| Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Bob Clark |
| Produced by | Bob
Clark Gary Gochl Peter James |
| Written by | Bob
Clark Alan Ormsby |
| Starring | Alan Ormsby |
| Music by | Carl Zittrer |
| Cinematography | Jack McGowan |
| Editing by | Gary Goch |
| Release date(s) | 1972 |
| Running time | 87 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (also known as Revenge of the Living Dead, Things From the Dead, and Zreaks) is a 1972 horror film directed by Bob Clark. This low-budget zombie movie is the third film of director Bob Clark, later becoming famous for directing the films Black Christmas, A Christmas Story, Porky's and Porky's II: The Next Day.
The film was shot in 14 days on a budget of $70,000. Clark funded the film and employed some of his college friends on it. Encyclopedia of Horror concludes that given the budget and the number of personnel involved, the special effects (by Ormsby himself) are "surprisingly effective". [1]
Contents |
The story focusses on a theatre troupe, led by Alan (Alan Ormsby). He is a mean-spirited director, who travels with the others by boat to a small island for buried criminals to have a night of fun and games. Once on the island Alan tells his group he calls his "children" numerous stories relating to the island's history and buried inhabitants. At midnight using a grimoire, Alan begins a séance to raise the dead after digging up the body of a man named Orville Dunworth (Seth Sklarey). Though the original intent of the ritual may have been intended solely as a joke, Alan appears disappointed that nothing happens.
Afterwards the party continues and Alan goes to extremes to degrade the actors, using the corpse of Orville for his own sick jokes. The dead return and force the troupe to take refuge in the old house. They must decide whether it's best to stay put until day, provided the old house holds up against the undead onslaught, try all to escape through the pitch black cemetery and forest to the boat, or have one person try this and bring back help. Unfortunately for the group, the dead do in fact get their revenge and in the movie's closing credits we see the group of corpses boarding Alan's boat with the lights of Miami in the background.
Although previously available on VHS, a 35th anniversary special edition DVD was released in 2007 by VCI Entertainment. It features the uncut version of the film, a photo gallery, and a cast commentary. The same content was briefly made available on VHS through Anchor Bay Entertainment.
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| Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things | |
|---|---|
|
File:With dead Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Bob Clark |
| Produced by |
Bob Clark Gary Gochl Peter James |
| Written by |
Bob Clark Alan Ormsby |
| Starring | Alan Ormsby |
| Music by | Carl Zittrer |
| Cinematography | Jack McGowan |
| Editing by | Gary Goch |
| Release date(s) | 1972 |
| Running time | 87 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (also known as Revenge of the Living Dead, Things From the Dead, and Zreaks) is a 1972 comedic horror film directed by Bob Clark. This low-budget zombie movie is the third film of director Bob Clark, later becoming famous for directing the films Black Christmas, A Christmas Story, Porky's and Porky's II: The Next Day.
The film was shot in 14 days on a budget of $70,000. Clark funded the film and employed some of his college friends on it. Encyclopedia of Horror concludes that given the budget and the number of personnel involved, the special effects (by Ormsby himself) are "surprisingly effective".[1]
Contents |
The story focusses on a theatre troupe, led by Alan (Alan Ormsby). He is a mean-spirited director, who travels with the others by boat to a small island for buried criminals to have a night of fun and games. Once on the island Alan tells his group he calls his "children" numerous stories relating to the island's history and buried inhabitants. At midnight using a grimoire, Alan begins a séance to raise the dead after digging up the body of a man named Orville Dunworth (Seth Sklarey). Though the original intent of the ritual may have been solely as a joke, Alan appears disappointed that nothing happens.
Afterwards the party continues and Alan goes to extremes to degrade the actors, using the corpse of Orville for his own sick jokes. Then, however, animated by the fell ritual, the dead return to life and force the troupe to take refuge in the old house. They must decide whether it's best to stay put until day, provided the old house holds up against the undead onslaught, try all to escape through the pitch black cemetery and forest to the boat, or have one person try this and bring back help. Unfortunately for the group, the dead get their revenge, and in the movie's closing credits we see the group of corpses boarding Alan's boat with the lights of Miami in the background.
According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things received generally mixed reviews, with 50% of critics giving the film a good review.
| Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (July 2008) |
Alan Ormsby, who starred as Alan, later did makeup for the film Shockwaves and wrote the screenplay for the movie Popcorn, credited as Tod Hackett.
Although previously available on VHS, a 35th anniversary special edition DVD was released in 2007 by VCI Entertainment. It features the uncut version of the film, a photo gallery, and a cast commentary. The same content was briefly made available on VHS through Anchor Bay Entertainment.
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