Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

GazerRise Fantastic!

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

keanho This film, shot entirely on location at a movie theater, makes us rethink what it means to be a zombie - must one be an actual undead human, or can the definition extend to those who have been hypnotized into being whatever the media tells them to be? As we see the theater staff overtaken with the idiocy around them, one begins to wonder - are we just puppets, and if so, who is the real villain pulling our strings? "Dead at the Box Office" aims to answer this and other important questions about American life, including what happens when panicked law enforcement agents attempt to deal with something they simply don't bother trying to understand. Ten stars!

pyromanticways I bought this film sending a message to the authors, on "Dead at the Box Office" Myspace page. It's been an interesting experience to watch a film, knowing then I'd communicate my impressions to... Dr. Eisner in person! Well, despite some flaws on the "thrilling" side, I guess you should appreciate this movie for what it is: a low-budget, willingly camp, horror comedy! As a child of its time, it shows conscious approach to a genre that, if not dead, sure has changed much! Since Mr. Ryan A. Markle's answer to my letter contains hints about the film nobody else could give (not a watcher, at least), I'd like to copy & paste portions (the whole thing would exceed the number of words allowed in this comment) of our exchange of letters (Since Ryan himself divided my e-mail in parts he separately answered to in his letter, I'll just add our names to this sort of unintentional mutual interview we had!)Dario: First of all, let me say it was really a nice surprise to find English subtitles in the DVD's menu! I'm quite used to watch films in English but... having matching subtitles too! I didn't miss a word and learned some new ones too!Ryan: We're actually fans of English subtitles ourselves, even though English is our native language. Sometimes it's hard to understand what's being said in any movie, and having the subtitles makes sure that the viewer can catch everything the writer wanted to get across in the story. So we put them on there because, if we were watching it for the first time, WE would want them to be there.Dario: The plot was good! My favourite characters were Eric, Curtis and Yours! The bite scene (a due homage to good ol' Dawn of the Dead!) let me know I was going to enjoy fantastic splatter & gore SFX! I'm not saying I'd expected some fu**in' computer graphic or other latest Hollywood's crap, but, you know, you may never know what to expect from indie films and low budget cinema in general... You seem to know the old formula, though!Ryan: That was the goal! We love the movies that made horror great, especially the ones that were made with almost no money but were rich in creativity. And of course none of them use CGI! As filmmakers, we believe that CG should only be used to enhance practical effects -- not to replace them altogether. Dario: Some of the siege and chasing scenes reminded of some Italian horrors I adore like Lamberto Bava's "Demoni" (Demons) or Andrea Bianchi's "Le Notti del Terrore" (Burial Ground). In its (deliberate, I know) campiness it kinda reminded me of Timothy O' Rawe's "Ghoul School" too...Ryan: High praise, all the way around! You definitely know your horror history -- exactly the kind of person we made the movie for! :)Dario: I absolutely loved the laughing reaction of the stereotyped audience, when the nazi logo shows on screen. Lloyd Kaufman's presence was already in the air when he showed up and the Rocky Horror Show-like pseudo-happy ending, finally released the Hollywood's parody that was around the bend (that made me think of early John Waters' films, somehow).Ryan: We've definitely been influenced by Lloyd Kaufman and Troma (not to mention 'Rocky Horror'), but I never really thought about how much the campy shock twists in 'Pink Flamingos' -- a movie several of us watched over and over when we were teenagers -- have contributed to our style. You probably have something there!Dario: I'd liked to see more of "Harry's Daughter" though... I found priceless the final scene (unexpected after ALL the end titles!).. will you make a sequel?!Ryan: We had discussed it, but after finishing 'Dead at the Box Office', we all pretty much went our separate ways. We made the movie near Chicago, but after it was finished, the actor who played Eric (who also co-wrote the script with me) and the director both moved to New York, while I moved to Los Angeles. If the movie is a hit, maybe we can get the financing to get back together for a sequel ... but since we're living 3000 miles apart, it won't be easy!Dario: OK... sure there's more I could say on the positive side, but it doesn't come to mind now... The only spot I'd recall, thinking of this basically good time I had with Dead at the Box Office, would be maybe the pacing of the action scenes. The "zombies" were a little too... unwilling; and I'd swear I've seen a couple of them laughing too, but... I know, I know! This horror movie is a self-conscious campy comedy as well, right? Maybe It's just that blood was so convincing, I'd loved to get some thrill too!Ryan: I understand completely. Looking back, we realize that we might have tried too hard to make the movie equal parts comedy and horror, when we should have concentrated more on one or the other. We really wanted horror fans to love it, so if we had the chance to do it all again, we would have concentrated a little more on the tension and action.Dario: By the way... It still has very interesting cues, not only for gorehounds and... I totally agree with the revolutionary spirit of Romero's films!

jessedorjeirwin It's obvious that the people who made 'Dead At The Box Office' love B-movie horror. Overt references to the genre are peppered throughout, from stock characters (the authority figure who doesn't believe the monstrous invasion is really happening) to Kevin Smith style discussions to reenacting Duane Jones' last moments from 'Night of the Living Dead' not once but twice.Unfortunately it takes more than love to make a good movie.The staging and shot choice are unexciting and unimaginative. While a common admonition in film school is to avoid 'Mastershot Theatre,' telling the story completely in a wide master shot, here we find the obverse as in several sequences it's hard to figure out the spatial relationships between characters as the story is told in a series of medium shots with no establishing shot to tie it together. Editing is drab and basic and at times there are unmotivated cuts. The lighting is flat and sometimes muddy, making the scenes in the darkened theatre hard to make out (was there lighting, or was this shot with available light only?). Some shots are out of focus. The dialogue is trite, and the performances, for the most part, one-note (Isaiah Robinson shows some energy and screen presence as Curtis, and the fellow playing the projectionist has some pleasantly dickish line readings; Michael Allen Williams as the theater manager and Casey Kirkpatrick as enthusiastic film geek Eric have some nice moments). The premise is silly, even for a B horror flick (Also, it's too bad Dr Eisner was unaware of Project Paperclip - he could've saved himself a lot of trouble!). The 'zombies' are non-threatening, and their makeup is unconvincing (although the chunky zombie trying to get a gumball out of the machine raised a smile). For a zombie fan film, there is very little blood or violence, although what there is, is handled pretty well. The incidental music, while stylistically uneven, is kind of nice at times, and there are some good foley effects. The 'Time Warp' parody was a fun listen, although the images going along with it were less fun to watch. Unfortunately, the looped dialogue sounds flat. Was this shot non-sync (doubtful, it looks like video through and through)? I watched the special introduction by Troma Films' Lloyd Kaufman before the main feature - although it consisted essentially of Kaufman plugging his own stuff and admitting that he hadn't seen the movie while someone mugged in a Toxie mask, its production and entertainment values were higher than 'Dead...' itself (quick aside to whoever put the DVD together - the countdown on film leader beeps only on the flash-frame 2, not on every number plus one more after). For that matter, the vampire film theatregoers are seen watching early in 'Dead...' looked a lot more entertaining than this. Recommendation to avoid, unless you know someone involved in the production or are an ardent Lloyd Kaufman completist (he plays 'Kaufman the Minion' in the film-within-a-film).(Full disclosure: my girlfriend is an extra in this movie. I swear this did not color my review.)

mrquint_74 I can honestly say it is the most interesting and refreshing take on zombie films i have seen in years. It takes a tried and true film genre and puts a spin on it that will leave you actually wondering where a zombie film will go. While dialog can be long at times. What zombie film doesn't suffer from this. The special effects and action will quickly grab your attention. But more then anything the well thought out story makes this one of my favorite independent films of all time. Zombie fan or not, Dead at the Box Office will leave you remembering what a good story can actually do for a film.