I Sell the Dead (2008)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Randy T

  
  Vampires, Zombies, Aliens and Ron Perlman. Director Glenn McQuaid seems intent on force-feeding his audience a steady stream of camp with mixed results.

• Daniel J D

  
  For the lost (lol, Lost) member of Oasis and/or Blur, Dominic Monaghan easily made this movie for me. His comedic timing made otherwise-mediocre comedic moments into laugh-out-loud moments. Ron Perlman made for a nice foil (at least until the very end). The other actors were decent,… More
  For the lost (lol, Lost) member of Oasis and/or Blur, Dominic Monaghan easily made this movie for me. His comedic timing made otherwise-mediocre comedic moments into laugh-out-loud moments. Ron Perlman made for a nice foil (at least until the very end). The other actors were decent, and I also appreciated the sets, clothing, and accents, which seemed well done. Alas, on the whole, the film felt like a sitcom trying to be a movie, as if the story were written around a few pretty good jokes as opposed to pretty good jokes being written into a good storyline. Of course, for someone playing writer/director/producer and it being his feature film debut, Glenn Mcquaid did a commendable job, and I look forward to his future work. spoilers The faux-Guy Ritchie/Tarantino introductions for Murphy's gang don't work for me though the ideas behind the characters aren't bad. They're rather jauntily thrown into the whole of the film, just like the formulaic glimpse into Cornelius Murphy's childhood psychology. Cornelius' initial introduction earlier in the film sufficed. I liked how the film introduced the element of the undead though. The stabbing/pulling out of the stake was a nice scene, and the later corpse being so disgusted at Valentine's face that he breaks out of his cage and attacks/kills her certainly worked for me, too. I also rather enjoyed the Perlman-Monaghan dynamic--they made for nice foils. On the other hand, I didn't feel the story was developed enough to truly earn its ending. The twists weren't bad but could've been much better if the characters had been better fleshed out and if it weren't for the stylistic comic effect at the very end. end spoilers

• Jeff "

  
  I Sell The Dead is the story of two grave robbers who recall their days of grave robbing before being hanged. The film is slow, and seems to take forever to reach the end. But despite this, the film is quite enjoyable and fun to watch. The actors give fine performances and this is a… More
  I Sell The Dead is the story of two grave robbers who recall their days of grave robbing before being hanged. The film is slow, and seems to take forever to reach the end. But despite this, the film is quite enjoyable and fun to watch. The actors give fine performances and this is a fine debut for Glenn Mcquaid. If you love a low budget zombie flick, pick this impressive Horror Comedy up, despite its slow pacing it's a strong film with a few memorable and funny scenes. I sell The Dead is a terrific little film that will definitely appeal to zombie fans. It's a different take on your average zombie film, and it's very well done. The acting in I Sell The Dead is decent enough for this type of film and the film in parts is fairly creative, taking into account that Horror is pch stale. The film is of course in perfect, but it manages to be pretty good and entertaining. The cast features some impressive names, including Phantasm actor Angus Schrimm and Lord Of The Rings actor Dominic Monaghan. I Sell The Dead is a not a flawless film, but is a fair enough film to consider watchable. I enjoyed it and I thought that Glenn Mcquaid did a fine job directing this zombie comedy. This film is much better than most big buhorror films that make it into theatres and is very original, which is something that lacks in todays horror films. People are afraid of trying something inventive, and I Sell The Dead is most certainly that. A very good horror comedy that at times feels like it could be better, but in the end is pretty good considering it's a low budget picture.

• Cynthia S

  
  Haha. Well. I really had no idea what to expect from this movie, but I was very entertained. It's quite well made. I really do tend to like that subtle British humor, and this movie was all that. A funny horror flick that didn't try to get too stupid and silly.

• Robert C

  
  A fun flick, nicely put together.

• Greg S

  
  A Victorian grave-robber facing execution by guillotine tells a priest (Ron Perlman) how he and his ex-partner reaped greater profits by trafficking in "special" corpses. Original and atmospheric indie horror with a few very good scenes that never finds quite the right… More
  A Victorian grave-robber facing execution by guillotine tells a priest (Ron Perlman) how he and his ex-partner reaped greater profits by trafficking in "special" corpses. Original and atmospheric indie horror with a few very good scenes that never finds quite the right balance between terror, comedy and action; this story might have actually worked better in the hands of a major Hollywood studio.

• A.D. V

  
  A highly enjoyable oddball indie about two bumbling grave robbers and their encounters with the supernatural. The humor is somewhat hit and miss (which is pretty common for a black comedy) and a few of the British cast is unintelligible but these are small nitpicky complaints compared… More
  A highly enjoyable oddball indie about two bumbling grave robbers and their encounters with the supernatural. The humor is somewhat hit and miss (which is pretty common for a black comedy) and a few of the British cast is unintelligible but these are small nitpicky complaints compared to what does work which is practically everything else most notably its game cast, a witty and original story and convincing sets and costumes.

• Walter M

  
  "I Sell the Dead" starts with Willie Grimes(Larry Fessenden) losing his head. Before his partner Arthur Blake(Dominic Monaghan) loses his, Father Duffy(Ron Perlman) drops by to see if he has anything to confess to before it's too late. Arthur cops to the body… More
  "I Sell the Dead" starts with Willie Grimes(Larry Fessenden) losing his head. Before his partner Arthur Blake(Dominic Monaghan) loses his, Father Duffy(Ron Perlman) drops by to see if he has anything to confess to before it's too late. Arthur cops to the body snatching but not the murder they have been convicted of, in telling the story of how Arthur and Willie first started working together. Eventually, they fall under the thumb of Dr. Quint(Angus Scrimm). As it becomes harder to find bodies, things take an interesting turn in their line of work... While not having much of a story to speak of, "I Sell the Dead" still has more than enough ghoulish fun to go around. That's not to mention the inventive spin it puts on the trappings of the genre and some atmospheric scenes. So, it is a shame about the sexism which drags down the laddish fun.

• Ryan M

  
  7.7/10 I didn't like "I Sell the Dead" when I first saw it. I didn't like how it felt and I didn't find it all that funny. But that was then (early 2010) and this is now (mid-2011). I've changed and become more accepting and… More
  7.7/10 I didn't like "I Sell the Dead" when I first saw it. I didn't like how it felt and I didn't find it all that funny. But that was then (early 2010) and this is now (mid-2011). I've changed and become more accepting and tolerable. So I was willing to give this indie effort another chance at impressing me; now that I'm more acquainted with this genre and all. I still don't think that the film is made for everyone, but for those it is made for; it's somewhat of a gem. And a lost gem at that. "I Sell the Dead" is a wicked, ghoulish satire that succeeds on pretty much all fronts, for what it is. There's nothing truly amazing about it as a horror-comedy made on an extremely low-budget, but I feel it's not as appreciated or admired as it should be. If you like zombies, corpses, the undead, or anything pertaining to horror, then this is the flick for you. I suppose it's good for what it is, and this time when I watched it, I found it consistently funny and amusing. There are even some minor "indie scares", if there is such a thing. All-in-all, you need to forgive the flaws and just go with it. Willie (Larry Fessenden) and Arthur (Dominic Monaghan) are two grave robbers. But they're not nasty like most people in their line of business; they're actually somewhat charming. Willie takes in Arthur as his apprentice as a young age and into adulthood; where they make a killer of a earning with the corpses of the dead; some which tend to....reanimate a bit. Arthur tells his life-story to a priest (Ron Perlman), who has his own plans in store for the "criminal. While the whole world thinks that Arthur and Willie are murderers, which they very well might be for something that they do later on in the film, we see them as two guys trying to bond through business. The film takes the buddy-comedy route and it's surprisingly good at being one of those films. There aren't many good buddy-comedies nowadays, and the fact that this one works is more than enough for me. I suppose the reason the comedy between the two characters works is because the two actors are given enough screen time, and enough chemistry, to work flawlessly together. Willie is the most unpleasant of the two grave robbers, yet I find him as funny as he was disgusting and crude. Arthur, however, is easier to like; but somewhat more arrogant than his partner in crime. I appreciated the quest that the characters went on. This adventure was worth taking. The effects are very, very good as far as low-budget filmmaking goes, and the film even satisfies as a simple zombie flick. It's not full of blood and gore, but it has enough of both to impress some of the most seriously devoted zombie-movie fanatics. Go in expecting the unexpected, and you will not be disappointed, because I know I was not. I'm wondering what was going through my head when I first concluded that I strongly disliked this film. Perhaps I felt it was tasteless. Perhaps I felt it was too different for my tastes. But now that I'm familiar with the horror genre, I couldn't help but smile at moments such as the ones where corpses leap onto characters and out of coffins, children bite their pet rabbits, and Angus Scrimm makes an unexpected and entertaining appearance. Horror fans rejoice; this was made for us. And it's bloody entertaining.

• Marion R

  
  This film had no art direction whatsoever. I can understand certain camera angles for technical reasons, but the film had no flair. The story, dialogue and acting was okay. The special effects and costumes were great. For a film that is suppose to be comedy/horror it just can't… More
  This film had no art direction whatsoever. I can understand certain camera angles for technical reasons, but the film had no flair. The story, dialogue and acting was okay. The special effects and costumes were great. For a film that is suppose to be comedy/horror it just can't compare with other films in that genre.

• Jason R

  
  A condemned grave robber tells his life story to a peculiar Priest who has come to document his last words, before he is to be taken to the guillotine. But what is even more peculiar is the man's story of his humble beginnings stealing bodies for a maniacal doctor (played by… More
  A condemned grave robber tells his life story to a peculiar Priest who has come to document his last words, before he is to be taken to the guillotine. But what is even more peculiar is the man's story of his humble beginnings stealing bodies for a maniacal doctor (played by Angus Scrimm), to his life of dealing with the undead and rival grave robbers. This movie is absolutley amazing, it mixes a buddy comedy, with the world of the occult and the undead, and thrown in for good measure a Tim Burton-esque look, and a Shadow & Fog feel. On top of it's really great script, and direction I Sell the Dead has a really good cast, it's three main actors Perlman, Monaghan, and Fessenden are great. Really fun and clever,I really recommend checking this out!

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