Much like the hordes of the living dead at the center of this sub-genre, there is already a plethora zombie films that exist. Joining that list comes Deadsight, a new Horror film directed by Jesse Thomas Cook (2011 Monster Brawl, 2013 Septic Man) that hits DVD and VOD as of Tuesday, July 2, 2019 via RLJE Films.
Set in the community of Grey County, it has been devastated by a deadly virus that turns many of its residents into bloodthirsty zombies. At the center of this chaos is Ben Neilson (Adam Seybold: Exit Humanity 2011, Hellmouth 2014), a man suffering from partial blindness, and a very pregnant police officer, Mara Madigan (Liv Collins: The Door 2014, Creep Nation 2019). With the odds against them, they must work together to escape the virus-ridden town without getting completely devoured. Sounds easy enough… or is it?
These plot points laid out, the acting in Deadsight is one of its biggest attributes. Seybold and Collins are a solid duo, perfectly feeding off of one another’s energy. The idea of having two lead characters with such sizable hinderances fighting for their lives amongst a zombie outbreak seems like an obvious recipe for death.
While their disadvantages come off as a rather gimmicky ploy to entice you to watch, it is indeed the reason you are driven to stay till the end to see if they make it out alive. With that being said, it is the only reason you are inclined to see them survive. In most cases, backstory isn’t everything, but the lack of character development in the film causes a disconnect. In this case you want to see them survive to see if they can, not because you care; which is disheartening.
Still – it does not take away from the fact that these two manage to fight tooth and nail to get out alive. Deadsight has quite a few on-screen kills so there is plenty of the blood and guts that zombie fans can sink their teeth into. However, a lot of the violence and gore heavily relies on CGI, rather than practical effects, a factor which also takes away from it all. In an indie zombie film such as Deadsight, practical effects could have taken this film to another level, adding to the overall realism.
Overall, Deadsight’s bleak and dark atmosphere looks aesthetically pleasing on screen but is overshadowed by its lack of plot. With a run-time of an 1 hour and 29 minutes, it’s a full-length feature example of a project with a lot of potential, but somehow misses the mark. For that reason, Cryptic Rock gives Deadsight 2 out of 5 stars.
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