Great news; scientists have cured and prevented AIDS with a pill… bad news, you get zombie as fuck off that shit!
So down Texas way, in the town of Eliasville; Beth Anne (Willam Belli) and Phil (Angel Martinez) two hold outs in the pill popping department have holed up in an abandoned building… too bad they aren’t alone, as homophobic preacher Samuel (Richard D. Curtin) and his family (including his closeted gay son) have taken up residence there as well.
Soon our heroes must team-up with those that would destroy them (along with some vigilantes for good measure) if they are to survive the gut-munchin’ madness that threatens everyone; gay, straight, or other’s continued status as “living”.
In all honesty, Dead Don’t Die in Dallas surprised the ever-lovin’ shit outta yours cruelly!
Let’s start with some of the ol’ ghoulish goodness… namely the F/X work. While definitely more on the comedy horror tip, this flick nevertheless delivers quality practical effects with classic zombie make-ups and plenty of our beloved red sauce liberally applied!
Now that I have assured your arcane asses that you’ll get what ya paid for with Dead Don’t Die in Dallas, I can also state that the film has some solid performances, and throughout this fright flick you’ll find that you actually care that some of these folks meet an untimely demise, plus Belli just owns the role of Beth Anne (a sarcastic, yet amazingly sympathetic at times lead character); an unconventional protagonist for an unconventional take on some of the most tried n’ true concepts the ol’ horror biz has to offer in regards to the zombie apocalypse bag. It also has a message to lay on your ass, and it does so without ever becoming heavy handed… another huge plus!
On the downside, that damn grindhouse-style, artificial film degradation is a real distraction here, and is wholly un-needed. This is a film where drag queens have to team up with the religious right to survive an outbreak of the living dead… that is one of the most ‘grindhousey’ of neo-grindhouse concepts I have ever set my eerie eyeballs upon; and the film actually pulls it off wonderfully, so that fake aging bullshittery was totally superfluous.
To put a beastly bow on it; writer/director Israel Luna as expertly answered that question that has resounded in the minds of great thinkers the world over (or maybe it was just me): “What if John Waters directed a Romero picture”, and answered it in an amazingly fun and entertaining fashion!
