Dead and Breakfast Review
Written by: Moviemaven
I have been waiting to see this film for a long time and I finally got the chance. I wouldn't exactly call it the US answer to Shaun of the Dead, but it is entertaining. It's the little indie flick with a flair for the funny as well as the gory.
Six friends on their way to a wedding get lost in their RV and decide to spend the night in a bed and breakfast in the tiny town of Lovelock. You can just go ahead and chalk this up as one of the worst ideas ever. But then, what else is new? LOL
Once they arrive at their final resting place, they are greeted by a very haughty French chef (Diedrich Bader) who is not at all pleased that they are there. Then they meet the innkeeper (David Carradine) and settle in for the night.
Things seem to be going well until a murder takes place and they are forced to stay in town throughout the investigation. This puts a kibash on their plans and then it only gets worse.
Apparently the innkeeper had lost a newborn son in the past and called upon a Buddhist monk to trap his soul in a box. No big deal, though, right? Wrong. One of the friends rather clumsily knocks over the box and releases the soul which promptly causes a chain of unholy events. Before you know it, the entire town (apart from the sheriff, the doc, and the over-zealous manager of the records office) are turned into zombie-like creatures hell-bent on getting the souls of the other friends in the house.
Many bloody battles ensue and it is carnage galore. I don't recall the last time I saw so much blood. What fun!
Add into the mix the singing gas station attendant (Zack Selwyn) who keeps you up to date on the goings on and entertains you with lively original tunes. He even causes the zombies (not quite) to break it down Thriller style. That is a very fun scene.
The cast is great and loads of fun. Apart from the ones I have already mentioned, there is a cameo from Portia de Rossi. Among the regular cast is Ever Carradine, the wonderful Jeremy Sisto, Erik Palladino, Brent David Fraser, Bianca Lawson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Oz Perkins and Gina Phillips. Good performances from all.
The film itself is well made and has a great look for an indie. I didn't find it disappointing in the least. There is even a really decent soundtrack including the opening song, Dead Man's Party. Pair this with the credit art and you know it's gonna be fun from the very beginning.
To sum it up, Dead and Breakfast is one of the goriest comedies I have ever seen. There are head shots a-plenty and gallons of blood. Slapstick humor abounds but never compromises the goo or the carnage. Gotta love it!