The Dead Center

Pretty nice slow,dark,atmospheric horror! Everything is very well done in this film,but somehow I couldn't really connect with the story and actors...Sometimes ,everything is perfect with the film,but I just can't feel it...Recommended one time watch.

source: The Dead Center

I'm a big fan of supernatural films, especially slow-burning ones. Nowadays, a good one is very hard to find. The Dead Center does a terrific job with its script and direction by Billy Senese; Main actors, especially Shane Carruth and its overall production. It is a low-budget film, yes. However, it has substance. Isn't that what we're all watching for, anyway? Loved it!

--The Dead Center-- I have been waiting a while for a film to scare me deeply and psychologically. And sadly I'm still waiting. Plot: A John Doe commits suicide and is admitted to the morgue in a hospital. His body goes missing the next day. In another part of the hospital the John Doe is sat on a bed, alive. He has amnesia and where ever he goes, death seems to follow. This film had alot of moments where i just felt unsatisfied. Did alot of people die? Sure, in a lame not scary way at all. Was the acting good? Eh, one performance of the head doctor (cant remember her name) really annoyed me and was just bad enough to take me out of her film. The main actor was holding up until he had to act unhinged, it just came off as underplayed, almost as if he was just told "act crazy". Story was interesting at first but nothing really lived up the the first build up. Its doesn't care to explain much and while there are answers there the film just doesn't intrigue me to look for them. However the cinematography and editing was the true highlight of this film. Every shot looked beautiful for a low budget film and the editing was creepy and un nerving SPOILERS BELOW The end was was disappointing and had 0 surprises at all. The side plot of the detective looking for the lost body never had a full ending or any resolution or consequence to the film at all. The plot has a few holes that now i think about it, ruin the film even more for me. The John Doe seems to be possessed by some demon and just wants to kill but his original self is also still there. I loved this element of not knowing what is going to happen but nothing was really done with it. And of course the main doctor gets possessed at the end because horror films can never have a happy ending. Overall its not the worst film i have ever seen, and it does have its moments. But i dont know if i will visit this one again. And I'm giving this one a 4 out of 10

Seen this today & have to say I wasn't all that impressed. I mean sure, the film is a slow burner, but this is just too bland & dull for its own good. Despite the visuals & some action, the film felt lifeless. The said action & visuals felt weighed down by the dull & bland story telling & pacing. The film is about a doctor whose John Doe patient comes back from the dead. But this John Doe has not just come back from the dead, but has brought something sinister & dark with him...! The visuals were alright for what they were. The action/juicy bits didn't kick in until 1/4 of the film which was disappointing. The gore wasn't bad, but like the action itself, could've benefited with kicking in sooner than later. Overall, bland. 3/10

It's a low budget gem. It's a good film , judge it for yourself Dont read the reviews

What a pleasant surprise this little indie feature turned out to be. And while the script might be a tad vague (especially in regards to its big bad) the film is nevertheless impeccably acted and directed, with style and atmosphere to spare. Top that of with a incredible effective score and tenson filled sound design and you've got yourself a winner. Just don't go in expecting jump scare a minute ala IT, The Conjuring or some other Warner/New Line garbage. This is quality slow-burn horror. Hope you enjoy it.

This obvious low budget film certainly didn't skimp on actors. A very effective thriller/horror with solid acting and an interesting story. Very creepy and a bit unsettling at times.

In the movies, psychiatrists tend to get a bad rap. They are often positioned as the enemy, trying to control the behavior and even the minds of protagonists who believe that things are unlikely but true. Things rarely turn out that way in the real world, of course, and here writer / director Billy Senese is trying to restore the balance. In doing so, he establishes a hero that squarely fits into another, older tradition of horror: the dedicated scientist who struggles to hold on to his own sanity when confronted with the limits of his world view. That hero is Dr. Forrester (in excellent form Shane Carruth), a man who has been through his own troubles but remains dedicated to his patients. He's used to coping with odd situations so when a confused man (Jeremy Childs) comes through his ward blundering, seemingly unable to remember anything, he just takes his aside, calms him down and gently begins a conversation that could help him reach a diagnosis. What he doesn't know is that just a few hours ago, after being admitted as a suicide victim, this particular patient was pronounced dead in another part of the hospital and another doctor is searching for him frenziedly.What he can not understand is that his John Doe was actually dead-more than once-and that from the other side something came back with him. While this may seem like just another horror film about possession or a zombie on the surface, it has much more to do with both narrative and thematic, reflecting as it does on the experiences of many people with severe mental illness and those who care for them. This subtext makes some heartbreaking scenes that for people who have lived with such challenges could be tough viewing.While there is a clear element of horror and a sense of threat, it is impossible-as so often in real life-to separate fully from the awareness that this is a needy human being. The unobtrusive but effective development of the backgrounds of character by Senese ensures that the human dimension is always in sight. Although many of the sets here are quite spare and are lit in a deliberately plain manner-the ward was designed to be a calming place-Senese allows himself the occasional directorial flourishing, with a long aerial shot near the end proving to be particularly effective.Where there is a need to restrict the visual elements of the film, he draws on his radio background to make tremendous use of sound. All those odd background hums and banging sounds that echo around hospitals shape the ward's character, and the gradual build-up of noise that viewers may not even be consciously aware of unless listening to it provides a way to connect us with some of the characters ' disordered psychological conditions. Although not everyone will benefit from the slow build and genre-bending approach, this is a smart piece of filmmaking that demonstrates an acute understanding of the horrors present in the worldly world.