Horror icon, Tobe Hooper directs this low-budget, under-appreciated horror gem. There have been many who trash this film. However after watching it, I must say, that those who hate it have got to be the same people that gave “Saw II” and “Saw III” stellar reviews.
MORTUARY (2005) is an excellent film with terrific characters, an unsettling atmosphere and an original plot. It delivers on every level except one. If your idea of a great movie is tons of gore, and great special effects – skip it. Pick up the remake of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (2003) and have yourself a good time. MORTUARY did not jump on the mainstream bandwagon of cheap thrills, empty but gorgeous characters and constant blood. Instead, it is a carefully crafted, well thought-out, entertaining movie made for the true horror fans.
Jonathan Doyle (Dan Byrd) moves to a new town with his mother Leslie (Denise Crosby) and sister Jamie (Stephanie Patton). Leslie purchases an old house that is part of a funeral home she intends to run. One night, while inspecting the graveyard in their front yard, Jon sees a dark strange shadow. Soon, he begins to suspect something is very wrong with their new home. Meanwhile, Jon endures the normal adolescent issues. He gets a job at a local diner, is tortured by the neighborhood kids, and falls in love with his co-worker Liz (Alexandra Adi). Soon, he is told the tale of the legend, Bobby Fowler (Price Carson). Jon learns that years prior, when the Fowler family moved there was something awful within the land’s soil. They would attempt to raise cattle but the cows would just die. Not being able to do anything else with the land, they decided to make it into a graveyard. The legend states that Bobby was a descendent of the Fowler family, and was abused and disfigured.
Ten years had passed and everyone believed he was dead, when he came back and sought revenge on his parents. Now, it is believed he resides in the tomb on the Doyle property. The pace was crucial to the development of the movie. It’s slow but in an eerie sort of way. The audience knows something is seriously wrong with the funeral home but aren’t told exactly what. It is because the movie doesn’t use blatant thrills that the tension and suspense build so effectively. More paranormal activity and strange occurrences surround the Doyle family and the town as a whole. People are being grabbed in the darkness, mold is seeping through all of the walls, and poor little Jamie is seeing Bobby Fowler standing in her closet. Soon, many of the residents are zombies but no one is quite sure why.
The cool thing with the zombies is that they can think and continue to go about their normal routine, except their mind becomes seriously warped. In one of the best scenes, the town jerk who is now the walking dead, repeats over and over again, “shut up, punk.” It’s hilarious. A great addition to the story, is the developing relationship between Jon and Liz. It’s a sweet romance that helps show the normalcy of the characters. While all that is happening around them is strange and dark, they bring the necessary lightness so one can actually care about the characters. It’s an important element that most mainstream movies forget. If the viewers don’t care about the leads, they’re not going to care if they die. “Mortuary” understood this and kept the audience rooting for the kids.
The acting is great. Dan Byrd is terrific. He was outstanding in the 2006 remake THE HILLS HAVE EYES and brought the same level of drama and powerful acting in “Mortuary.” He steals the scenes with ease and keeps the viewers on his side throughout. Hopefully, he will continue starring in horror productions, because he brings a seriousness to the genre that is rarely seen and always needed. Denise Crosby also is excellent in the role of Leslie. Her character as the driven widow desperate to make a new life for her children, worked well as a side story, and Crosby understood the role perfectly. In the end, MORTUARY is one part NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) and one part CABIN FEVER (2002). It accomplishes what few productions do by capturing nearly all of the key elements to a great horror movie. They made something worth watching again and again. It isn’t the scariest movie you’ll ever see, but it is extremely entertaining and a lot of fun.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7/10
