Deadtime Movie Review


Written by Charlotte Stear

DVD released by 4Digital Media

 

 

Directed by Tony Jopia
Written Stephen Bishop
2012, 99 minutes, Rated 18 (UK)
DVD released on 14th May 2012

Starring:

Carl Coleman as Jimmy
Laurence Saunders as Zack
Elisabeth Shahlavi as Anji
Alex Marieka Hanly as Katie
Joe Egan as Big Al
Julian Boote as Carter
Adam Fray as Nigel
Leslie Grantham as Mr LaRoux
Terry Christian as Tommy McEvoy

 

 

Review:

 

A rock group on the way out of the charts is given a second chance to record a demo over one weekend to prove they have hits left in them. They barricade themselves into the rundown, last chance saloon recording studio they’ve been dumped in and get to work on securing their comeback. The only problem with barricading themselves in is that one by one they are picked off by a psychotic killer and there is no way out for them.

 

 

 

 

Deadtime is unashamedly cliché ridden from the get go, from the bad choices the characters make at every corner they turn (why stay in a locked building when someone you knew was horrifically killed?) to the number of stupid topless woman who run around being topless and stupid. Everything is quite obviously set up, the manager makes it quite clear that they’re completely cut off to the world in the studio, which is so big no one can hear you and there are plenty of rooms to get lost in. No new ground is covered here and on top of all that you have some pretty cringe worthy acting. Most notable is Jimmy (Carl Coleman), the band manager who is horribly miscast being far too soft-spoken for the role and seems rather uncomfortable on screen. There is also Zack (Laurence Saunders) who hams up the tired rock and roll formula of a lead singer; it feels like he’s constantly trying to evoke the spirit of Jim Morrison but only succeeds in mimicking the amalgamation of every member of Spinal Tap. Terry Christian and Leslie Grantham are names to splash over the DVD cover in hopes of gaining some more interest, they make up about five minutes of screen time and their roles seem pretty pointless. One performance that was very entertaining was the avant-garde music video director Nigel (Adam Fray) who puts a bit of genuine, decent humour in the mix.

 

 

 

 

On the small budget the filmmakers had they opted to go for CGI when it comes to the death scenes and it is not subtle in the slightest. This is a bad choice on their part mainly because this could have been the way the movie redeemed itself. There are some incredibly imaginative ways to kill people off, most memorably the very first kill which will make anyone wince and cross their legs. But a lot of these ideas fall flat because the moment they are executed (pun not intended) they don’t look real in the slightest, so it becomes more of a joke and that is the last thing this flick needs, another reason to mock it.

 

 

 

 

It’s a terribly acted, poorly written film but not without that charm some bad horror films hold, a charm that didn’t sustain yours truly, but could potentially entertain those who know what they’re letting themselves in for. If this is the case, get your friends together, get the alcohol in and be prepared.

 

Video, Audio and Special Features:

 

Video, audio and special features will not be graded as this was a screener.

 

Grades:

 

Movie:
Video: n/a
Audio: n/a
Features: n/a
Overall:

 

 

 

 

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