Deadwalkers is a rockem, sockem Zombie Western!

I should start off by saying that Deadwalkers is a fun film. You can see that a lot of care and love went into it. Lots of people working, for probably not a lot of money, got together and made, what is essentially a feature film in a very small package. Its taut, fast, violent and fun, but it isn't perfect.

The story starts right off, as a Bounty Hunter named Jack Link is bringing two men into town to collect on a bounty. As soon as he arrives, however, something is wrong with both the town and its citizens, as they start attacking, and trying eat, Jack and the men he's bringing in. After a few a gun shots, bullet holes, and splattered Zombie heads, Jack and a surviving bounty find refuge in a boarded up Saloon where they run into the last of the towns uninfected survivors. What happens next is the classic "group of mismatched people forced together to fight a common enemy" Zombie fightin' scenario.

The dialogue is noticeably hard boiled, with Jack spurting tough guy lines through a clinched cigar or clinched teeth for most of the movie. I like the sets also, The film was shot in Calgary, Alberta on a western town used for movie shoots. The inside of the saloon was beautiful, with Tin-Tiled walls and

I did have a few problems with the film however.

I thought the Zombie make up was too cartoonish, The main Zombie bad guy, the Town's Sheriff, has almost clown white make-up on his face, I can see what they were trying to do with it, but I didn't really like the way it looked...In the picture for this article, the makeup actually doesn't look half bad, but in the film.....not so good...Other characters have a more subtle form of Zombie makeup and I would have preferred to see that encompass all of the Zombie characters. They also use digital blood, which isn't really a problem...but there is one decapitation that looks very cheesy and VERY video effect-y.

Also, this film wants to be HUGE, its at least a half hour or 45 minutes worth of story trapped in a 12 minute short film, its almost too short. Parts of it feel rushed and then its over. I'm sure budget was a factor in the length, and they needed to get the film made within an allotted production schedule, but I would have loved to see it breathe a little more.

Don't let my pet peeves sway you off giving Deadwalkers a try, though. I did really enjoy it, and if you are looking for a fun short fast moving Zombie Western, this just might be what you are looking for!

I was under the impression that you could get it through iTunes, however I haven't been able to find it on the site....If I hear anything about availability Ill let you guys know!

UPDATE: From Greg Jeffs, Producer of Deadwalkers: The iTunes release is in October 2010 to kick off Halloween week, it'll coincide with a UK, US and Canadian broadcast.

Deadwalkers coming to iTunes

I just received this from the Deadwalkers Facebook group:

CALGARY SHORT FILM PICKED UP FOR INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION.
Calgary, Alberta Canada.
January 8 2010

Dead West Productions Inc. and Cedar Boy Pictures Inc. announces Alberta made short film DEADWALKERS, directed by Spencer Estabrooks, has been acquired for international distribution by SHORTS INTERNATIONAL which plans on distributing the film internationally in a variety of mediums including iTunes.

DEADWALKERS, which was filmed over two weekends outside of Cochrane in 2008, premiered to a sellout crowd at the TORONTO AFTER DARK FILM FESTIVAL in August 2009. Within five months, the short film screened in several international film festivals across the globe including dates in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, Finland, Greece, India and South Africa. The American premiere was held at SCREAMFEST in Hollywood California.

The film screened in the Edmonton International Film Festival and the Calgary International Film Festival as part of the Best of Alberta portion of the festival.

“We received offers after the premiere in Toronto, but wanted to see what interest the international scene would draw” says producer Greg Jeffs. “Spencer got to see his film on the biggest screen in the UK (Empire, Leicester square). It was a defining moment for him and reaffirmed his reasons to pursue film as a career”. The UK screening drew the interest of Shorts International, the only short film distribution company in the world with an exclusive iTunes license. “It’s a testament to the talent of those involved. Their hard work deserves to be on the world’s stage” say Jeffs.

Very interesting! I'll do a review as soon as I see it. And if you get a chance, hopefully you'll see it as well.

Deadwalkers...The Western is Dead!

I hate to admit it, but I didn't give Deadwalkers much of a chance when I came across the trailer a few months ago on Youtube. It felt somewhat cheap, amateurish, and the deep "I'm so sinister so this must be a scary movie" narration didn't really help things. I just figured it was done by a bunch of cowboy actors looking to make a Zombie pic.




My opinion was based solely on its trailer:



Then I came across an article in Rue Morgue Magazine that said not only is the film winning a bunch of awards on the film festival circuit, but that its actually quite good! So I looked back into it and I came to a new conclusion...these people put there blood, sweat, and tears into this film and I say Good for them! I just wish Id given them the proper chance at the time. But don't make the same mistake I did.....check out the Production Blog, which has videos and links to some articles, and their Youtube channel, which has some behind the scenes videos and a funny Thriller parody! Also their Facebook Page has photos and other stuff. You can also become a fan and get updates on their travels and progress.

This film should be supported not only for what they were able to accomplish on such a low budget, but for everyone else trying to do the same thing and not finding an easy time of it.

The Official word on Dead Walkers is this:

Bounty hunter and gunman Jack Link has a knack for trouble, but when he stumbles into a town cursed with the undead, he might have bit off more than he can chew. Deadwalkers is a 13min short film by Spencer Estabrooks.

Nice!