No One Can Stand Up Against the Circus of the Dead: A Movie Review

*full disclosure: an online screener of this film was provided by Bloody Bill Productions.

Director: Billy 'Bloody Bill' Pon.

Writers: Lee Ankrum and Billy 'Bloody Bill' Pon.

Cast: Bill Oberst Jr., Parrish Randall, Chanel Ryan and Roger Edwards.

Circus of the Dead is an indie horror film from first time feature director Billy Pon. Pon utilizes some great make-up effects and interior shooting, in his debut. However, the film's story falters as it deals uncompellingly with morality. Evil greatly overpowers good, thanks to actor Bill Oberst Jr.'s performance as the murderous Papa Corn and the script. Other characters fall by the wayside, with Papa Corn dicing his way through the cast. Conflict is minimized by the inability of other characters to subdue this murderous beast. And, Circus of the Dead suffers from a lack of strong antagonism between characters.

The story begins with the circus coming to town. Usually, this is a good thing. In Pon's Circus of the Dead, this is a very, very bad thing. A troupe of murderous clowns set their eyes on an average family and Papa Corn leads the charge into a rural Texas home. Murders, kidnappings, carjackings, robberies, rape and other violent mayhem rule the day. Is there anyone who can stop them?

Actor Oberst Jr. Overpowers the Rest of the Cast.

Unfortunately, no one can counter the leader of this troupe, Papa Corn; meanwhile, actor Bill Oberst Jr. delivers one of his strongest roles in film. Oberst Jr. is a method actor, who really steps into his roles. But, how does one prepare to play a killer clown? Oberst Jr. finds a way to bring true menace the screen, especially when confronting the protagonist and father Donald (Parrish Randall). For instance, this actor torments Donald with photos of his children being tortured. Oberst Jr. seems to relish in the antagonism, while Donald simply whimpers. No one is able to counter Oberst Jr.'s performance as a malicious and rapey villain.

The morality play between good and evil is very one-sided. A whole troupe of murdering clowns come to town and the authorities seem to blunder about in response. Can no one stand up to evil? The answer to that question, in Circus of the Dead, is a resolute no. The protagonist, played by Parrish Randall, is very weak-willed in nature. This character can only offer the saddest of arguments. In the climax, Donald asks Papa Corn not to kill a girl, because Donald knows she does not deserve it. Papa Corn retorts: "how do you know?" Donald seems at a loss for words and resorts to more snivelling. Can no one stand up for good, or offer a good argument against violence? The protagonist is unable to offer any strong arguments on, really, anything. In an earlier scene, Papa Corn asks Donald to play along (to murder) for his children. But, can anyone really trust a killing clown? The answer to this is obviously no, but the character Donald is oblivious to the truth. A stronger protagonist was needed to counter the influences of evil, in this picture.

This viewer enjoyed the interior shooting from Billy Pon, but not the lack of conflict. Pon is best at shooting indoors. Interior settings are well-dressed with strange objects, like: severed heads, weapons and torture chambers. Exteriors appear slightly drab. Pon is more naturally inclined at shooting dark and creepy interiors. As stated above, the conflict and really the film's central message are a little flat. Confrontations are extremely one-sided, with the clowns ruling the day. The film's central message seems to promote violence and this might not be the best message around, even for horror fans. Overall, production elements are of quality, while story elements falter, especially in Act III.

Circus of the Dead is preparing for a festival run and for a release in 2015. Fans of horror will find lots of gorey elements here; the severed head rape scene comes to mind. However, fans of story might be a little let down by the lack of sideplots. Also, the central story is full of dread, but it fails a rigorous morality test. A courageous protagonist would have something compelling to say, when faced with real evil; that is not the case here.

Overall: 6 out of 10 (interior settings come alive, the villains offer menace, the climax is action packed but still slightly flat in the story department).

A film clip for Circus of the Dead is available here, on 28DLA.com

A Circus of the Dead Film Clip (Gas Station)


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