‘A lost treasure. An epic adventure. Unspeakable terror.’
Army of the Dead is a 2008 American supernatural horror film directed by Joseph Conti (Bugs) from a screenplay co-written with Michael Ciccolini and Tom Woosley (Attack of the Sabretooth). It stars Ross Kelly, Stefani Marchesi and Miguel Martinez. Director Conti also provided the special visual effects.
In 1590, Coronado dispatched a division of one thousand men to find El Dorado, the legendary city of gold. Those men were never seen again.
While searching some Baja peninsula caves as part of an archeological expedition, a university professor and his students unwittingly unleash a long dormant curse. They soon find themselves in a life or death battle with an army of skeletal warriors, the undead remnants of Coronado’s conquistadors…
Reviews:
“Okay, so the acting isn’t great and the script isn’t going to win any awards here. Some moments are so cheesy and/or predictable that they raise laughs rather than tension but that’s not the central focus of Army of the Dead. It’s a film about an army of skeletons so all that matters, at the very least, is how those skeletons look and I’m happy to say that they’re pretty good.” Kevin Matthews, Flick Feast
“The acting is serviceable for this type of fare as well as the directing. The effects are good for the budget and the skeletons are really well done. Definitely a Jason and the Argonauts feel which is not a bad thing. The score is not bad and in the opening sequence it even takes on a Raiders of the Lost Ark tone.” Angel Van Croft, HorrorNews.net
“Army of the Dead is dull. It merely happens, and poorly. The acting is especially terrible, the script utterly bland and the visual effects are an embarrassment to everyone. There are reasonable moments throughout, but nothing excels. The UK tagline reads “Never trust a skeleton with a machine gun”, but that’s as funny as it gets. Humourless and boring… unless you’re incredibly drunk.” Boston Haverhill, Gorepress
“Apart from Army of Darkness and Jason and the Argonauts there are really not enough killer skeletons out there. It’s too bad that Army of the Dead isn’t likely to change that. I have to admit that, as CG created baddies go, the skeletons actually aren’t that bad – they look a little cheap, and there’s a pretty lame throat slitting with CG blood, but when compared to other modern flicks of this budget range they could’ve been much, much worse.” Chris Hartley, The Video Graveyard
Main cast:
- Ross Kelly – Klown Kamp Massacre; Romeo & Juliet vs. The Living Dead; Wedding Slashers; The Stink of Flesh
- Stefani Marchesi
- Miguel Martinez – Piranha-Man vs. Werewolf Man: Howl of the Piranha; Klown Kamp Massacre
- Mike Hatfield
- Malcolm Madera
- Audrey Anderson
- Vic Browder
- Jocelyn Tucker
- Jeff Mocho
- Casey Messer
- Matt Comacho
- Jason E. Hill
- Brian Neal Lucero
Filming locations:
Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, New Mexico, USA
Trivia:
The film’s working title was Curse of the Anasazi
