The Dead Next Door Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Dead Next Door Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 26, 2016

1989’s “The Dead Next Door” is the end result of a horror movie fan, J.R. Bookwalter, looking to bite off a piece of the genre for himself. Inspired by titans such as George Romero, Sam Raimi, and John Carpenter, Bookwalter cooks up his own smorgasbord of death with this scrappy feature. Replacing Hollywood polish with Ohio ingenuity, the production gets surprisingly far with its vision of a zombie apocalypse, with Bookwalter trying his hardest to make “The Dead Next Door” as entertaining as possible, filling the effort with incredible amounts of gore and mildly effective humor. Backyard production touches take some getting used to, and the script is a weird collection of expositional moments, but the core viewing experience remains engaging, delivering on promises of grotesqueries and silliness as the viscera flows.

In the middle of Ohio, an undead plague has broken out, requiring order enforced by the Zombie Squad, an elite military unit sent out to slaughter as many monsters as it can while helping civilians, led by Raimi (Pete Ferry). Making their way to Dr. Moulsson (Bogdan Pecic), the unit comes into contact with a serum intended to stop the outbreak, ending up on an extended hunt for the whereabouts of a missing doctor and his daughter. Instead of discovering a solution to the world’s ills, the Zombie Squad is confronted by Reverend Jones (Robert Kokai), a cult leader in command of a redneck army, who wants control of the zombies for his own nefarious use.

There’s a backstory to “The Dead Next Door” that’s intriguing, with Sam Raimi stepping up to become the initial financier of the feature, returning to help the picture out during its extended post-production journey. This connection makes perfect sense, as the effort is an extended valentine to “The Evil Dead,” along with Romero’s “Dead” trilogy, with Bookwalter’s directorial touches inspired by genre greats to help him survive his first feature-length production. Powered by intensely cinematic achievements, the helmer strives to keep “The Dead Next Door” on the move, following the Zombie Squad as they encounter swarms of the undead around Ohio, mowing down as many of the flesh-eaters as possible as they zip from house to house. Action isn’t tight, but Bookwalter keeps the red wet coming, highlighting various make-up and gore creations that are extremely graphic and creative, fighting limited coin and technology to register with the right amount of ick.

Violence is important to Bookwalter, and he needs the distractions at times, fighting a screenplay that only has two speeds: explain everything and explain nothing. Exposition is heavy when Dr. Moulsson is around, sharing make-em-up science in laborious detail, as though the viewer is supposed to be taking notes along the way. That “The Dead Next Door” wants to feel complete isn’t the problem, but it’s curious to see what Bookwalter spends time on and what he allows without comment, including a mid-movie scene where the Zombie Squad, in the midst of war with the undead, causally has lunch on picnic tables in an area heavy with enemies. Logic isn’t Bookwalter’s friend, leaving the actual story lacking in energy, despite an inspired choice to turn the evil cult leader into a Jim Jones-style villain, commanding a mulleted militia. “The Dead Next Door” is much more engaging as a ride through genre highlights, adding touches of humor and encountering endearing B-movie limitations along the way.

The Dead Next Door Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image presentation for "The Dead Next Door" is provided in its original 1:33:1 aspect ratio and a newly created 1.78:1 aspect ratio (comparisons are found in the screencap section). Both viewing events have been restored for this Blu-ray release, with a good amount of scratches and debris removed (plenty remain), offering a pleasant look at gruesome encounters. When original elements aren't available, video substitutions are used, with dips in resolution brief at best, nicely blended in with the flow of the movie. While the production's Super-8 origin isn't going to provide a richly detailed image, textures and particulars remain, handling the effort's limited goals quite well. Refreshed colors are appealing, keeping skintones within reason. Grain is filmic, and delineation isn't problematic, securing frame information during low-lit encounters. Judder is detected.

The Dead Next Door Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

"The Dead Next Door" provides two audio tracks, both offering 5.1 DTS-HD MA mixes. The first is the "Original Cast Mix," which presents a muddier but authentic listening experience, finding inherent sound issues and a lack of polish making dialogue exchanges sometimes difficult to understand. The "Classic Dubbed Mix" is far more defined but artificial, delivering a pronounced aural event that's actually helpful when following story points. Both are refreshed with excitable surround activity, and while precision is lacking, energy runs high, enveloping the listener with scoring cues, soundtrack selections, and zombie particulars. Again, the limited source is handled successfully, doing the best with very little.

The Dead Next Door Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (six pages) contains an essay by Michael Gingold.

On Blu-ray:

• Commentary features writer/director J.R. Bookwalter and producers Jolie Jackunas and Scott P. Plummer.

• "Restoration of the Dead" (19:20, HD) is a highly technical discussion of the efforts required to bring "The Dead Next Door" to HD, with Bookwalter providing a fascinating rundown of the feature's shoot specs and editorial journey. The director also shares information about post-production challenges, where Bruce Campbell oversaw a complete overhaul of the picture's sound design.

• "Capitol Theater Screening" (12:22, HD) showcases a 2015 showing of "The Dead Next Door," including appearances from select cast and crew, who share anecdotes about the shoot and provide an update on their professional lives.

• "Nightlight Screening" (16:29, HD) returns to Bookwalter, who conducts a Q&A with an Ohio crowd.

• "Behind the Scenes" (19:13, SD) showcases brief bits of footage from the production, including trips around town, a visit to the audition office, and location interactions. Interestingly, the clips include a moment where the cast and crew participate in the "Hands Across America" event. Commentary (which can't be turned off) is provided by Bookwalter.

• Deleted Scenes & Outtakes (7:11, SD) provide some extra characterization and spotlight the ruined footage that marred the first two weeks of production. Commentary (which can't be turned off) is provided by Bookwalter.

• Galleries include "Around the World" (3:49), "Storyboard" (26:27), "Behind the Scenes" (8:30), and "Production Stills" (6:24).

• And a Trailer (1:47, HD) is provided.

On DVD:

(2015)

• "The Dead Up North" (9:29) travels to Ottawa, with Bookwalter delivering a Q&A.

• "Local T.V. Appearances" (15:00) highlight various news reports and talk show sit-downs with Bookwalter and his crew.

• "Local T.V. Commercial" (1:34) encourages home viewers to avoid VHS piracy and rent "The Dead Next Door" as much as possible.

• "1995 Making-Of Excerpts" (9:15) cover the creation and execution of "The Dead Next Door," offering reflection from cast and crew.

• Short Films include "The Flesh Eater" (2:47, 1979), "Zombie" (10:05, 1980), and "Tomorrow" (9:02, 1985). Commentary (which can't be turned off) is provided by Bookwalter and his son, Benji.

(2005)

• "20 Years in 15 Minutes" (15:33) discusses "The Dead Next Door" with cast and crew.

• Video Storyboards (8:15) present visual templates to help Bookwalter with directorial decisions.

• Video Preshoots (5:32) detail a few sequences shot on tape, which inspired the move to Super-8.

• Auditions (14:02) share performance dreams and bleeped phone numbers of the men and women looking to join Bookwalter's film.

• "2000 Frightvision Reunion" (6:15) provides a brief overview of a horror convention gathering.

• Music Video (3:05) merges clips with a performance from the band Three Miles Out.

The Dead Next Door Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Dead Next Door" has its issues, but it contains more moxie than similar productions, with Bookwalter trying to do whatever he can to brighten up the endeavor. He even visits Washington D.C. to expand the scope of the feature, slipping through national security efforts to photograph zombies crawling around the front gates of the White House and stomp around the National Mall. It's a nice touch. For though looking for a more intense, professional viewing experience, perhaps "The Dead Next Door" doesn't fit the bill. What it does offer is imagination, a love of the game, and enough spirited execution to cover for missed opportunities and sloppiness. It's not perfect, but it's fun.