"Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (1972)" Review

Review: For those who are reading this and do not know this is director Bob Clark's debut film. For so many years this film has been somewhat of a lost film and is one I rarely hear anyone talking about when you mention Bob Clark, usually I hear about Porky's or A Christmas Story (which are good films as well). This film follows a group of people who go out to a cemetery where they once buried criminals and they decide to try and resurrect the dead and one thing leads to another and they are surrounded by living dead and forced to seek refuge in a house on the property. Most people would read that type of plot and think it's in some ways a ripoff of Night of the Living Dead but really it isn't because they actually don't have to fight off the dead until about an hour into the film and them seeking refuge is the only thing in common with it. For the most part I found the plot to be basic, but it did have alot going for it including some humor put in that I didn't quite expect.

The humor that is added in for the most part is subtle and not over the top like what you'd find in "Return of the Living Dead". Another thing that really stuck out was the very unique zombie makeup, I really liked how it looked very morbid but not in a gross out way. Now when it comes to the cast I actually liked them the further I got into the film because at first I found them to be kinda bland and in some cases silly. One scene that I can say really caught my eye was when they move the camera from right to left and show all the dead rising from their graves and it's from a little of a distance. This definitely showed that Bob Clark had talent for making films and honestly I think this one is one of his most underrated films of his career. Overall this is a great film for those who are into zombies and weird horror films!

-Daniel Damnation

Director: Bod Clark

Genre: Horror

DVD Release Year: 2010

Theatrical Release Year: 1972

Time Length: 87 mins.

Company: VCI Films

Website: www.vcient.com