Movie Review (Another Hole in the Head Film Fest): The Dead Ones (2019)
by Joseph Perry on December 10, 2019 in Film Festivals, Ghost, Horror, Movies, Reviews
Director Jeremy Kasten’s The Dead Ones tackles current hot-button issues about high school violence, including school shootings and bullying, with a supernatural spin. The film will likely take many viewers out of their comfort zones, and this challenging outing is bound to remain in the minds of those who see it for a good while.
Four teenagers — introverted Alice “Mouse” Monroe (Sarah Rose Harper), former juvenile hall charge Scottie French (Brandon Thane Wilson of 2011’s Lovely Molly), psychologically troubled Katie Foster (Emily Davis of Lovely Molly and 2010’s Ghosts Don’t Exist), and Katie’s violence-prone boyfriend Louis Friend (Torey Garza) are tasked by school faculty member Ms. Persephone (Clare Kramer of Tales of Halloween [2015], the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series, and Kasten’s The Thirst [2006]) to spend what would have been their summer vacation in detention, cleaning up a huge mess at their high school. As these characters are introduced and that initial set-up is begun, The Dead Ones kicks off with some rapid-pace editing (courtesy of Maxx Gillman) and images that set the tone for a first act that boasts a mystifying, unsettling vibe. As puzzle pieces are revealed, as the condition of the school becomes more disturbing, and as suspense builds, the editing settles down and shots linger for more time.
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