I Sell the Dead Doesn’t Reinvent the Wheel
I Sell the Dead reminds us that in a world of horror movie remakes it is refreshing to see something other than the same old wheel with a new coat of paint.
Written by BHM Contributor The Zombie Master
March 1, 2010
Release: 2008
Written & Directed by: Glenn McQuaid
Starring:
Dominic Monaghan as Arthur Blake
Ron Perlman as Father Duffy
Larry Fessenden as Willie Grimes
Brenda Cooney as Fanny Bryers
Angus Scrimm as Dr. Vernon Quint
In an era of good, classic horror movies being remade, redone, revamped, re-imagined, etc., it has become a chore to find original new horror. In fact the meaning of the prefix “re-“(Latin for “again and again” indicating repetition) does not allow originality into the discussion. Thankfully I Sell the Dead falls into the originality category with pride.
In the opening scene we witness one Mr. Willie Grimes (Larry Fessenden) being taken to the gallows in 18th century Britain for the crime of murder. He is not guilty however as we soon find out. It seems Mr. Grimes’ partner, Arthur Blake (Dominic Monaghan), is to meet the gallows as well but before he does he gets a visit from Father Duffy (Ron Perlman) who wants to know all about Grimes and Blake who happen to be expert grave robbers.
Arthur began his partnership with Willie at a young age while Willie was under “contract” with Dr. Vernon Quint (Angus Scrimm) who paid for corpses to perform medical research on. Dr. Quint keeps the two grave robbers under “contract” by threatening to turn them over to the authorities for grave robbing if they quit. After many years of this mutual agreement between employer and employees, Willie and Arthur get a lead on a fresh unmarked grave in the moors. When the corpse is unearthed it is discovered that the body has been staked in the heart and garlic strung around its neck. When the stake and garlic is removed, the corpse viscously attacks the two robbers and Willie is force to replace the stake. He then gets an idea and Arthur and Willie quickly become well known for searching out special undead corpses and they start making good money at it. They decide to pick up an apprentice (Brenda Cooney) and things begin to spiral out of control.
I Sell the Dead was like a breath of fresh air. Glenn McQuaid did not try to redo any other movie. He took known genre stereotypes (grave robbers, undead, Hammer) and put his own twists and turns to them. Dominic Monaghan shows that he can do more than play a Hobbit, Ron Perlman gives a performance (albeit small) that shows why he has been in the business for over three decades and Angus Scrimm brings the same brilliance that only he can bring to a role. News Flash: That is what makes something original. We horror freaks do not expect someone to reinvent the wheel. We just want to see something more than a fresh coat of paint on the old wheel.
I Sell the Dead gives a good mixture of horror, comedy and sci-fi that leaves you with a fun and original 90 minutes that you will not be sorry you spent when it is over. Questions or comments about I Sell the Dead? Discuss it on The Ossuary forums!
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