terrors we hear some heavy metal guitar riffs. Wasn't great sounding though. Yet, it doesn't make the story effective sadly.

Tarman: Brains!