PopHorror Let's Get Scared
As I’m thinking back to the year 2005, I remember a lot of great horror movies that came out that year. You have Hostel, The Devil’s Rejects, The Descent, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and franchise favorite SAW II. I never considered myself to be a mainstream horror movie snob. However, eleven years ago, I apparently was. Thankfully, with age comes wisdom. As terrible as the cover of the movie looks and the name itself sounds, I decided to try out The GingerDead Man, a horror comedy from 2005. Surprisingly, it did not disappoint. Let me tell you why this “B” movie is actually fantastic should get some more love.
The GingerDead Man was released eleven years ago on November 8th. Directed by Charles Band, the king of cheesy B movies (Evil Bong 2006, Puppet Master X: Axis Rising 2012, Blood Dolls 1999), this crazy flick has mixed ratings among critics, with a 3.5 out of 10 on IMDb.com and 60% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I would have to give The GingerDead Man a solid eight out of ten for just being so damn punny. It has spawned several sequels: GingerDeadMan: Passion of the Crust (2008), GingerDeadMan: Saturday Night Cleaver (2011), and a crossover movie, GingerDeadMan Vs. Evil Bong (2013). In 2015, a comic book series began under the same name.
The plot follows mass murderer Millard Findlemeyer (Gary Busey) as he becomes convicted and is sent to the electric chair. Somehow, his ashes make it out alive and into the bakery of the girl who put him away in the first place. Then magic happens. The baker cuts his hand and drops blood into some flour that is about to become gingerbread mix. Thus we have a miracle the GingerDead Man, and he is ready to get his revenge. Running people over with a car, chopping off fingers, hitting them in the head with a frying pan then covering them in icing, and an endless amount of bullets in his gun, the GingerDead Man holds nothing back, dropping bodies and puns left and right. This movie may only be 70 minutes long but it’s not short on action.
Here are some of the best quotes in a movie I have ever heard:
Amos: What the hell is that?
Millard: It sure ain’t the Pillsbury fucking Doughboy!
***
Amos: How much dough can you make from a talking cookie?
***
Lorna Dean: Daddy, you have to come and get me! I’m at Betty’s Bakery and we got homicidal baked goods after us.
***
(After biting off the GingerDead Man’s head) Brick: Got Milk?
Final Thoughts
If those quotes alone don’t make you want to watch this movie, then you’re flat out crazy. It’s not supposed to be scary but gory fun. I would have liked to have seen more Busey though, I mean, can anyone get enough of that guy? Unfortunately, he does not return for the sequels but they still provide enough fun to go around. Plus, don’t go in thinking that this is just a holiday horror film either, it’s good all year round! Now do yourself a favor and get some milk and cookies and watch this underrated gem.
