[Dead Noon]
Plot:Ancient demons, walking skeletons and cowboy zombies join forces to take the law down in a blaze of hellfire and brimstone. With the powers of hell at his disposal, Frank, a blood-thirsty outlaw from the old west, is resurrected to seek his revenge on the present day town of Weston. As the past collides with the present, Sheriff Logan Kane, his incompetent younger brother, Stuart, and sexy gun shop owner Grace will have to fight a posse of the undead to save the town and rescue Logan's new bride from a fate worse than death.

Cast:Robert Milo Andrus, Robert Bear, Ed Bosco, Lillith Fields, Cara Finch, Kane Hodder, Jordan Jansen-Mecca, Jen Kelsey, Nick Martin, Kelsey McCann, Lizzy Morgan.

My Thoughts:Proof that good things in horror can still be done on a budget.

Review:"Dead Noon" blends one of my favorite genres with one of my least favorite genres. The fav being horror, and the least fav being western, or spaghetti western. However, despite it's western leanings, and very shoe-string budget, the film delivers all the action, cool blood and gore, and intrigue of a standard budget indie horror movie. The film follows a vengeful lawman, who after finding out his wife was cheating on him with a locla outlaw, hunts down said outlaw...and his posse.

The outlaw is killed, but strikes a deal with the forces of hell much later to come back and do some serious damage on earth. Specifically, to the town where he died, and to the kinfolk of the lawman who killed him. Being evil and all, the head honcho of hell agrees to this deal, and not only sends the undead demon outlaw back up to earth to wreak havoc, but also gives him the power to reanimate other dead outlaws, demons, and other ghouls to assist him in tearing shit up.

Now it's up to the lawman's son, and a few other brave souls to stop the demon outlaw before he wipes out the entire town. The plot is pretty damn sweet for an indie effort. Not normally do you see creativity like this come along in the minor leagues. And anything western, without a proper budget can go real bad real fast. But this film is kept up to snuff because it starts off with action, and then moves on to deliver more action, along with carnage, blood, gore, and of course kick ass supernatural baddies.

We get zombie cowboys, who have flesh on their bones, and some who don't. We get demon outlaws, and even one cool looking skeleton outlaw who literally has fire for hands, and a skull face ala the Ghost Rider. He just trades in the motorcycle and leather jacket, for a cowboy longcoat, and a pair of boots. The visual and creature fx in this movie, despite being short on funds...are made to work simply through sheer creativity...and well used ideas. The bad guys are cool looking, and the good guys aren't too bad themselves.

They're not as cool-looking, but equally formidable, and also very brave. But what makes this movie work the most is the dialogue, and a few subplots. Such as the son of the lawman who killed the demon outlaw cheating on his wife, and having trouble living up to his fathers reputation once the baddies roll into town, and he has to face them. The dialogue meanwhile is pretty sharp, and witty at times. It isn't lame, crummy, corny, or cheesy.

Four types of dialogue which most indie films are usually littered with for days. The blood and gore are pretty damn strong in the film as well. And once again it goes back to the subject of funds. Many horror films go into production with little to no cash. But this movie really seemed to be kept tightly spent. The money went to the right places to make a good, entertaining, and overall fun film. You can really tell that they spent cash buffering up the right areas of the movie so that it wouldn't come out lopsided. With some areas looking great, and others being severely flawed.

The visual fx, sceneries, and blood and gore fx were all equally great. And the directing itself was also very crisp, clean, and wasn't shaky in the least. "Dead Noon" does have a few weaknesses though, most of which come during a huge shootout scene near the films finale where the son of the lawman takes what's left of his posse into battle with the undead outlaw and his demon posse.

There are a few grand escapes and stunts which don't come off as believable considering the fight takes place in a mountainous region. But beyond that little dose of lack of reality, "Dead Noon" is a good indie horror film which blends the elements of horror, the supernatural, and the spaghetti western -- together and creates a great and interesting formula.

Positives:Good effects, interesting and solid story, great blood and gore, good dialogue, good performances, and great directing.

Negatives:The films big battle scene has a few unreal moments here and there.

Overall:Three out of four stars.





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