Dead Fury
Encyclopedia
Dead Fury is a 2008 American animated comedy-horror parody
written and directed by Frank Sudol, with Sudol also doing all animation, music, and voice characterizations. The film debuted at the Philadelphia Film Festival
April 9, 2008, and was released on DVD August 5, 2008, through Unearthed Films
.
noted that the film "is quite literally a one-man show"—written, directed, and produced by Frank Sudol. They wrote that as a "crudely animated tale" from an individual otherwise known for his work as an artist on South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, the film "is a very interesting curiosity." They also noted that Sudol multi-tasked yet further as animator, musician, and vocal artist for all the characters. They gave "kudos to Sudol for sticking to his vision and making it," while judging it not successful as a feature-length film, they wrote They obseved that in his commentrary track, Sudol spoke toward a number of films that inspired the creation of Dead Fury, including Friday the 13th, but that the film was "clearly a homage to The Evil Dead
and The Hills Have Eyes
". Thy said that while the film has a great deal of gore, "its gore and over-the-top violence are played for laughs primarily." They wrote that there was much to admire in the film, but that the action became repetitive, and concluded that fans of "gory horror films would probably find Dead Fury entertaining", and that it was "creative enough for other movie fans to add it to their rental lists"—but summarized that the film would have been better as a 25-minute short.
Film Threat
panned the film, calling it "shamelessly cartoonish" in a manner that would leave horror fans "speechless at this audience-insulting wreck". They granted that "Those who treat Fangoria
as a pinup mag will smile at the demonic/punk zombies" as conceived by Frank Sudol," but that those same fans "will scratch their heads when seeing the zombie curse float as a ball of light, like Tinkerbell
." They noted that the characters were "flat and move like cardboard across the screen," and felt that while some filmmakers were innovators in their field, they "should never be an inspiration".
Movie Cynics praised Sudol for his work on City of Rott
, "a testament to what one man can do with a shitload of time and some skill at animating," but judged that Dead Fury while interesting, was less successful. They noted that it paid homage not only to zombie movies but also to "every backwoods demonic possession
story that you’ve ever seen", and that it could compare to Evil Dead if such were to be done by Adult Swim
. They saw its length as a major flaw, because the film "falls apart after the first 45 minutes," and that it would have been better if shorter. They also observed that while its "characters are interesting, humorous, and fairly likable," the writing becomes "boring and repetitive."
Philadelphia City Paper
referred to the film's length as "excruciating" and made note that the film's flaws included production values that "would barely pass muster on YouTube", a story concept that seemed "borrowed ideas seemingly made in an afternoon in between Xbox games", and juvenile humor "penned at a sixth-grade reading level."
On the other hand, Dread Central found no flaws. The reviewer said that, seeing that the film was from the individual who created City of Rott
, he initially feared that Dead Fury might not compare favorable to the earlier film. After viewing, he was able to state it "not only remains on top of its game, but it outdoes City of Rott at every turn!" He noted that the film was not a sequel, but an original story that "takes its cues from horror favorites The Evil Dead
and The Hills Have Eyes
," acting as an homage and "absolute love letter to the films that it borrows from." The reviewer praised Sudol as "a crazed one-man army of mad animated genius," writing that he "has delivered one of the single most carnage happy, no-holds-barred, mayhem filled, freak shows that I've had the pleasure of sitting through." He praised the dialog and delivery as hilarious, saying that "this is one of those things that's better left to speak for itself. No description I give can do it justice." Rating highly the DVD extras including an audio commentary by Sudol, the reviewer called it "just as funny as the movie itself," and concluded by writing "Dead Fury is without question the ultimate experience in grueling animated horror."
Fatally Yours noted that Sudol brought back his character of "Pop" from City of Rott
for this film, but not in a lead role, nor was the film a sequel. They referred to Dead Fury as a "leaner, meaner movie" when compared to the earlier film, and that it has lots of gore and humor in a "tighter and a lot more focused plot. They praised the filmmaker for "bringing such a colorful and energetic movie to the screen," and for his work in every aspect of its production. They granted that while the animation style might not appeal to everyone, the film "had its own unique charm" in its hilarity.
, Dead Fury, Rock & Rule
, Junk
, and Frankenhooker
,
Parody film
A parody film is a comedy that satirizes other film genres or films. Although the genre is often overlooked, parody films are commonly profitable at the box office...
written and directed by Frank Sudol, with Sudol also doing all animation, music, and voice characterizations. The film debuted at the Philadelphia Film Festival
Philadelphia Film Festival
The Philadelphia Film Festival is held annually in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Until 2009 it was generally held during the first weeks of April....
April 9, 2008, and was released on DVD August 5, 2008, through Unearthed Films
Unearthed Films
Unearthed Films is a U.S. film distribution company that imports exploitation films primarily from Eastern Asia. The company was created by Stephen Biro, Paul White and Rhett Rushing....
.
Plot
Max, Pop, Jen and Jake are deer hunting out of season. Earlier, a hiker had found an ancient book of spells and after reading a few lines had turned into a demon. Hearing noise in the brush, the group thinks they have found a deer, only to discover it is the transformed hiker. Fearful, the groups shoots at the demon and takes refuge in a nearby cabin. As more and more zombie-fied creatures attack the group, they use every implement available to defend themselves.Critical reception
DVD TalkDVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...
noted that the film "is quite literally a one-man show"—written, directed, and produced by Frank Sudol. They wrote that as a "crudely animated tale" from an individual otherwise known for his work as an artist on South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, the film "is a very interesting curiosity." They also noted that Sudol multi-tasked yet further as animator, musician, and vocal artist for all the characters. They gave "kudos to Sudol for sticking to his vision and making it," while judging it not successful as a feature-length film, they wrote They obseved that in his commentrary track, Sudol spoke toward a number of films that inspired the creation of Dead Fury, including Friday the 13th, but that the film was "clearly a homage to The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead is a 1981 horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, and Betsy Baker. The film is a story of five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in a wooded area...
and The Hills Have Eyes
The Hills Have Eyes
The Hills Have Eyes may refer to:*The Hills Have Eyes *The Hills Have Eyes , a 1977 film by Wes Craven*The Hills Have Eyes Part II, the 1985 sequel...
". Thy said that while the film has a great deal of gore, "its gore and over-the-top violence are played for laughs primarily." They wrote that there was much to admire in the film, but that the action became repetitive, and concluded that fans of "gory horror films would probably find Dead Fury entertaining", and that it was "creative enough for other movie fans to add it to their rental lists"—but summarized that the film would have been better as a 25-minute short.
Film Threat
Film Threat
Film Threat is a former print magazine and, now, webzine which focuses primarily on independent film, although it also reviews DVDs of mainstream films and Hollywood movies in theaters. It first appeared as a photocopied zine in 1985, created by Wayne State University students Chris Gore and André...
panned the film, calling it "shamelessly cartoonish" in a manner that would leave horror fans "speechless at this audience-insulting wreck". They granted that "Those who treat Fangoria
Fangoria
Fangoria is an American magazine devoted to horror and exploitation films, which has a number of associated brands:* Fangoria Comics* Fangoria Films* Fangoria RadioFangoria may also refer to:* Fangoria , a Spanish electro pop band...
as a pinup mag will smile at the demonic/punk zombies" as conceived by Frank Sudol," but that those same fans "will scratch their heads when seeing the zombie curse float as a ball of light, like Tinkerbell
Tinkerbell
Tinker Bell , is a fictional character from J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan and its 1911 novelization Peter and Wendy. She has appeared in multiple film and television adaptations of the Peter Pan stories, in particular the 1953 animated Walt Disney picture Peter Pan...
." They noted that the characters were "flat and move like cardboard across the screen," and felt that while some filmmakers were innovators in their field, they "should never be an inspiration".
Movie Cynics praised Sudol for his work on City of Rott
City of Rott
City of Rott is a 2006 zombie-themed animated movie by Frank Sudol. The movie is 2D and animated in the limited animation style, similar to South Park.-Plot:...
, "a testament to what one man can do with a shitload of time and some skill at animating," but judged that Dead Fury while interesting, was less successful. They noted that it paid homage not only to zombie movies but also to "every backwoods demonic possession
Demonic possession
Demonic possession is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by a malevolent supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, “fits” and fainting as if one were dying...
story that you’ve ever seen", and that it could compare to Evil Dead if such were to be done by Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
. They saw its length as a major flaw, because the film "falls apart after the first 45 minutes," and that it would have been better if shorter. They also observed that while its "characters are interesting, humorous, and fairly likable," the writing becomes "boring and repetitive."
Philadelphia City Paper
Philadelphia City Paper
Philadelphia City Paper is a free alternative news weekly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in November 1981 as a spin-off of the now defunct WXPN Express newsletter. New issues are released every Thursday....
referred to the film's length as "excruciating" and made note that the film's flaws included production values that "would barely pass muster on YouTube", a story concept that seemed "borrowed ideas seemingly made in an afternoon in between Xbox games", and juvenile humor "penned at a sixth-grade reading level."
On the other hand, Dread Central found no flaws. The reviewer said that, seeing that the film was from the individual who created City of Rott
City of Rott
City of Rott is a 2006 zombie-themed animated movie by Frank Sudol. The movie is 2D and animated in the limited animation style, similar to South Park.-Plot:...
, he initially feared that Dead Fury might not compare favorable to the earlier film. After viewing, he was able to state it "not only remains on top of its game, but it outdoes City of Rott at every turn!" He noted that the film was not a sequel, but an original story that "takes its cues from horror favorites The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead is a 1981 horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, and Betsy Baker. The film is a story of five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in a wooded area...
and The Hills Have Eyes
The Hills Have Eyes
The Hills Have Eyes may refer to:*The Hills Have Eyes *The Hills Have Eyes , a 1977 film by Wes Craven*The Hills Have Eyes Part II, the 1985 sequel...
," acting as an homage and "absolute love letter to the films that it borrows from." The reviewer praised Sudol as "a crazed one-man army of mad animated genius," writing that he "has delivered one of the single most carnage happy, no-holds-barred, mayhem filled, freak shows that I've had the pleasure of sitting through." He praised the dialog and delivery as hilarious, saying that "this is one of those things that's better left to speak for itself. No description I give can do it justice." Rating highly the DVD extras including an audio commentary by Sudol, the reviewer called it "just as funny as the movie itself," and concluded by writing "Dead Fury is without question the ultimate experience in grueling animated horror."
Fatally Yours noted that Sudol brought back his character of "Pop" from City of Rott
City of Rott
City of Rott is a 2006 zombie-themed animated movie by Frank Sudol. The movie is 2D and animated in the limited animation style, similar to South Park.-Plot:...
for this film, but not in a lead role, nor was the film a sequel. They referred to Dead Fury as a "leaner, meaner movie" when compared to the earlier film, and that it has lots of gore and humor in a "tighter and a lot more focused plot. They praised the filmmaker for "bringing such a colorful and energetic movie to the screen," and for his work in every aspect of its production. They granted that while the animation style might not appeal to everyone, the film "had its own unique charm" in its hilarity.
DVD
The DVD extras include 40 minutes of excluded storyboards, deleted and extended scenes, the Making of Dead Fury where Sudol narrates his use of Photoshop to create the film and its characters, a slide show of the original story art, a full commentary track where the filmmaker shares observations about his work and inspirarions, as well as a gallery that includes trailers for City of RottCity of Rott
City of Rott is a 2006 zombie-themed animated movie by Frank Sudol. The movie is 2D and animated in the limited animation style, similar to South Park.-Plot:...
, Dead Fury, Rock & Rule
Rock & Rule
Rock & Rule is a 1983 Canadian animated film from the animation studio Nelvana. It was produced and directed by the company's founders, Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Clive A. Smith. The film features the voices of Greg Salata, Susan Roman, and Don Francks, with Catherine O'Hara, Chris...
, Junk
Junk (film)
is a Japanese Yakuza Zombie movie directed by Atsushi Muroga. Shot in 1999 and produced by Japan Home Video, it is essentially a remake of a Japanese mafia movie called "Score" also directed by Muroga, but this time with zombies getting in the way of being paid for the heist. The movie pays homage...
, and Frankenhooker
Frankenhooker
Frankenhooker is an American black comedy horror film that was released in 1990. Very loosely inspired by Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, the film was directed by Frank Henenlotter and stars James Lorinz as medical school drop-out Jeffrey Franken and former Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen as the...
,
External links
- Dead Fury at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...