''Brain Dead'' is a 2007 American

horror comedy film Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and sp ...

directed by Kevin S. Tenney, written by Dale Gelineau, and starring Joshua Benton, Sarah Grant Brendecke, Michelle Tomlinson, David Crane, Andy Forrest, and Cristina Tiberia. Christians, sorority sisters, and escaped convicts attempt to defend themselves against a zombie attack.

Plot

When a meteor strikes a man on the head, alien slugs take over his brain and turn him into a ravenous zombie. As a group of sorority sisters, born-again Christians, and escaped convicts converge in the remote area where he lives, he attacks them all.

Cast

* Joshua Benton as Clarence Singer * Sarah Grant Brendecke as Sherry Morgan * Michelle Tomlinson as Claudia Bush * David Crane as Bob Jules * Andy Forrest as Reverend Farnsworth * Cristina Tiberia as Amy Smoots *

Jim Wynorski Jim Wynorski (born August 14, 1950) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. Wynorski has been making B-movies and exploitation movies since the early 1980s, and has directed over 150 feature films. His earliest films were releas ...

(cameo) * Dennis Michael Tenney (cameo)

Production

''Brain Dead'' was shot in Alameda, California. It was the first film that Tenney shot digitally. Shooting took 18 days. The original concept involved spiders, but it was rewritten to feature zombies after budget constraints made spiders impractical.

Release

''Brain Dead'' played in many festivals in 2007 and 2008. On March 20, 2009, it received a limited theatrical release. It was released on home video on October 12, 2010.

Reception

Dennis Harvey of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called it "watchably forgettable". Andrew Mack of

Twitch Film Screen Anarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...

wrote that the film "scraped the bottom of the zombie barrel". Serena Whitney of Dread Central rated it 2.5/5 stars and called it disappointing compared to its influences but fun to watch with friends.

Shock Till You Drop Shock may refer to: Common uses Collective noun *Shock, a historic commercial term for a group of 60, see English numerals#Special names * Stook, or shock of grain, stacked sheaves Healthcare * Shock (circulatory), circulatory medical emerge ...

wrote, "If gratuitous boob shots (every actress but one shows all), blood and exploding heads are what you want then this delivers." Marc Patterson of Brutal As Hell wrote, "this sickening little bit of splat-stick makes for a perfect evening of brain dead fun." Kurt Dahlke of

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

rated it 3/5 stars and wrote, "Though cheekily derivative, larded with plenty of dopey humor, and not-exactly packed with great performances, ''Brain Dead'' still packs a fun punch." Bill Gibron, also of DVD Talk, rated it 3.5/5 stars and called it a near-classic that is a bit too clever for its own good.

Peter Dendle Peter Dendle is a professor of English at Penn State Mont Alto, teaching classes on folklore, 20th and 21st century representations of the Middle Ages, Old and Middle English (language and literature), and the monstrous (in film, folklore, and s ...

wrote, "Tenney is talented and obviously knows how to work within a budget".

References

External links

* {{Kevin Tenney 2007 comedy horror films 2007 films 2007 independent films 2000s American films 2000s English-language films American comedy horror films American independent films American splatter films American zombie comedy films English-language independent films Films directed by Kevin S. Tenney Films shot in San Francisco