I Sell The Dead

Dominic Monaghan (from Lord of the Rings and Lost) plays Arthur Blake, a grave robber sitting in the gallows, waiting for his execution, just like it happened to his friend and co-digger, Willie Grimes (Larry Fessenden, director of Wendigo and Habit). Waiting for the blade to hit his neck, he is visited by a monk (played by Hellboy himself, Ron Perlman) who asks him to tell the story of his life, from body snatching for evil doctor Vernon Quint (Angus Scrimm) to the undead, to a clan of rival body-snatchers called The Murphy Clan.
The story structure is very much based on The Curse of Frankenstein, which is very appropriate. This movie will remind you of the classic Hammer horror films, but also the Roger Corman Edgar Allan Poe films, particularly the funny ones like The Raven and, more than any other, The Comedy Of Terrors. It’s also inspired by the gallows humor of the old EC comics, which can be seen in a lot of it’s scene transcitions, which turn into comic book art. And this is all that it is, a comic book movie. It has a lot of humor, of the blackest kind, lots of over-the-top characters, particularly from the Murphy Clan, such as the woman with the mask. There are also a lot of monsters, from vampires to zombies, and they all have a very unique look. The acting reflects the over-the-topness of a comic book, particularly from Larry Fessenden, who actually does a good English accent and reminded me of the Cryptkeeper many times (and I don’t mean that he’s ugly). Ron Perlman was probably the only one that bugged me, as his Scottish accent was a little ridiculous, although I’m always happy to see him in a film. This is one of the best horror comedies I’ve seen in a while, and is highly recommended.