The Walking Deceased

Director - Scott Dow (Taste Buddies)
Starring - Tim Ogletree (Supernatural Activity), Joey Oglesby (Supernatural Activity), and Dave Sheridan (The Devil's Rejects)
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "Imagine a world where the dead are smarter than the living" and "A comedy with bite"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I'm a sucker for a good spoof which is evident in all the horror porn parodies that I review.  I like spoofs for a different reason than why I like remakes and sequels.  Remakes and sequels continue a story that I know and love or give me a new spin on a classic tale.  However, a spoof will take a story that I like and make fun of it.  Sure, most of these are cheap and shitty in comparison but they are still fun for at least one viewing.  Recently, I caught wind that there was an upcoming spoof of The Walking Dead.  I mention The Walking Dead a lot because the story spawned hundreds of zombie flicks but none have attempted to parody it unless you include Burning Angel's The Walking Dead Hardcore Parody.  Anyway, this upcoming parody, cleverly titled The Walking Deceased, caught my attention not only because I am a fan of spoofs, but because I am still a Walking Dead fan even though the show has ruined the current state of zombie films.  I reached out to the folks behind the film and they were kind enough to hook me up with a review copy.

     The film follows Sheriff Lincoln (Sheridan) as he wakes up in the hospital 29 days after a zombie outbreak.  As he awakens he meets two survivors named Green Bay and Chicago who are searching for supplies in the hospital. The three team up to head back to the mall where more survivors are held up.  We are also introduced to a zombie with a conscience named Romeo who falls in love with  a young girl accompanying Green Bay and Chicago.   He shambles after them as they head back to the mall to regroup.  Sadly, he brings with him a horde of the undead and they are able to get into the mall.  He stops the undead from getting her and she falls in love with him unaware that he is a zombie.  They leave the mall and find their way to a farm where the apocalypse has not touched it.  They are able to find refuge there but the undead soon find them and they are once again forced to fight for their lives but before long a cure is found.
     Spoofs are usually fun for a cheap laugh and unexpected humor but they usually never have any replay value.  The Walking Deceased is no different.  The film does offer up several cheap laughs and a few surprises along the way.  The acting is nothing that special and at times it feels like a chore to watch when there is no jokes taking place.  The characters are flat and most are almost impossible to like but Dave Sheridan's character brought a lot of humor to the film.  The story for this one is exactly as you think it is.  The film follows the first episode of The Walking Dead but tosses in several other popular zombie films that caught me off guard.  We are first given a nod to 28 Days Later before we are given parodies to Shaun of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Zombieland. Warm Bodies, and several others.  I assumed this film would only parody TWD but these other parodies and homages was a very nice touch that added some excitement and more horror related jokes for the horror fan.  Finally, the film did have a couple gory kills but they are done just off center of film and the viewer does not get to really enjoy them and the practical effects that went into them.  The film was intended to be a comedy more than a horror flick and that will turn off any horror fan looking for zombie carnage.  Overall, The Walking Deceased is a fun film that has a few genuine laughs but has no replay value and an unlikable cast.  Check it out because it deserves at least one viewing.