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Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

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Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

PG

Released Jun 9, 1972

1h 25m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

17 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A director (Alan Ormsby), his wife (Anya Ormsby) and a troupe call up the dead, starting with a corpse named Orville.

Jeremiah Kipp

Slant Magazine

Clark's first film is memorable only for its catchy title.

Rated: 1/4

Sep 29, 2007

Full Review

Lindsay Costello

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

The film's lo-fi aesthetics and underground college project feel would be forgivable if it weren't so damn boring—it's a zombie film that takes forever to come to life.

Dec 20, 2024

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...the shocks and scares are as raw as the outre fashions…

Rated: 3/5

Mar 31, 2023

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James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

the first half is structured as a kind of lumbering black comedy before the ghouls are unleashed, which, despite the general amateurishness of the production, pack quite a punch

Rated: 3/4

Mar 27, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The dialogue whiplashes between amusing quips and (mostly) leaden chitchat. But the final act, a full-fledged rip-off of Night of the Living Dead, is effectively staged.

Rated: 2.5/4

Feb 15, 2023

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Kathy Fennessy

Video Librarian Magazine

"Nasty, brutish, and short," a phrase coined by English philosopher Thomas Hobbes to describe life under anarchy, aptly describes Bob Clark's 1972 horror-comedy Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 19, 2023

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Horror fan 4

This is enjoyable to watch for the horror parts of the movie but the comedy is lacking. The last 30 minutes of the movie is what saves this from being terrible. This would've been better just as a horror movie. Tim Treakle

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/05/25

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NONBELIEVER

One of the most underrated horror movies ever made.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/17/24

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Steve D

Dated but shows signs of the directors talent.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/02/23

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Stephen C

Great fun and the 1st in a line of films from The late Bob Clark.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/05/23

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brad p

What the film lacks in budget and acting talent it nearly makes up in heart and oddball charm. Clark and Ormsby's script is well written, and once the undead make their appearance the picture does pick up quite a bit.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Love it just to decompress with

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

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Bob Clark

Director

Alan Ormsby

Alan

Anya Ormsby

Anya

Jane Daly

Terry

Valerie Mamches

Val

Jeff Gillen

Jeff

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Synopsis

A director (Alan Ormsby), his wife (Anya Ormsby) and a troupe call up the dead, starting with a corpse named Orville.

Director: Bob Clark
Producer: Bob Clark, Gary Goch
Screenwriter: Bob Clark, Alan Ormsby
Production Co: Brandywine Motionarts Films
Rating: PG
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 9, 1972, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 3, 2016
Runtime: 1h 25m

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