The Day of the Dead

Director - Ricardo Islas (Frankenstein: Day of the Beast)
Starring - Lily Alejandra (Locked Up Abroad), Salomon Carmona (Lockout), and Max Da'Silva (Lockout)
Release Date - 2007
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "They always come back on their day"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Killer 4 Pack) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5);

     Now, before I start I need to clarify that this review is not for the 1985 George A. Romero classic Day of the Dead which is the obvious follow up to Night of the Living Dead's sequel, Dawn of the Dead.  Instead, this review is for the 2007 Spanish horror film The Day of the Dead which is referencing the Mexican holiday El dia de los meurtos.  The film is one that I had never heard of before and that may be because a far superior film shares the same title.  Anyway, the film was sent to me from the fine folks over at MVD as part of a four film horror pack.  The film was accompanied by Carnage: The Legend of Quiltface, Jezebeth, and Hellweek.
     The film follows a group of suburban teenagers that get off by beating, mutilating, and murdering the homeless and minorities near their community.  The group kill a homeless black woman before turning their sights on a young Mexican immigrant who just moved to the states to work.  After her death, her father visits America to find her daughter's killer and partners a Spanish speaking detective to track them down.


     I hate when I grab a movie and the title has nothing to do with the film itself.  When I realized that this film was connected to the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead my mind raced with all the possibilities of what this film could deliver.  However, when it was all said and done the film really left me confused.  I had to rewind it and watch parts of it again to make sure I didn't miss something.  Once I realized I did not miss anything the film was a real let down especially when it did not incorporate anything from the holiday into the film.  The acting in this film reminded me a lot of a daytime soap opera.  They all had a hard time conveying emotions.  They felt like they were just reading their lines with no conviction.  The story for this one flows like an episode of CSI and any other show like it.  It is rather boring and has a hard time convincing me that it is a horror film.  However, the film did start out awesome with an amazing premise that goes south just a few minutes in.  Finally, the film has a few on screen kills but they are done in a way that the viewer does not get the full bloody effect.  It once again reminds me of a daytime soap or court drama.  Overall, The Day of the Dead is a huge disappointment.  The film is a poor excuse for a horror film and does not incorporate the holiday that the film derives it's name from.  Skip this one!