D-Dead

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Dabbe [2006] Dabbe 2 [2006] Dabbe 3: Bir Cin Vakasi [2012]
Dabbe 4: The Possession [2013] Dabbe 5: Curse of the Jinn [2014] Daemonium (Soldier of the Underworld) [2015]
Dagon [2001] Damascus Cover [2017] Danger One [2018]
Daniel Isn't Real [2019] The Dark [2018] Dark Circles [2013]
Dark City [1998] Dark Feed [2013] The Dark Knight [2008]
Dark Light [2019] Dark Skies [2013] A Dark Song [2016]
Dark Star [1974] The Dark Tapes [2016] The Dark Tower [2017]
A Dark Truth [2012] Dark Web [2017] The Darkest Minds [2018]
Dave Made a Maze [2017] David Byrne's American Utopia [2020] Dawn of the Dead [1978]
Day of the Dead [1985] Day Watch [2006] Daybreakers [2009]
Dead Awake [2016] The Dead Center [2018] Dead in a Week (Or Your Money Back) [2018]
Dead of Night [1945] Dead of Night [2015]
The Dead Pool [1988] Dead Silence [2007] Dead Snow [2009]
Dead Trigger [2017] Deadfall [2012] Deadly Presence [2012]
Deadpool [2016] Deadtime Stories: Volume 1 [2009] Deadtime Stories: Volume 2 [2011]

Dark Web [2017]


            
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The title is simply a hook as there's nothing directly about the Dark Web here. It's a micro-budget anthology with 4 short stories, a wrap-around story and book-ended by 2 vignettes. If you can overlook the obvious budget constraints and amateur participation, the first two stories were really good. "Blood" - A serial killer who can't stand the sight of blood, was well acted and had a Twilight Zone vibe to it. "Remote" - A nifty little time warp entry that played out really well. It's unfortunate that the rest of this was just unoriginal filler that was really quite silly, at times.

The Dead Pool [1988]


            

Someone decided to make an economy version of a Dirty Harry movie. As such, it's the shortest and feels like an episode of a TV show. The story is given a minimal plot thread, the characters don't get much development beyond what's necessary and even the villain is no more than a phantom until the final act ...which was quick and rather anti-climactic. But there are some nice action sequences, the characters were likable and interesting (Liam Neeson and Jim Carey look so young) Harry's got his usual good lines and my wife and I found it quite fun considering.

Daybreakers [2009]


         

Ten years after an outbreak that turned most of the human race into vampires, a blood doctor is trying to develop substitute blood to prevent the extinction of humans, and, in turn, the vampires food supply. This was acted well and quite entertaining but it had its problems. It didn't have the final emotional oomph that it needed to get me fully engaged. The so-called 'cure' logically would have been figured out by now, considering 10 years had elapsed, and can you really call it a cure? The implications are staggering. Great blood bath ending, though.

A Dark Truth [2012]


            

Ex-CIA agent, now radio host, is asked to retrieve someone from Ecuador who has the evidence to bring down a corporation implicit in the poisoning and massacre of a village. The trailer makes it look exciting but this is more solidly an intense drama that's fairly familiar and plays out pretty much as you expect. It's design is weak in that it emphasizes some things that just peter out but not giving other things the attention they require. However, the acting and writing made the characters genuine with heartfelt emotions making them extremely compelling. Good drama.

A Dark Song [2016]


         

A woman, with a need to see her dead son, locks herself in a remote house with a ritualist while they attempt to conjure up the appropriate devices to grant both their desires. Although that sounds like the premise to a drive-in B-movie, this film is actually quite serious and deals with it's subject matter is an original and provocative fashion. The relationship of both great need and disdain between our couple made for some very interesting dynamics that nearly destroys them both. Promising a big ending, they didn't disappoint ..but pleasantly not what I expected.

Danger One [2018]


         
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An independent ambulance crew discovers $1mil sewed into the jacket of a crash victim who dies on the way to the hospital. So... why not keep it? The film then proceeds to tell us, in great detail, exactly why you should not do that as the participants have to deal with suspicious co-workers, ICE agents, an insane mob enforcer, along with their own personal demons and levels of greed. Masterfully constructed, the film maintains a level of seriousness, humor and realism despite reaching a level of absurdity that's quite impressive. Excellent entertainment!

Dark Star [1974]


            
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Four dudes, who've been in space a long time on a mission to destroy unstable planets, face mounting malfunctions, an alien beach ball creature, a commander in cryofreeze and an uncooperative bomb. Originally intended as a student film by Dan O'Bannon and John Carpenter (their first), this goofy but highly imaginative film became a cult classic exhibiting just the right balance of humor and slapstick to make it highly entertaining despite it's obvious $60,000 budget. Spec fx aren't bad either, considering. Grab a tub of popcorn and have a chuckle or two.

Dabbe [2006]

aka D@bbe

     

Worldwide, people are committing suicide. Could it be the Dabbe as mentioned in the Koran heralding the end times? This Turkish film is a no-budget, amateur project that really looks the part; the acting is terrible and script is worse ...although that may have more to do with translation. However, there's a certain charm that's creepy, insidious and keeps one's attention making it quite entertaining despite its shortcomings. I can see why it's become a cult favorite with 6 films to follow. Although I spent a good deal of time rolling my eyes, I liked it.

Dabbe 2 [2009]

aka D@bbe 2

      

A family is being terrorized by entities from ...I'm not quite sure, but it doesn't matter. This movie basically straps you into a catapult roller coaster in the first scene and launches you on a ride that simply does not pause for a moment right up to the end. The dialogue is lame and cliche and the acting of a family in total panic looked like actors trying to look like a family in total panic. The cheap effects were actually quite effective, leaving the viewer intensely uncomfortable, to a point. Then they became redundant and sort lost their appeal. Generally fun.

David Byrne's American Utopia [2020]


         

I was never a huge fan of David Byrne or the Talking Heads but they were always in the background somewhere while I was building my life back in the 70s and 80s. So, I thought I'd catch Byrne's (who's in his late 60s and has twice the energy I do) newest stage performance ...and it's very good. The choreography and musicianship are simply perfect, the performers were a joy to watch, and the music was entertaining and includes old favorites like 'Once In a Lifetime' & 'Burning Down the House'. There was a couple real downer tunes, but overall, good fun.

Daniel Isn't Real [2019]


         
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After witnessing a bad fight between his parents followed by the traumatically violent aftermath of a mass killing, little Luke develops an imaginary friend named Daniel. But just how imaginary is he? ...and why is Daniel so spiteful? Well designed and played out premise that takes the viewer down a fairly harmless path of banality before making a sudden and horrific shift into some extremely twisted, dark territory. Acting and pacing were excellent. However, the ending left me sad and confused. Otherwise, I would easily have given in an 'excellent' rating.

Damascus Cover [2017]


         
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A Mossad agent is sent undercover into Damascus to extract a scientist and his family out of the country. But things aren't always what they seem. This was a very well made spy drama with excellent acting all around. Not big on the action letting the unrelenting tension drive the story ...which was also pretty good as long as you're paying attention. Don't look away for a second or you'll probably miss a plot point. Some of the action was shot too close making it a series of blurs and it did get a bit melodramatic at times but I was thoroughly entertained.

The Dead Center [2018]


            

With all the Top Cosmic Horror lists I've seen lately, I am dumbfounded that I have not heard a single word about this one. After literally butchering himself to death, a man wakes up in a morgue and sneaks off to find a bed in the psyche ward. Then things get weird. Utilizing an incredibly disturbing soundtrack to perfection, this horrific Lovecraftian slow burn drags you into something terrible, futile and globally destructive. Billy Senese's writing and direction were perfect and super acting, especially Jeremy Childs (patient) and Shane Carruth (doctor).

Dawn of the Dead [1978]


            
  
Whereas Night of the Living Dead made the zombie genre popular, this movie became the standard for the quintessential zombie film that everyone else tries to aspire to ...with very few successes. Four survivors of the zombie apocalypse take over an indoor shopping mall and make it their own. Is this paradise or have they built their own prison? Personal, intelligent, humorous and oh, so gory. Don't bother with the Zack Snyder remake ...watch the original!

Day of the Dead [1985]


            


Moving from a shopping mall to an underground research facility, this entry in the Living Dead series is more about the destructiveness of humans against each other and the zombies just clean up the wreckage. And then there's Bub. Plenty of gory zombie action we've come to know and love included in every viewing.

Deadpool [2016]


         

Unnecessarily profane and extremely obnoxious, this film featured totally unlikable characters - including two so-called X-Men - and the few action scenes it did have, which weren't bad, wasn't nearly enough to counteract the writer's incessant need to include various iterations of 'sh*t' and 'f*ck' in practically every line of the film ...the red band trailer I've provided will give you an idea how obnoxious this film is. It would've been fun if it wasn't so needlessly vulgar. I really disliked this movie.

Deadtime Stories: Volume 1 [2009]

aka Deadtime Stories

            


George A. Romero presents 3 horror stories that weren't too shabby. "Shadow of the Valley" was amusingly gory and goofy with most of the action not making much sense. "Wet" was creepy and predictable but well played. "House Call", directed by make up extraordinaire, Tom Savini, was the gem of the set. Dark, atmospheric and a twisted ending you won't see coming. Good late night B-movie viewing.

Dark Feed [2013]


         

Film makers are making a movie in an abandoned psychiatric hospital. Sound familiar? Despite it's horrendous public ratings and it's painfully amateurish acting, I loved this movie. I'm guessing they actually used a large abandoned building to film in as the sets were fantastic. The pacing was excellent and I enjoyed how the characters either succumbed to insanity, or were killed by those insane, without anyone else aware of a threat until it's too late. Great imagination on this one and some truly goofy, gory, humorous and horrific moments.

Dead Snow [2009]

aka Dod sno

         
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Nazi zombies from WWII. Ok. The biggest crime in making a movie, imo, is to establish a bunch of principal characters as being reasonably intelligent - in this case, medical students - and then proceed to have them behave like morons. The Nazi zombie idea is simply a novelty. Any creature could have filled that role. So, what we have here is a bunch of monsters attacking stupid people in a cabin. I've seen that ...and better. It did have some good, over-the-top, gory moments but most of the gags were ludicrous or just fell flat.

Deadtime Stories: Volume 2 [2011]

aka Deadtime Stories 2

            
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Surprisingly much better than Volume 1. Rather than make them campy or tongue-in-cheek, these three stories were dead serious, gut-wretchedly gruesome, and disturbing as hell. The stories were rather long-winded and they could have easily slipped a fourth story in here but, no matter. I feel its bad rating is completely unjustified. This is good stuff. Don't try to over-analyze it. Just enjoy it, at night, alone, in the dark.

The Dark Knight [2008]


            
  

I was never really a fan of Batman, either in the movies or the comic books ...even when I was a big comic book fan. But this movie changed my whole outlook on the dark knight. The story is complex and well thought out, the action is excellent, and the characters are all fully realized - especially the Joker played by Heath Ledger in a performance that rates among one of the best in film history. Marvelous film.

Dark Circles [2013]


         
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A true case of a movie that doesn't know what it wants to be. A couple, with a newborn, move into a new house and become haunted by an unknown woman. As a result, we watch the slow disintegration of the family unit ...far too slow, imo. And this woman... Is she a ghost? Is she a stalker? By the end of the film, I'm still clueless. If she's a ghost, then why did we have a confrontation with an obviously real person? And if she's real, who's haunting the family and why? For Pete's sake, pick a storyline and stick to it.

Dead Awake [2016]


         
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Sleep paralysis is when you wake up but you can't move for awhile. It's happened to me a couple times and let me tell you, it will scare you witless. This movie offers the theory that if you stay paralyzed for too long, an old hag will suffocate you. Interesting premise and the film is eerie but the idea's wasted. It's not a bad film - I wasn't bored - but it was all rather timid, lame and overly dramatic. It's not rated but it would easily pass for PG-13. Oh, yeah ...it has the obligatory bath tub scene required for all sleep paralysis films. Don't miss that.

Dead of Night [2015]

aka Suspension

      

A girl, who's intimidated by a teacher and other students because her father was a serial killer, escapes by drawing violent comic book art which may or may not be coming true. See, that's the thing ...we're dealing with seemingly more than one reality and it's hard to know which one you're in from scene to scene. Many may become impatient with being jerked around for 90 mins but I found this constant guessing game to be great fun. I guessed the ending but then I had 4 different endings in mind. Pick one and see if you're right.

Dark Skies [2013]


            
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A married couple and their two boys are inexplicably being haunted by unknown entities. A rather well made film that uses the story to drive the events rather than just throwing random scares at you. The characters are normal, intelligent and real. The levels of denial are different for each and when they break is well paced and logical. No real violence to speak of but a well above average spook fest that manages to entertain just fine without being gratuitous. Watch out for the greys.

Deadfall [2012]


         
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The movie basically details all the events concerning two siblings (who robbed a casino and killed a cop) and a recently paroled convict (who attacked his former boss) while on the run from the law through full winter country. With that premise and the big names in the film, I didn't expect it to be so dull. After the exciting and promising opening, the film painfully studies characters that are uninteresting and, in most cases, unlikable and continues to drag us along to a climax that is just a peg or two above ho hum.

Dagon [2001]


         
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The survivors of a boat accident get to shore to find themselves in a town occupied by weird creatures who worship Dagon. It didn't take long for me to lose interest in this film. The creatures pursuing the lead went on until nearly the end making it one long tedious chase. The lead guy was miscast and didn't pull off the buffoon characterization well at all. Bad acting all around. As much as I enjoyed Stuart Gordon's early Lovecraft films (Re-Animator, From Beyond), he really missed the mark on this one. Monsters looked good.

The Dark Tower [2017]


         

A dark tower holds the universe together and keeps out the demons. Two figures, the Gunslinger and the Man in Black, go to war to either destroy or save the tower ...and a young boy may be the key. Wow! What's the hurry? Films over about 110 mins, in many cases, could lose about 30 mins without damage. But this type of film (at only 95 mins) needs that extra time to fully develop a story and characters between the competent action and excitement. Sorry to 'rush' to judgment but this film felt like they were late for a plane.

Dead Silence [2007]


            

A mysterious ventriloquist dummy showing up on a man's doorstep begins a journey into the malevolence of Mary Shaw and her dolls. This was a well put together story, acting was competent, creep factor was pretty good and it had a surprising and genuinely unique ending. But, for whatever reason, it just sort of fell flat for me. I imagine others would really like this film, though. Perhaps I'm not the one who would be the best judge for this project.

Dave Made a Maze [2017]


         
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Alone for the weekend, Dave builds a cardboard maze in his living room which becomes an expansive, ever-growing labyrinth on the inside complete with tricks, traps and a Minotaur. This simple, imaginative idea was exceptionally well executed making this film quite a joyful experience. The characters were likable and it kept me fully engaged despite the fact that the film was losing it's luster about halfway through. Didn't care for the ending either but still quite a fun, unique and well worth a watch.

Daemonium [2015]

aka Daemonium: Soldier of the Underworld

            

In another universe, a man makes a deal with a demon for power only to find out his power is temporary. So he vows to find a way to destroy the demon. This would definitely have to be my bizarre recommendation of the month. Just about everything in this film is as amateurish as you can get; especially the fight choreography ...it's just terrible. Also, it doesn't seem like anyone knew how to hold a camera steady. Despite all that, visually it was really quite interesting and I found myself having a great deal of fun watching this.

Deadly Presence [2012]


         
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A girl becomes possessed by the spirit of a serial killer when she and two friends perform a seance in one of the murder houses. Obviously an amateur pet project by Shane Cole and Megan Lynn; writing, directing, photography, acting and a multitude of other credits. You have to admire making a film for $1600 and getting it played on Amazon Prime for awhile. However, the money was not well spent. Beyond the embarrassingly amateur look to the film, the dialogue and pacing were just awful ...every scene nearly put me to sleep.

The Dark [2018]


            
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First off, it has nothing to do with 'The Dark'. It's about Mina, a girl stuck somewhere between life and death (without any explanation as to why) who befriends Alex, an abused and blinded kidnap victim ...and they wander around as they hide from people. That's about the extent of it. Moving at a snail's pace, practically every scene is dragged out extensively to the point of frustration. The premise is original and it is interesting but make sure you watch it with a suitcase full of patience ...you're going to need it.

The Darkest Minds [2018]


         

A disease either kills or mutates children with various powers. 4 of these children escape the government built concentration camps and try to find sanctuary. This film is stringently targeted towards a teen and young adult audience with far more melodrama and personal relationship stuff and not so much on the children's abilities or thrills. This film is going to be liked by most and it is a good film. It's just not my cup of tea and I felt the ending was rather sad and downbeat considering what they had to go through.

Dead of Night [1945]


         
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A man arrives at a gathering and seems to know exactly what's going to happen because he's dreamed it. This sparks the telling of several macabre stories by those at the gathering. Well designed anthology that effortlessly glides from the wraparound story into the various tales without ever feeling forced or out-of-place. The stories would be pretty familiar nowadays but I would imagine that, back then, they would have been terribly creepy. The events culminate in a rather twisted finale that made me grin and struck me as a pretty advanced idea for the time.

Dead in a Week (Or Your Money Back) [2018]


         

William can't seem to successfully commit suicide no matter how many times he's tried. So, he hires an aging hit man on the edge of retirement. And he can't seem to kill William, either. What follows is a morbidly dark, farcical series of events with some incredibly colorful characters, superb dialogue featuring a good dose of dry British humor, and some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Tom Wilkinson, as the aging hit man, and Christopher Eccleston, as his boss, are exceptional ...as well as everyone else in the film. Quite amusing.

Dead Trigger [2017]


            

5 years after the start of the zombie apocalypse, a special zombie extermination squad must go on a rescue mission. A great disservice to the video game of the same name ...I doubt that anyone who saw this would want to play it. Practically no budget with probably the bulk of the money spent on make-up, Dolph Lundgren and as much hokey as would fit. Grade school writing, unimaginative story and one contrived moment after another. Don't blame the actors. They had no material to work with. It's so laughably bad, it's nearly entertaining to watch.

The Dark Tapes [2016]


         
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Low-budget, amateur horror anthology that, unfortunately, really looks the part. Weak dialogue and unconvincing acting was a big part of it. Much of it was supposed to be taking place through computer chat but it was just people on camera. The sound mixing was just awful ...I spent the entire movie turning up the volume so I could hear what they were saying only to have to drop it back down as I was assaulted with bursts of static loud enough to wake the dead. Interesting ideas, poorly expressed. One story was OK and a few good moments but that's it.

Dabbe 3: Bir Cin Vakasi [2012]

aka Dabbe 3: A Djinn Incident

      

A family sets up cameras all over their house as the mother is sleepwalking. Perhaps that ain't the problem. Add some djinni and think Paranormal Activity, Turkish style, this is a very well done CCTV / handheld footage style film that was effective and quite insidious. My only problem is a 2 hour run time is too long for this type of film. The first hour was a total creepfest that kept me at a high level of anxiety. The second hour lost all it's energy ...a good 30 min trimming would have provided the much needed thrills to finish it up. Good spine tingler, though.

Dabbe 4: The Possession [2013]

aka Dabbe: Cin Carpmasi

     

A psychiatric student and an exorcist go to war with djinns as they assist in helping a relative who killed her husband on her wedding day. Being really slow paced, 40 mins could have easily been cut out of the first hour of this film without sacrificing anything. It picked up and got real interesting after that but it still dragged at times which served to defuse its intent ...especially an overly agonizing climax. The found footage format felt more staged than spontaneous and all the scares were basically sound effects and shaky cameras. Generally spooky and entertaining.

Dabbe 5: Curse of the Jinn [2014]

aka Dabbe: Zehr-i Cin

         

A woman is inexplicably terrorized by the presence of evil djinns within her home. That's pretty much it as we go about discovering what she needs to do about it. Although there isn't much of a story, and the lead is prone to overact a lot, the film's strength lies in its ability to terrorize. This creepfest never stops repeatedly presenting one unique sequence of horrific events after another without being redundant or relying on common horror gimmicks. It left me in a constant state of unease knowing I was going to get slapped, just didn't know when. Nice twist, too.

Day Watch [2006]

aka Dnevnoy dozor

         

This sequel to Night Watch is far more comprehensible but far less organic or balanced. First off, it spent an enormous amount of time on this lack luster and lifeless romance between our 2 primary protagonists and secondly, at two and a half hours, the rest of this painfully overlong film was silly and a parody of itself. As such, you couldn't take it seriously for a minute. It even ended like a bad rom com. The fantastic action sequence near the end was certainly worth watching. Too bad I had to sit through over 2 hours of this to get there. Marginally entertaining.

Dark Light [2019]

SPOILER WARNING: Trailer details practically the entire movie in 2 mins.

         
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After moving into her late mother's home in the country, a woman discovers there are monsters in the walls ...and they've taken her daughter. There are no morons in this film. Everyone acted intelligently and normally and the brisk pace made it fairly good entertainment despite it being weak in other areas. Beyond the unique, albeit absurd premise, there's nothing new here and no real surprises but is was competently constructed, played out well and had a couple jump scares that practically knocked me out of my chair. Pretty enjoyable, if you're not too critical.

Dark City [1998]


         
  
The inhabitants of a dark city are being used in an experiment by an alien race that rebuilds both the city and everyone's memories every night in an attempt to determine what makes us humans tick. Although very different films, you can't help notice the similarities with the manipulated environment of The Matrix. The film noir quality, the surreal landscape, the strangers, the writing, the performances, the absolutely phenomenal spec fx, the astoundingly unique vision, everything in this film works on so many levels. Nearly perfect.

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