The Dead Inside (2011) Reviews

• Highly creative zombie, ghost, horror, dramady, musical. Thats good, but a bit too long.

  Rolex242010-12-02

  This film was highly creative and at times entertaining, but ultimately falls short of being great. The Dead Inside is a complex story of a young couple going through seemingly normal problems until the problems become surreal and supernatural . Often the hallmark of a great film is it's ability to blur the lines of classification. The problem is, in this film they aren't very blurry. It is, at times, a musical, at others a horror, sometimes a comedy and a serious drama at others. Where it goes wrong is it seems to delve too far into each area for too long making it confusing as to what the overall feeling the audience is supposed to have. I noticed the director was also the editor and I think that may be what is the biggest problem with this film. It just starts to drag on and on. The musical scenes are pretty good and the dialouge is good too, it's the seemingly endless scenes of people sitting and staring into the mirror or at the computer or at nothing. Good to great music, nice camera work (but has a very video look at times), good script, good lyrics and good acting (though not the best singing voices) just needs some serious editing.

• Not what I was expecting....

  doubleo7bird2011-12-12

  I caught this at the Anchorage International Film Festival. I went into it not knowing much about it and in the end was very pleasantly surprised. The acting was good and the story was interesting. After the movie my boyfriend and I were trying to figure out comparisons, however, we came up with nothing. The movie is actually quite unique in many aspects. The songs were good although it was sometimes difficult to understand the lyrics, but that may be due to the sound system at the theater. The zombie scenes were hilarious at times, sad at others, and was an interesting way of connecting the two stories going on within the movie itself. Overall, a very romantic, funny and sad film.

• An odd, indie musical that kept my attention from beginning to end with it's likable characters, catchy songs and interesting plot.

  alexvalentin922013-01-15

  Wes (Dustin Fasching) and Fi (Sarah Lassez) are artist, One a photographer the other a writer. They have lost their muse and feel stuck, but they support each other in their troubles. But something strange is happening to Fi, something "otherworldly" that might destroy what they have. This movie was pretty good, the story was completely told in Wes and Fi's apartment, and some extra stuff was in a fictional house where Fi's story takes place. Cinematography was pretty good, taking moments to experiment with it which have it's hit's and misses, but with every strange looking scene there is a fantastic looking one. The acting of both Dustin Fasching and Sarah Lassez was very good as well as their singing, which is important because they are the only actors in the whole movie. They are both very likable and you want them to do well and solve their dilemma. The story is interesting, mostly cause it takes different directions every time something occurs. It is a musical drama, with a supernatural flavor. The drama is touching and it develops very well. The dark moments are also pretty cool and can be suspenseful, maybe not all the time, but they work well to set the mood. the only real issues are the dialog, and the placement of songs. The script works well, but there are moments in which the dialog sounds too cheesy, blatant or just sounds unnatural (some of those lines appear in the trailer). and the song placement can sometimes feel a little out of nowhere, this doesn't happen all the time, because sometimes they feel fine. But i feel the timing of them is a bit off. And it needed like 1 or 2 more songs because nearing the end it kind of forgets it's a musical and does like a normal supernatural drama, and that was a mistake. If you're gonna be a musical, don't let there be no music for too long, it's got to be consistent the whole way through. But aside from that i liked all the songs, they were catchy, and helped develop both the story and the characters almost perfectly. And while there are not a lot of BIG moments they did incredibly well with what they had and i'd recommend it if you like musicals or creative ideas put into a film regardless if it works perfectly or not. It might be a little odd but you should give it a shot at least, i don't think you'll loose anything from doing so you might find more than you though.

• Betz is best

  puppyzwolle2013-01-30

  Money makes movies says Hollywood. Sure it helps to have a shipload of cash but money makes nothing. Creative people with ideas make movies. And in this case there is about a creative idea a minute. You think you are watching a funny movie it twists left to horror, twists right again to make it a musical to take another turn to make it highly philosophical to go back to classical drama.... and never is it out of place. How weird is that? Just two people experiencing the end of the world as they know it. Granted it is not everybody's cup of tea. So if you want a Hollywood blockbuster with a standard story you most definitely will be disappointed. The special makeup is pretty good but no limbs will be flying in this movie. This is what history will be calling 'a classic cult movie on par with Rocky Horror'.

• TYPE, READ, DELETE, THINK

  nogodnomasters2018-12-10

  Fiona or Fi (Sarah Lassez) is a zombie story author who lives off cigarettes, alcohol, caffeine, and sugar. These are clearly gateways for demonic possession. She lives in a brightly painted apartment which gives the film a surreal setting. "The Dead Inside" is a novel she is writing. The zombies in the film are part of the book. This is not per se, a zombie film. Wes (Dustin Fasching) is a wedding photographer and her live-in boyfriend. Fiona has writer's block which she cannot overcome. ***MIDPOINT PLOT SPOILER*** We come to find out Fiona is possessed by an "evil" spirit named Emily, who is less dark than Fi. The film deals with the odd relationship she develops with Wes. The production is interesting as you keep wondering how much is real, imagination, or mental illness and whose. The musical numbers are different, with Sarah being the stronger of the two voices. The music didn't seem to add anything to the story which lacked great entertainment quality in this two man play. The film does show talent on the part of writer/directer Travis Betz, but he needs to bring it home. This is clearly not a film for everyone and a disappointment for anyone expecting real zombie action. I still haven't figured out if I liked it or not. It is one of those odd movies. Parental Guide: F-bombs, nudity (Sarah Lassez), implied sex. Walmart $9.96 with clever slip cover that made me buy it.