I SELL THE DEAD
Written by Joseph B. Mauceri   
Thursday, 06 August 2009
RELEASING: IFC Films
SYNOPSIS: 18th century justice has finally caught up with two of the craftiest grave robbers in town. With only a few hours to go before his date with the guillotine, body-snatcher Arthur Blake (DOMINIC MONAGHAN / Lord of the Rings, Lost) tells his life story to the peculiar Father Francis Duffy (RON PERLMAN / Hellboy, The City of Lost Children). Before long, Arthur spills the beans on how he got started in the grim corpse peddling business with seasoned ghoul Willie Grimes (LARRY FESSENDEN / Wendigo, The Last Winter, Habit).

As the whisky flows Arthur's tales get stranger and stranger. From their graveyard discoveries of vampires and zombies to tales of vicious gang rivalries with the infamous House of Murphy, Arthur's confessions are the stuff of legend! Whether pillaging in fog drenched grave yards or plotting on blood soaked coast lines, Grimes and Blake leave no graves unturned. Their colorful and peculiar history is one filled with adventure, horror, and mayhem that threaten to drag all involved down into the very graves they’re trying to pilfer.(Provided by Studio)
CREW: Director/Screenplay/Editing - Glenn McQuaid; Producers - Larry Fessenden & Peter Phok; Cinematography - Richard Lopez; Score - Jeff Grace; Production Designer – David Bell; Costume Design - David Tabbert; Special Effects Makeup - Pete Gerner & Brian Spears; Visual Effects Supervisor - Matt Connolly.
CAST: Dominic Monaghan... Arthur Blake; Ron Perlman... Father Duffy; Larry Fessenden... Willie Grimes; Angus Scrimm... Dr. Vernon Quint; John Speredakos... Cornelius Murphy; Eileen Colgan... Maisey O'Connell; Brenda Cooney... Fanny Bryers; Daniel Manche... Young Arthur Blake.
OFFICIAL WEB SITE: http://isellthedead.com/

Story:

$11.50

Direction:

$10.50

Acting:

$12.50

Editing:

$11.50

Production Design:

$12.50

Special Effects:

$11.50

Score/Music:

$12.50

Costumes:

$11.50

**"REEL" Value:

$11.75
- A tongue and cheek horror film with a crafty and stylish look that blends Hammer Horror with Roger Corman drive-in classics like “The Raven” and “Comedy of Terrors.” With visual effects master Glenn McQuaid firmly at the helm of I SELL THE DEAD as director, screenwriter, and editor, the look clearly reflects the director’s vision. It doesn’t hurt that McQuaid has some great locations to add a level of credibility to the period of the film. He has an amazing cast and they give this film all its memorable moments. There are some great slapstick moments that are reminiscent of performances Corman captured between Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Basil Rathbone. Monaghan, Perlman, Scrimm, and Fessenden, are brilliant together, but it’s Fessenden who clearly shines with one of his most impressive performances to date. There is the classic Laurel and Hardy chemistry between Fessenden and Monaghan and it gave me some genuine laughs. The writing isn’t nearly as perfect as Richard Matheson’s legendary work, but it pretty damn comes close. There are some aesthetic choices in the cinematography, lighting, and special effects that hampered my overall enjoyment of the film, but it never hindered my overall enjoyment with the film. My co-host on the Niteshift that airs on WBAI 99.5 FM on occasion will refer to a film as a flawed master piece. I’d be very comfortable using those words to describe I SELL THE DEAD, McQuaid’s second feature, and I’d add that McQuaid is a filmmaker I would absolutely go out of my way to see his next film. Classic genre fans will not be disappointed.
** Based on the regular $12.50 ticket prices at a Manhattan theater Aug. 7th, 2009.