I Sell the Dead - Film Review

Horror Comedy from Writer/Director Glenn McQuaid

Oct 4, 2009

Starring Dominic Monaghan and Larry Fessenden as 18th century grave-robbers, this is a promising debut feature.

Willie Grimes (Larry Fessenden) and Arthur Blake (Dominic Monaghan) are notorious grave-robbers and traffickers of the dead. The film opens with Willie’s execution, while Arthur awaits his own demise, due the next morning. During the night, he’s visited by Father Duffy (Ron Perlman) who, besides being present to give Arthur his last rites, is something of an aficionado of the criminal underworld, eager to document the tales of the infamous pair.

Bribed with a lick of liqour, Arthur begins to divulge his history with Willie, from their first meeting and their labour under the thumb of the tyrannical Dr. Vernon Quint (Angus Scrimm), to dealing with ever stranger corpses that are anything but lifeless, and to their associations with the likes of ambitious apprentice Fanny Bryers (Brenda Cooney) and rival body snatcher Cornelius Murphy (John Speredakos).

Anticipation of this film at the outset of the year was hopeful of something unique, dark and comedic in equal measure, with a touch of real originality. The result isn’t quite what was hoped for, but is nevertheless well in the realm of worthwhile watching. I Sell the Dead is more of a comedy set against a horror backdrop and more of an homage than a truly original piece. However, the comedy stylings of McQuaid and his cast are happily married and the fact that scenes throughout the film are reminiscent of Hammer Horror, with more than a hint of Tim Burton and Sam Raimi, are all positive notes.

In fact, McQuaid’s effort here is almost as enjoyable to Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell, even managing to out-do Raimi at his own game, with a repertoire of gags that include monsters who seem to become invisible the moment they’re out of camera shot. With that said, the film is lacking any real scares or suspense, but does include one particularly, and surprisingly, violent moment.

McQuaid’s only previous release was the 15 min The Resurrection Apprentice (2005), in which Larry Fessenden and Brenda Cooney also appeared. There’s enough about McQuaid to suggest a new star has been lit in the horror heavens, and his contributions ought to be of interest to any fan, because his best could well be ahead of him.

I Sell the Dead Cast

Dominic Monaghan (best known for his part in Lord of the Rings as Merry or Pipin – whichever one was which) was nicely suited to the role of Athur as is the multi-talented Larrry Fessenden (it seems there’s no department of film-making that he hasn’t previously worked in) for his role as the older, wiser, Willie Grimes. Their delivery is on the mark and both seem naturals with this kind of comedic double-act (though the colloquies are a tad lacking given the film’s reliance on it’s two main characters).

The enigmatic Ron Perlman is a coup for any cast and so it’s a shame that he only has a supporting role. Perlman is by turn funny, mystifying and downright menacing as only he can be and most definitely adds to the overall quality of the film.

Then there’s Angus Scrimm playing a part that was probably not much of a stretch given his background in a long string of horror flicks; Brenda Cooney, whose Ms. Bryers carries the dreaded ‘Yoko Ono’ disease, and John Speredakos representing the much-feared House of Murphy, around which any real semblance of a plot outside of Arthur and Willie is built. The supporting cast does fine work for McQuaid, and it’s to be expected that many of them will return in the director’s future work.

I Sell the Dead Summary

Being set in 18th century England, it’s likely that some of the hokey language might be a little left-field for some viewers, who’ll wonder what the hell it is to “have a butchers” (re: have a look) or what exactly a “brasser” is (re: a prostitute), while other terms should be more self-explanatory, like “gobshite superstition”. A personal favourite.

Ultimately, I Sell the Dead is tongue-in-cheek entertainment and not a history lesson. Sadly, it's not really a horror film either. Simply written and well acted, it won’t register as much more than an atmospheric exercise for a talented director with limited resources, but this is nevertheless smart and funny and a sequel would be more than welcome.

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