Dead and Deader (2006)

Directed by Patrick Dinhut

Movie Review by Al Fleshrot

Summary
A special forces unit led by former Superman Dean Cain (as Lt. Bobby Quinn) is sent "somewhere in Cambodia" to investigate why a research lab has stopped communicating. They soon discover the scientists are all dead or undead, save one who takes himself and the entire team out with a grenade. The soldiers are sent back to a U.S. military base in body bags, but Bobby wakes up on the coroner's table just before he goes to work. Bobby soon feels something moving inside his arm so he cuts it out with a scalpel - it's one of the scorpions seen in the Cambodian research lab. By now Bobby realizes he's technically dead, and then figures the rest of his squad might be in the same predicament. He tracks down one of his squad trying to make a meal out of the cook in the kitchen! Skimping on the details, suffice it to say Bobby dispatches the zombies but becomes a fugitive because the MPs assume he's murdered all the corpses. He sets out to make sure the epidemic doesn't spread and picks up two sidekicks along the way - Judson, the army cook, and a bartender/waitress named Holly from a local dive who survives a zombie scuffle. Several corny jokes and B-movie conversations later they are captured by a cancer riddled scumbag, Dr. Scott, who turns out to be the mastermind of the Cambodian research and the guy who sent the special forces in the first place. His ultimate plan is to cure his cancer and gain immortality, and he is inspired by Bobby's miraculous condition. But he makes the same mistake all villains do and leaves the Bobby and Holly alive in what appears to be a predicament that can only end in their doom (and naturally doesn't stick around to see the end!). Dr. Scott and his henchmen head back to the base with Judson in tow to secure one of the scorpion specimens. Like any decent zombie movie, they find the place crawling with undead! Meanwhile Bobby and Holly have escaped and also make their way to the base. The arrive in time to spoil Dr. Scott's plans and he ends up being munched by some zombies. Soon everyone is dead or a zombie except Bobby, Holly and Judson and they blow up the entire base by placing C4 charges in the munitions warehouse.

Review
Bad acting (spearheaded by Dean Cain - the guy just doesn't pull it off as a career Green Beret!) and goofy dialog aside, this is a novel take on the zombie genre. The source of the zombies was interesting, scorpions that infest the host. And those that are infected in that manner were called first-generation zombies. Anyone bitten also became a zombie, but did not (to my knowledge) contain one of the scorpions in their body. Lt. Bobby Quinn is a rare zombie with a consciense - because he cut the scorpion out before it fully infected him he retained his human nature. He still craves red meat, but some raw hamburger does the trick.

The special effects are actually pretty good, and there is a decent amount of gore. The zombies all have greenish blood, and plenty of it!

There are several references to popular movies throughout, including an argument over the better Bond actor between Connery and Moore, a comparison of Romero's original Dawn of the Dead with Snyder's 2004 version, and the reasons why Darth Vader should have been a black man!

My first inclination was to score this movie a 2, but after digesting it for a few days I must admit it was entertaining and does a pretty good job at being a zombie flick. Call it a 2.5 if you will, but on the site I'll rate it a 3.

Best Zombie Kill
Probably one of the funniest zombie kills you'll see - a midget turned zombie runs full speed toward his unsuspecting buddy. He's the perfect height for a crotch attack and makes a bloody meal out of the poor guy's equipment!

Best Zombie Death
The cook is attacked by one of the medical doctors that's just become a zombie. He holds her at bay by grabbing her throat and cuts a nice slice in her neck with a meat saw. Then he takes advantage of his surroundings by lifting her up until her head is destroyed by an overhead ceiling fan. All that remains of her head is the scalp stuck to one of the blades!

Al Fleshrot wants your brains

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