I Sell the Dead review

Pauls Valley, Oklahoma — There was a time not that long ago that I would avoid certain genres of films at all costs. One of those due to masculine code was chick flicks, but perhaps the most distanced I was with any type of offering was along the lines of horror or slasher.

Sure, I enjoyed some of the classics like “Frankenstein” or “Nosferatu,” but many of the movies that tried to be in the same category released from my childhood on were less than tolerable. Yet, as I’ve learned to expand my definition of entertainment I’ve been able to discover a level of humor in them, no less defined than by this DVD. “I Sell the Dead” is not a pure comedy, but does not ever become so serious that the viewer is lost in a wave of forced story.

The plot does not seem to follow one type of established horror ideal, but pieces together several popular elements like zombie, grave robbing and a touch of science fiction. The tale is set in the 18th century and follows the tale of a young man, Arthur Blake (Dominic Monaghan), who because of lack of proper job placement (that and having street begging as an alternative) steals and sells bodies for a living.

He performs this gruesome task with an accomplace/mentor, Willie Grimes (Larry Fessenden), and is able to somewhat survive on the practice until he ends up on a death row of sorts. Before he loses his head over the matter, he is given a chance to confess his failings to a rather crude monk, Father Duffy (Ron Perlman). What follows is something that can certainly make one feel uneasy, but at other times requires oxygen from laughing too much.

The one thing that sets this flick apart from some of the other lesser known movies Perlman has been in, he is surrounded by a cast a characters that can at least half-way match his acting talent. Things start off a bit confusing as far as what is going on, but it isn’t long before one is hooked into following the action.

This is definitely something younger audiences might want to avoid due to content, but it depends on how much dark humor one can stomach. I’d certainly recommend adding this for those who enjoy this genre, I’ll be keeping an eye out for purchase as well. For a good time with plenty of B-movie cheese I bestow a spine tingling three out of five corpses.

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