Dead Inferno: Written Review

Dead Inferno

Written Review

Hi everyone and welcome to MyIndie Review Vlog, the show that gives you spoiler-free reviews of indie films. My name is Asaf Angel from MyIndie Productions.

Today I’ll be reviewing horror feature Dead Inferno, previously known as Bombshell Bloodbath, written and directed by U.S. indie filmmaker Brett Mullen, and picked up for distribution via TetroVideo in 2019.

Thank you, Brett, for sharing your film with us.

Dr. Ben Carter, a capable scientist, portrayed by Rob Springer has been overly reckless, trying to find a cure for… well… death. Obsessively driven by the untimely death of his wife Lisa, played by Kathy Butler Sandvoss, the good doctor plays around with concoctions, injecting them into corpses he “borrows” from a local cemetery.

All hell breaks loose, when his experiments work a little too well, bringing back to life a small army of nasty looking flesh devouring zombies.

Dr. Carter’s daughters, Denise and little sister Cara, played by Jess Barbour and Alex Elliott, confront him in an attempt to stop the madness, which tragically makes matters way worse, especially for Cara who, after an altercation in her father’s lab, gets infected by a dose the newly discovered formula. At this point, the whole situation derails very rapidly, bringing forth a Zombie outbreak.

Brett gives us an impressive film, especially given the fact that he had serious budgetary issues, and managed to complete the film thanks to friends and professionals who joined the cause simply because they believed in his vision.

As the film’s director of photography, it is abundantly clear that Brett is a highly skilled cinematographer. He bombards us with countless aesthetic compositions, moving shots, lighting and colour combinations and more. The fact he had limited resources to work with, makes the final outcome even more impressive.

When diving into Dead Inferno, it almost immediately delivers somewhat of a theme-park ride of a Zombie/Exploitation-style film. With an awesome 80s styled theme score by Matt Hill, extravagantly gruesome makeup and intricate special effects by Amber Michael and Joh Harp with the aid of Adam Davis, Caitlin Davis and Victoria Singleton.

According to Mullen, Dead Inferno is mainly a love letter to Lucio Fulci’s zombie films.

The only issue I had with the film, lies in some inconsistencies of plot elements as well as of certain character traits. Having said that, I’m not too sure these inconsistencies weren’t deliberately made as part of the Exploitation spirit. Keep in mind, this is a film made by extremely capable professionals, directed at what feels to be an audience of diehard horror fans.

To sum up, production value is way above average for the style and genre. Cinematography is breathtakingly professional, along with makeup, special effects and music score as previously mentioned, and all in all; a very fun and inspiring viewing experience.

Dead Inferno, scores a 7.5/10 on the Look At Me, I’m A Film Critic scale!
The film is available for purchase as a two-disc DVD deluxe collector’s edition via TetroVideo under the Dead Inferno title, as well as on Amazon under the Bombshell Bloodbath title. Links included.

If you’d like to catch-up on our past reviews, you can find them here on the show’s page on myindieproductions.com and find the episodes, as well as the promo videos on our recently launched MyIndie Review Vlog Vimeo channel. Links included above.

Until next time, keep supporting indie film. Watch, share, spread the word, my name is Asaf Angel, I thank you for tuning in to MyIndie Review Vlog. I’ll see you next Thursday!