The Dead and the Damned

aka Cowboys & Zombies

Director - Rene Perez (The Dead and the Damned II, The Burning Dead)

Starring - David A. Lockhart (Alice in Storageland), Camille Montgomery (The Grotto), and Rick Mora (Twilight)

Release Date - 2011

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "The legend of the living dead"

Format - DVD (Personal Collection) 

Rating (out of 5):

     Horror westerns. The two just seem so silly when combined like that but it does happen and the results are mixed.  Sadly, we don't get a lot of horror westerns and it's a damn shame because if we did visiting my dad would be a lot more bearable due to the fact he leaves his t.v. on the western channel.  Recent years has saw the release of Quick and the Undead, Undead or Alive, The Burrowers, and Gallowwalker.  A few micro-budget indie flicks may have slipped through my fingers but the numbers are still small.  Last summer I was walking through a Wal-Mart in another state and decided to check out their $5 dollar bin when I found a copy of The Dead and the Damned sitting right on top.  My love of zombie flicks got the best of me and I went ahead and grabbed it to add to my collection.  I have had it for some time now and decided to check it out before I hit my next review.  

     The film follows a bounty hunter who just took on the task of bringing in an Indian that is accused of raping and murdering a white woman.  He heads to a small town full of gold prospectors where they warn him about the Indian and to stay out of the woods.  He does not listen and heads out there with a beautiful blonde.  He ties her up to use as bait but they are unaware that a farmer has found a meteorite and has taken it into town with the purpose of showing it off Jordy Verrill style.  He busts it open and a green mist comes out infecting the townsfolk turning them into flesh eating monsters.  The bounty hunter is able to capture the Indian but the undead attack forcing them to join forces and the bounty hunter learns that the Indian was actually set up.  

      The current state of zombie films follow the same story putting people in present day with modern weapons fighting the undead.  The Dead and the Damned was a nice break away from the tired and mundane story and gave us something different.  It may not be new but it is great to take a break from the others.  The acting in this one is fantastic by the entire cast.  David A. Lockhart does a great job along with his co-stars Camille Montgomery and Rick Mora. These three have amazing chemistry together and feed off each other perfectly.  Without them the film would not be what it is and would not be watchable.  The story for this one is culmination of several films.  The film feels like The Quick and the Undead with the bounty hunter trying to get paid during a zombie outbreak.  We then get a little Creepshow nod with the meteorite bringing about the carnage.  These two come together to make a solid story for a western full of zombies. Sadly, several scenes fall apart from bad pacing that tries the viewer's patience.  Finally, the film has several bloody on screen kills that are nothing new but looks great.  The film also has some amazing practical effects and zombies that look great.  These zombies look like they are supposed to.  Overall, The Dead and the Damned is a zombie flick that offers up something different in a world where the sub-genre rarely goes.  Check this one out and break away from the Walking Dead clones.