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Dominic Monaghan, Larry Fessenden, Ron Perlman, Angus Scrimm, John Speredakos ... see more see more... , Brenda Cooney , Eileen Colgan , Daniel Manche , Joel Garland , Aidan Redmond , Alasdair Stewart , Heather Bullock , James Godwin

Adventure and horror merge in this morbid tale of two 18th century grave robbers who make it their mission to hunt down the undead abominations that refuse to accept their rightful place in the ground... read more read more.... Arrested by towering holy man Father Duffy (Ron Perlman) and threatened with the guillotine for robbing graves with his mentor, Willie Grimes (Larry Fessenden), apprentice ghoul Arthur Blake (Dominic Monaghan) agrees to make a full confession in exchange for a steady flow of whiskey. Arthur's story begins when he was just a young boy stealing jewelry from corpses in order to eat. Later, Arthur formed a partnership with Willie, and the pair went to work ensuring the walking dead learned to rest in peace. Now, with the specter of death looming ever closer, Arthur agrees to tell his tale to the very man charged with deciding his ultimate fate. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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45% liked it

7,563 ratings

Critics

74% liked it

43 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: Glenn McQuaid

Release Date: October 10, 2008

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DVD Release Date: March 30, 2010

Stats: 492 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (492)

  • flixsterman
    December 1, 2011
    flixsterman
    Vampires, Zombies, Aliens and Ron Perlman. Director Glenn McQuaid seems intent on force-feeding his audience a steady stream of camp with mixed results.
  • djdemersseman
    September 30, 2011
    djdemersseman
    For the lost (lol, Lost) member of Oasis and/or Blur, Dominic Monaghan easily made this movie for me. His comedic timing made otherwise-mediocre comedic moments into laugh-out-loud moments. Ron Perlman made for a nice foil (at least until the very end). The other actors were dece... read morent, and I also appreciated the sets, clothing, and accents, which seemed well done. Alas, on the whole, the film felt like a sitcom trying to be a movie, as if the story were written around a few pretty good jokes as opposed to pretty good jokes being written into a good storyline. Of course, for someone playing writer/director/producer and it being his feature film debut, Glenn Mcquaid did a commendable job, and I look forward to his future work.

    spoilers







    The faux-Guy Ritchie/Tarantino introductions for Murphy's gang don't work for me though the ideas behind the characters aren't bad. They're rather jauntily thrown into the whole of the film, just like the formulaic glimpse into Cornelius Murphy's childhood psychology. Cornelius' initial introduction earlier in the film sufficed.

    I liked how the film introduced the element of the undead though. The stabbing/pulling out of the stake was a nice scene, and the later corpse being so disgusted at Valentine's face that he breaks out of his cage and attacks/kills her certainly worked for me, too. I also rather enjoyed the Perlman-Monaghan dynamic--they made for nice foils.

    On the other hand, I didn't feel the story was developed enough to truly earn its ending. The twists weren't bad but could've been much better if the characters had been better fleshed out and if it weren't for the stylistic comic effect at the very end.





    end spoilers
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    March 15, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    I Sell The Dead is the story of two grave robbers who recall their days of grave robbing before being hanged. The film is slow, and seems to take forever to reach the end. But despite this, the film is quite enjoyable and fun to watch. The actors give fine performances and this i... read mores a fine debut for Glenn Mcquaid. If you love a low budget zombie flick, pick this impressive Horror Comedy up, despite its slow pacing it's a strong film with a few memorable and funny scenes. I sell The Dead is a terrific little film that will definitely appeal to zombie fans. It's a different take on your average zombie film, and it's very well done. The acting in I Sell The Dead is decent enough for this type of film and the film in parts is fairly creative, taking into account that Horror is pch stale. The film is of course in perfect, but it manages to be pretty good and entertaining. The cast features some impressive names, including Phantasm actor Angus Schrimm and Lord Of The Rings actor Dominic Monaghan. I Sell The Dead is a not a flawless film, but is a fair enough film to consider watchable. I enjoyed it and I thought that Glenn Mcquaid did a fine job directing this zombie comedy. This film is much better than most big buhorror films that make it into theatres and is very original, which is something that lacks in todays horror films. People are afraid of trying something inventive, and I Sell The Dead is most certainly that. A very good horror comedy that at times feels like it could be better, but in the end is pretty good considering it's a low budget picture.
  • itsjustme2004
    October 13, 2010
    itsjustme2004
    Haha. Well. I really had no idea what to expect from this movie, but I was very entertained. It's quite well made. I really do tend to like that subtle British humor, and this movie was all that. A funny horror flick that didn't try to get too stupid and silly.
  • RCCLBC
    October 12, 2010
    RCCLBC
    A fun flick, nicely put together.
  • 366weirdmovies
    December 11, 2009
    366weirdmovies
    A Victorian grave-robber facing execution by guillotine tells a priest (Ron Perlman) how he and his ex-partner reaped greater profits by trafficking in "special" corpses. Original and atmospheric indie horror with a few very good scenes that never finds quite the right balance b... read moreetween terror, comedy and action; this story might have actually worked better in the hands of a major Hollywood studio.
  • thefog1331
    November 14, 2009
    thefog1331
    A highly enjoyable oddball indie about two bumbling grave robbers and their encounters with the supernatural. The humor is somewhat hit and miss (which is pretty common for a black comedy) and a few of the British cast is unintelligible but these are small nitpicky complaints com... read morepared to what does work which is practically everything else most notably its game cast, a witty and original story and convincing sets and costumes.
  • gator681
    March 18, 2011
    gator681
    "I Sell the Dead" starts with Willie Grimes(Larry Fessenden) losing his head. Before his partner Arthur Blake(Dominic Monaghan) loses his, Father Duffy(Ron Perlman) drops by to see if he has anything to confess to before it's too late. Arthur cops to the body snatching but not ... read morethe murder they have been convicted of, in telling the story of how Arthur and Willie first started working together. Eventually, they fall under the thumb of Dr. Quint(Angus Scrimm). As it becomes harder to find bodies, things take an interesting turn in their line of work...

    While not having much of a story to speak of, "I Sell the Dead" still has more than enough ghoulish fun to go around. That's not to mention the inventive spin it puts on the trappings of the genre and some atmospheric scenes. So, it is a shame about the sexism which drags down the laddish fun.
  • ryguy4738
    August 11, 2011
    ryguy4738
    7.7/10

    I didn't like "I Sell the Dead" when I first saw it. I didn't like how it felt and I didn't find it all that funny. But that was then (early 2010) and this is now (mid-2011). I've changed and become more accepting and tolerable. So I was will... read moreing to give this indie effort another chance at impressing me; now that I'm more acquainted with this genre and all. I still don't think that the film is made for everyone, but for those it is made for; it's somewhat of a gem.

    And a lost gem at that. "I Sell the Dead" is a wicked, ghoulish satire that succeeds on pretty much all fronts, for what it is. There's nothing truly amazing about it as a horror-comedy made on an extremely low-budget, but I feel it's not as appreciated or admired as it should be. If you like zombies, corpses, the undead, or anything pertaining to horror, then this is the flick for you. I suppose it's good for what it is, and this time when I watched it, I found it consistently funny and amusing. There are even some minor "indie scares", if there is such a thing. All-in-all, you need to forgive the flaws and just go with it.

    Willie (Larry Fessenden) and Arthur (Dominic Monaghan) are two grave robbers. But they're not nasty like most people in their line of business; they're actually somewhat charming. Willie takes in Arthur as his apprentice as a young age and into adulthood; where they make a killer of a earning with the corpses of the dead; some which tend to....reanimate a bit.

    Arthur tells his life-story to a priest (Ron Perlman), who has his own plans in store for the "criminal. While the whole world thinks that Arthur and Willie are murderers, which they very well might be for something that they do later on in the film, we see them as two guys trying to bond through business. The film takes the buddy-comedy route and it's surprisingly good at being one of those films. There aren't many good buddy-comedies nowadays, and the fact that this one works is more than enough for me.

    I suppose the reason the comedy between the two characters works is because the two actors are given enough screen time, and enough chemistry, to work flawlessly together. Willie is the most unpleasant of the two grave robbers, yet I find him as funny as he was disgusting and crude. Arthur, however, is easier to like; but somewhat more arrogant than his partner in crime.

    I appreciated the quest that the characters went on. This adventure was worth taking. The effects are very, very good as far as low-budget filmmaking goes, and the film even satisfies as a simple zombie flick. It's not full of blood and gore, but it has enough of both to impress some of the most seriously devoted zombie-movie fanatics. Go in expecting the unexpected, and you will not be disappointed, because I know I was not.

    I'm wondering what was going through my head when I first concluded that I strongly disliked this film. Perhaps I felt it was tasteless. Perhaps I felt it was too different for my tastes. But now that I'm familiar with the horror genre, I couldn't help but smile at moments such as the ones where corpses leap onto characters and out of coffins, children bite their pet rabbits, and Angus Scrimm makes an unexpected and entertaining appearance. Horror fans rejoice; this was made for us. And it's bloody entertaining.
  • Doctor0Quinzel
    April 8, 2010
    Doctor0Quinzel
    This film had no art direction whatsoever. I can understand certain camera angles for technical reasons, but the film had no flair. The story, dialogue and acting was okay. The special effects and costumes were great. For a film that is suppose to be comedy/horror it just can't c... read moreompare with other films in that genre.

View All I Sell the Dead Reviews

Critic Reviews

Colin Covert
September 17, 2009
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

The budget was clearly minuscule, but writer/director Glenn McQuaid's deft dialogue, strong characters and clever plotting attracted some impressive acting talent. Full Review

Ty Burr
August 27, 2009
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

If it's not actually a good movie, on some level you have to admire the chutzpah of a film set in 1850s Ireland but shot on Staten Island. Full Review

Michael Ordoņa
August 14, 2009
Michael Ordoņa, Los Angeles Times

The worst fault visually, probably intended as a charm against the spell of low-budget-itis, is relentless darkness. Pervasive shadows in most shots do not evoke atmosphere, but eye strain. Full Review

Jeannette Catsoulis
August 10, 2009
Jeannette Catsoulis, NPR

Its wit and style, however, are thoroughly modern, as is a hilarious ending that leaves the sequel door wide open. And why not? Full Review

Dennis Harvey
August 7, 2009
Dennis Harvey, Variety

Droll perfs, diverting f/x and handsome B-pic atmospherics ensure a good time for horror fans with a memory past last weekend's slasher remake. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
August 7, 2009
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

Genre fans will definitely get off on I Sell the Dead, but outsiders might be less enthusiastic. Full Review

Joe Neumaier
August 7, 2009
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

Low-budget, grubby and gleeful, but with a nice sense of style and apparently an endless supply of dry ice. Points deducted, though, for a too-easy alien-corpse joke. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
August 7, 2009
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

Movie fans of all kinds will appreciate a film that knows the differences among 'terror,' 'terrible' and 'terribly good fun.' Full Review

Manohla Dargis
August 7, 2009
Manohla Dargis, New York Times

A fine pair of grave robbers, (director) Mr. McQuaid and (producer) Mr. Fessenden plunder freely from the movie crypt, unearthing other chomping, glowing mysteries and monstrosities.

Nicolas Rapold
August 4, 2009
Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice

It's rather hard for anyone who has ever chanced upon a Poe anthology on cable and only lasted through one or two cheeky tales. Full Review

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