The Dead and the Damned
Film poster
Directed byRene Perez
Written by
  • Rene Perez
  • Barry Massoni
Produced byMattia Borrani
Starring
CinematographyPaul Nordin
Edited byRene Perez
Music by
  • Mattia Borrani
  • Rene Perez
Production
company
Mattia Borrani Productions
Release date
  • July 17, 2010 (2010-07-17) (Another Hole In the Head Film Festival)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Dead and the Damned (also known as Cowboys & Zombies) is a 2010 American Western horror film directed by Rene Perez, written by Perez and Barry Massoni, and starring David Lockhart, Camille Montgomery, Rick Mora, and Robert Amstler. The film depicts a meteorite that unleashes a zombie virus in the American Old West.

Plot

During the California Gold Rush, in the 1840s, Mortimer receives a bounty for Brother Wolf, a Native American accused of rape. Mortimer recruits a prostitute, Rhiannon, as bait to lure out Wolf. However, Mortimer becomes dubious of the charges once he meets Wolf. Meanwhile, a group of prospectors unleash a zombie virus when they attempt to mine a meteorite. Mortimer, Rhiannon, and Wolf must band together to stop the zombies.

Cast

Production

Filming took place near Yosemite National Park.[1]

Release

The Dead and the Damned premiered at the Another Hole In the Head Film Festival on July 17, 2010.[2][3] It was released on DVD in the US on July 26, 2011,[4] and in the UK on August 1, 2011.[5]

Reception

Jim Harrington of the San Jose Mercury News called the plot "as ludicrous as it is fun".[2] Rod Lott of the Oklahoma Gazette called it "proof that bargain-basement zombie flicks, which are dime-a-dozen these days, shouldn't be made".[6] Gareth Jones of Dread Central rated it 1.5/5 stars and wrote, "With too little plot and too little visual imagination to justify a feature runtime, we're left with plodding scenes of predictable exposition, poorly executed action and lingering gazes at bare breasts peppered with occasional minutes of something approaching genuine entertainment."[7] Ben Bussey of Brutal as Hell wrote that despite its amateurishness the film "remains a reasonable bit of fun so long as your expectations aren't too high".[8] HorrorTalk rated it 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "The Dead and the Damned had a lot of potential, on both sides of the camera, and it could have succeeded with a bit more experience."[9] Alex DiVincenzo of HorrorNews.Net wrote, "If there's not a gun fight or a zombie chase on screen, the movie is boring."[10] Writing in The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, Volume 2, academic Peter Dendle called it "mostly a zombie shooting gallery".[1]

Sequel

A loosely connected sequel, The Dead and the Damned 2, was released in October 2014.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b Dendle, Peter (2012). The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, Volume 2: 2000–2010. McFarland & Company. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-7864-6163-9.
  2. ^ a b Harttington, Jim (July 2, 2010). "Another Hole In the Head film fest returns to San Francisco". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  3. ^ Miska, Brad (June 16, 2010). "The Undead Head West in 'The Dead and the Damned'". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  4. ^ Barton, Steve (June 10, 2011). "Artwork and More Details on the US DVD Release of The Dead and the Damned". Dread Central. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  5. ^ Jones, Gareth (June 7, 2011). "Cowboys and Zombies Saddle Up for UK DVD Release". Dread Central. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  6. ^ Lott, Rod (July 15, 2011). "Within / The Dead and the Damned". Oklahoma Gazette. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  7. ^ Jones, Gareth (July 29, 2011). "Cowboys & Zombies (UK DVD)". Dread Central. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  8. ^ Bussey, Ben (August 12, 2011). "DVD Review: Cowboys & Zombies". Brutal as Hell. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  9. ^ "The Dead and the Damned DVD Review". HorrorTalk. September 1, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  10. ^ DiVincenzo, Alex (August 3, 2011). "Film Review: The Dead and the Damned (2010)". HorrorNews.Net. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  11. ^ Condit, Jon (September 11, 2014). "The Dead and the Damned Gets a Sequel". Dread Central. Retrieved April 1, 2015.

External links

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