Ya know, I've always found comedies to be pretty difficult to write about. Unlike most films, which usually require some form of analysis and thought, comedies are very simple and very easy-to-read. In other words, there isn't usually too much to say about comedies other than "that was funny" or "that wasn't funny". Even then, everyone has a different style or taste in humor, so you're very rarely going to find a comedic movie that everyone loves or that everyone loathes. Not only that, but it's even more difficult to write about the background of a film that contains very little background to begin with. The only interesting thing that I can think of is that the film's the directorial debut of Glenn McQuaid, who previously worked as a production specialist on Ti West's indie-horror flicks. Still, I'll try my best to write about this unique horror-comedy, I Sell the Dead, that blends together a wry sense of humor with gothic-horror imagery.
The film follows the lovable scoundrel and local "ghoul", Arthur Blake, as he's awaiting his impending death sentence at the guillotine. With only a few hours to spare before his execution, Blake recounts his life story to an inquiring mind, Father Francis Duffy. Beginning with his start in graverobbing and ending with how he became sentenced, the film follows Blake and his fellow "ghoul", Willie, as they encounter various supernatural creatures in 19th century Ireland.
As a fan of old-fashioned horror, I really enjoyed the creativity and nods toward the old gothic-horror stories that I love. Unfortunately, we don't really see too many filmmakers exploring this kind of horror anymore as it, sadly, sells quite poorly. Instead, we're given nothing but terrible remakes, choppy sequels, and films that rely solely on either the gore factor or the "jump" factor. Though the film's far from perfect, I was impressed with how the filmmakers were able to blend a wry sense of humor with the dark and forboding lore of gothic-horror. I don't wish to spoil any of the humor, but I will say that the sequence involving the vampire was a treat to a horror aficionado such as myself. It's a very creative film and it should definitely please any fans of old-school horror.
As far as characters go, the film's pretty good. Though the supporting cast contains nothing but flat characters, our leading characters - Blake and Willie - are a likable pair of protagonists. They're the deepest or the most well-rounded characters, but I've found that comedies deserve a bit of slack in this department. I'm not excusing poor writing, mind you, but a creative and a funny film doesn't necessarily need "great" characters. Either way, Blake and Willie are pretty well-written and they're definitely very fun characters. Whether they're fighting over alien corpses or making a few subtle jokes, the main characters are interesting and provide a source of entertainment and fun.
My major gripes with the film, however, lie with the ending. The last twenty minutes of the film, to me, just go completely downhill. It's nowhere near the level of humor and creativity as the film's first act and it seems the screenwriter had no idea how to finish his concept. I slightly blame the poor ending on the introduction of a useless romantic interest, but I digress. The ending's gimmicky and just plain unenjoyable when compared with the rest of the film.
Also, though the cinematography looks pretty good for the most part, there are some instances that just kill the verisimilitude of the film. A cinematographer's job is to 'be invisible' or to make everything onscreen look natural. However, there are literally moments in the film where *anyone* could point out the green screen or the CGI - it's that obvious.Overall, it's a bit iffy. It looks good at some points, but it looks downright awful at others...
All in all, though, I Sell the Dead is a fun little film. If you can overlook the bad ending and skecthy visuals, you'll find yourself with a quirky and creative comedy that successfully combines the macabre with the humorous. It's not a great film, but it doesn't necessarily have to be in order to be a fun film.
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