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      Dead Still

      TV-14 2014 1h 30m Horror Mystery & Thriller List
      Reviews 19% Fewer than 50 Ratings Audience Score A photographer (Ben Browder) must save his son from a supernatural camera that causes bizarre deaths. Read More Read Less

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      Dead Still

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      Audience Reviews

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      Melissa L I just can't understand some people's taste. I thought this was an awesome movie, and I highly recommend it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/08/24 Full Review Stephen A "Dead Still," the 2014 horror flick, opens the macabre door to a captivating concept - killing people and snapping their death portraits to entrap them in the mysterious "Negative Realm." But hold onto your skulls because it's a dark ride with its fair share of ups and downs. The premise is an intriguing blend of morbid creativity and old-world superstition. The innovative idea that a historic photograph can imprison one's soul adds an exciting layer to the horror genre. Regrettably, it's like they shoved this ingenious idea in a blender set to 'chaos' and hit 'frappe.' The storyline often feels like it was conjured on the fly, invariably leaving you wondering if the script was written with an Ouija board. The acting is a mixed bag of treats and tricks. You've got your underwhelming performances, cringe-worthy moments, campy charm, and a sprinkling of average acting. In an unexpected twist, the seasoned professional Ray Wise, usually an eminent actor, strangely appears to have taken a detour into the realm of fromage. It's like he mistook the set for a dairy farm and milked his lines for all they're worth. The direction of the film leaves something to be desired. It's a potholed road, with a few smoother patches here and there. The greatest pothole on this haunted highway is the laughably dated CGI green screen effects. It's as if they raided the basement of a VHS rental store from the '90s. In conclusion, "Dead Still" is worth one viewing, if only for the tantalizing promise of what the movie could've and should've been. It's like finding a costume trunk filled with fabulous outfits, but you invariably end up in a potato sack. You shouldn't rush to watch the film either because there are plenty of better choices on offer. But if you find yourself on a drizzly Wednesday with 'nowt else to watch,' it'll do the trick to pass an hour or two. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/09/23 Full Review Audience Member I thoroughly enjoyed it for the third time! I've loved ALL of the Booth brothers films! Not to mention they're both great gentlemen as well as creative scare masters! Oh and the soundtrack? Saint! All their music also. Check it out! You won't be sorry! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member A film devoid of subtext, laughs, suspense and imagination. This is not a good film. The basic concept, of a Victorian photograph who wants to turn what his camera captures still and lifeless is an okay starting point. Unfortunately, this ambition is clearly shared by the film's director who succeeds only in draining all energy out of the story, pace or performances. The script plods. All the relationships and dialogue seem to exist only to pass on plot information or explicitly verbalise character motivation. This is done repeatedly. Much of the supporting cast is terrible. Ben Browder and Ray Wise (the hero and the villain) try valiantly to make the best of the material they've got. In fact, along with the performances of the two kids, they are probably the only things elevating this above a one star rating. It gets a bit better after it passes the 60 minute mark. Partly because the script finally accepts (after an hour of reminders and explanation) that the audience probably understands the premise of the film by now. But mostly due to all the bad actors having died by this point. Seriously, go read the Wikipedia page on post-mortem photography rather than watch this film. I guarantee that whatever story you make up in your head afterwards will be a damn sight more interesting than this film. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member This film is truly exceptional as one of the worst films I've ever seen. While the victims of Ray Wise's character are sometimes terrifying, and the acting of Ben Browder and young Gavin Casalegno was quite good, the film offered little else of note. Some of the acting was so bad it was actually more frightening than the so-called monsters. Sets had potential, but ultimately looked like Buffy the Vampire Slayer's sets during Season 1. The story was all over the place. While billed as somehow authentic, even those of us who were unaware of death photography could not be drawn into this mash up of tropes. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review born k Interesting premisse, horrible story and actings. The good side of the movie is some of the effects that are good, but all the rest isn't. A SciFi production (that just really means a B or C movie) than manage to be bellow the others. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Dead Still

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (1) Critics Reviews
      Neil Genzlinger New York Times [Dead Still] is full of plot twists that aren't worth trying to follow, and... is not as good as it could be Oct 6, 2014 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A photographer (Ben Browder) must save his son from a supernatural camera that causes bizarre deaths.
      Director
      Philip Adrian Booth
      Producer
      James T. Bruce IV, Geza Decsy, Karen O'Hara, Chris Regina, Pierre-Andre Rochat
      Screenwriter
      Philip Adrian Booth
      Production Co
      Hollywood Media Bridge
      Rating
      TV-14
      Genre
      Horror, Mystery & Thriller
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 9, 2020
      Runtime
      1h 30m
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