The Dead Next Door
(Anchor Bay Region 0 NTSC DVD)
(1988)
review by Head Cheeze

Long before the digital revolution that afforded low-budget filmmakers the opportunity to make semi-professional looking movies for the same amount of money most major productions spent on bagels for the craft service table, J.R. Bookwalter crafted one of the most notorious zombie flicks of the 80's for just under $75,000 bucks. The film, financed and co-produced by Sam Raimi (who is credited here as "The Master Cylinder") is a gore-filled spectacle of comedy/horror, filled with inside jokes and loads of nods to horror icons, The Dead Next Door has become something of an underground phenom, and Anchor Bay shows the film mad props with this new, extras-packed DVD release.

The Dead Next Door takes place in a world overrun by zombies, and focuses on the actions of the Zombie Squad, whose job it is to keep the undead hordes under control and search for a cure. The paper thin plot simply serves as the means to hold together a seemingly endless parade of sight-gags, ultra-violence, and the usual zombie munching fare, but that's okay, because it's all quite fun and entertaining, even if it is all a bit amateurish (think Clerks, and then add gallons of fake blood).

Anchor Bay loads up the supplementals for this special edition release, including a commentary track by Bookwalter, behind-the-scenes footage, audition tapes, interviews, music videos, a featurette called "20 Years in 15 minutes", and much, much more.

While The Dead Next Door won't exactly floor zombie fans looking for more visceral shocks, the flick is certainly something that will entertain fans of micro-budget cinema, and those who appreciate a few laughs mixed in with their gore. And the abundant extras go a long way in extending this disc's entertainment value!