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» » A Cadaver Christmas (2011)

Short summary

United by terrifying and bizarre circumstances, the janitor, the drunk, the bartender, the cop, his perp, and the student security guard must fight to undo the professor's work. A dark ... See full summary
United by terrifying and bizarre circumstances, the janitor, the drunk, the bartender, the cop, his perp, and the student security guard must fight to undo the professor's work. A dark force is at work in the cadaver lab this Christmas and this unconventional band of heroes are the only hope the world has against an army of living corpses that are quickly recruiting new members. The undead have been given the gift of life and it's up to the janitor to take it back.

Trailers "A Cadaver Christmas (2011)"

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Mala
    As a zombie aficionado, it was somewhat of a treat to sit down and watch "A Cadaver Christmas" actually. I had never heard about it anywhere when I came upon it by sheer random luck. And as it was something with zombies, it caught my interest and I decided to give it a go.

    So what is "A Cadaver Christmas" you might think? Well, think "Dead Alive", "Feast" and "Shaun of the Dead" mixed up into one movie, then you basically have "A Cadaver Christmas". It was a great movie to watch, good amount of blood and mayhem, good story and nice characters. However, the movie slacked somewhat on the acting part, as it wasn't the best of performances to be seen in this movie. But for a low budget movie, they pulled it off as to be expected.

    The story was simple and straight forward as most zombie movie story lines tend to be. A group of people get stuck somewhere with zombies and have to survive. And of course, the survivors are underdogs of society, as they tend to be in these types of movies, so nothing new here.

    Actually the characters were the best part of the movie. You had a drunk (played by Hanlon Smith-Dorsey), a bartender (played by Ben Hopkins), a former police officer (played by Yosh Hayashi), a perp (played by Edward O'Ryan) and a janitor (played by Daniel Rairdin-Hale). These characters were extreme in their own ways, but it worked out well enough, because they all added flavor to the movie.

    For a low budget zombie movie, then "A Cadaver Christmas" is actually at the high end of the scale, because the story was enjoyable (despite the often questionable acting), and the characters were fun and likable. Plus, and most importantly, there was a good amount of blood and gore in the movie to keep most gore hounds satisfied.

    If you enjoy zombie movies and don't mind watching even those that don't have a multi million dollar budget, then you should check out "A Cadaver Christmas".
  • comment
    • Author: Quttaro
    Normally, I am so tired of zombies these days, I skip such films. But this time, I'm glad I didn't. Bored and lazy at 2:00 in the morning, I saw nothing interesting on the tube, so I said what the heck, I'll check it out before I crash. It turned out to be quite funny. The goofy characters approached over the top, but in an affable way. Think of your craziest real-life acquaintances thrust into an even crazier situation. I liked the artificial graininess imposed over the film like worn black and white stock. And the hokey lighting was perfect vintage '50s monster movie. Also, the soundtrack was a gas - rock Christmas music played in creepy minor keys. All in all, a good time, with a lot of laughs.
  • comment
    • Author: Venemarr
    Forced to bring a group of disbelievers into a college dorm, a janitor leads the group through the halls filled with zombies reanimated through an on-campus experiment and must find a way of getting out safely.

    This turned out to be quite an enjoyable and cheesy zombie effort. One of the biggest pluses here is the fact that there's a rather enjoyable atmosphere created from the goofy action presented. There's some rather enjoyable material to be found here as the plot allows this ample opportunities to get rather silly at times where the groups' bumbling nature in regards to both offensive and defensive tactics against the zombies gets rather silly at times, utilizing mops and brooms for offense, slipping and sliding on blood-soaked hallways and using everything from desks and notebooks to provide a barrier against the encroaching hordes and the over-the-top nature here keeps this one quite enjoyable. Combined along with the jokes and word-play present, this one has more laughs than expected though this one never forgets to have a hand in the scares which is what allows this one to keep the zombies as threats. They're the slow, shuffling variety which keeps the factor here based on the overall number of creatures there swarming around them as they fight them off, resulting not only in pretty enjoyable scenes but also plenty of action within as the group has plenty of time to fight them off. This also adds some pretty decent amounts of gore to the proceeds, and while these make for some rather entertaining measures, it does have a few flaws in that the comedic nature wears thin after a while with some of the jokes loosing their luster and the whole enterprise being loaded by a rather preposterous storyline that gets almost no fleshing out and remains ludicrous upon scrutiny. Otherwise, there's a whole lot to like here.

    Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Brief Nudity and comedic sexual scenes.
  • comment
    • Author: OwerSpeed
    Ever since Shaun of the Dead, anyone and everyone thinks they can make a zombie comedy. They're wrong and this lame waste of time proves it. What people miss is that Shaun is a traditional zombie film with comedy elements. When something tries to be comedic, like this mess, it usually doesn't work. Poor acting, bad directing, some lame effects and stupid ideas make this the terrible waste of time it is. I'm sure when the screenplay writers got together and lit up that bowl of cheap weed, they thought it was hysterical. Too bad any hilarity that existed didn't make it to the screen. A comedy is supposed to make one laugh, not sigh with relief when it's over. Watch only if A)You don't own Shaun on DVD or B) you're too drunk or high to care. This is bad enough to be one of the 'movies' the formerly known as the Sci-Fi channel shows on Saturday.
  • comment
    • Author: Cordabor
    I love B grade horror films. I love zombie movies. I love over the top Troma humor. I am even an indie filmmaker. I did not like this movie.

    The premise sounds really fun: A janitor enlists several locals to help him fight zombies in a university on Christmas eve. Instead of an enjoyable romp with tons of blood and gore, we get long passages where nothing happens and banal dialog that is supposed to pass for jokes.

    The film is really nothing more than a low budget vanity project by a group of guys who aren't as funny or talented as they want to be. It's the kind of situation that all indie movie makers have been in (me included) where enthusiasm can't compensate for a bad script. I will check back after they've made a few more movies, though. I'm betting they do get better down the line.
  • comment
    • Author: Gholbithris
    the dialogue in this movie is very well written and the janitor actor sells the whole thing with his performance. Everyone else is what you would expect from an indie film but he steals the show. Gore and dialogue are the key reasons to see this. its indie film making done right. This movie will fit in perfectly with my collection of Christmas horror movies and becoming essential viewing over the holidays. The people behind this seem very talented as the gore effects all looked great and the one liners hit more often than not. I liked the part where the janitor was passed out and the drunk was moving his lips and talking for him, twas priceless. I had a great time and this movie fits in well with newer grindhouse-esque slew of indie films as well as all of my holiday favorites.
  • comment
    • Author: Xellerlu
    I had the honor and the privilege of viewing this film at a screening organized by Insane Mike of Prescribed Films. Thirty of us horror fans crowded into a small shop to take part in the viewing of a film few of us had heard of and even less had seen. What unfolded on the screen before us that night was something we never expected and will never forget.

    With director Joe Zerull in attendance, those few of us witnessed a madcap, macabre, spectacle not seen since the glory days of Evil Dead and Re-Animator. I could not have hoped for more out of this film: the humor, timing, acting, and gore were top notch and deserving of far more than the limited release this film received.

    My best advice to all the self-proclaimed horror aficionados, buffs, and collectors out there is to add this film to your collection as soon as possible. I have no doubt that in time, it will rank among such heavyweights as listed above as the start of a new breed of horror. For in a time where zombies are around every corner, the Steadicam has seemingly never been invented, and the best horror films have subtitles, Joe and his crew say give me a mop, a plunger, and a bandanna, and we'll clean up this mess.
  • comment
    • Author: Reddefender
    When you watch this movie, you have to understand that the camp and the quirks are there on purpose. They're meant to be pointed at and joked about.

    I enjoyed this movie immensely, and I think it's a great movie to get a group of friends together and just have a good time with. It's got some superb editing and cinematography, as well as charming performances from the cast.

    WARNING: I may be a bit biased, as I attend the college this was filmed at, and one of my professors created the movie.
  • comment
    • Author: Ballalune
    When I saw the cover for this movie, I thought 8t was going to have a zombie santa on are hands , I thought ghe cover Was a bit misleading.

    This was not thd best indie , I have not seen many indie recently , it been Awhile since i seen one

    For me , I found this movie to been really funny at times,

    Maybe I am easily pleased with humourbut I did laugh a numer of times.

    There were some really silly jokes that do not work at all.

    The cast worked really well together.

    I did enjoy some of the gory zombie deaths, not bad for a low bugget indie m9vie

    The acting was good for this kind of movie.

    5 our of 10
  • comment
    • Author: Rarranere
    Having seen many of Zerull's short films, I was anxiously awaiting the release of this film. Seeing it on the big screen was quite delightful though I've never seen a movie quite like this before. I normally don't like this genre, but I had to see it after watching his short films. There was one scene that wasn't necessary in my opinion, but, overall, this film was great. It combined humor with other characteristics of the zombie film. There were several "gross out" scenes, but, again, that's to be expected. The one scene that touched me the most was the drunk's speech; it explains so much of his behavior. Even if you're a mild fan of the undead, you'll want to catch this one!
  • comment
    • Author: Laitchai
    Zombies are a given but the characters still need to stick to some kind of personality, some basic persona with unflinching motivations. The fake cop breaks character after entering the school. First he's the bad guy apprehender. Then he's the guilty guy who accidentally killed his cat and then he's just a scared guy who wants to escape. But the real king of character changes is the janitor. He's aware that they need more weapons, and some real cops (not just the fake one they have). But both times he tries to call 911 he can't complete the deal. Instead of letting the school security girl have her routine fact finding, he hangs up even though it closes out his hope that she'll call the cops if there's a real need. Rather than this being an inconsistency in his character, maybe he's just a little impatient. But after they have the showdown at the professors office and half of them are dead or infected they run downstairs and the janitor is the one who no longer feels outnumbered and outclassed. Now he wants to stay and fight even though they have no weapons and no hope. It's totally against everything he said in the film up to that point. Total personality reverses are harder to take than slobbering mauling zombies so I bailed. But now I wonder how it turned out.
  • Cast overview, first billed only:
    Daniel Rairdin-Hale Daniel Rairdin-Hale - The Janitor (as Dan Hale)
    Hanlon Smith-Dorsey Hanlon Smith-Dorsey - Tom Tunninbum
    Yosh Hayashi Yosh Hayashi - Sam Sheriff
    Ben Hopkins Ben Hopkins - Eddie
    Jessica Denney Jessica Denney - Kristen Stable
    Andrew Ryan Harvey Andrew Ryan Harvey - The Perp (as Andrew Harvey)
    Michael Kennedy Michael Kennedy - Professor Hildencress
    Mark Weitzel Mark Weitzel - Zed Cadaver
    Matt Cox Matt Cox - Plunger Face Cadaver
    Megan Cox Megan Cox - Broken Foot Cadaver
    Sarah Garvey Sarah Garvey - Bar Witch Cadaver
    Bob Zerull Bob Zerull - Bald Bar Cadaver
    Rusty K. Koll Rusty K. Koll - Beard Bar Cadaver
    Lisa Kahn Lisa Kahn - Hallway Mom Cadaver
    Jim Leichsenring Jim Leichsenring - Hallway King Cadaver
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