BITS 2018: ‘Deadsight’ (2018) Movie Review

Deadsight is a movie from Director Jesse Thomas Cook (The Hoard 2018) and is about a partially blind man named Ben Neilson (Adam Seybold: Let Her Out 2017) and the very pregnant police officer Mara Madigan (Liv Collins Cook: Pandora’s Box).

The film opens with Ben in the back of an ambulance, his eyes wrapped in bandages, with no idea where he is or why he’s currently handcuffed to a railing in the ambulance. We are left to think that he must be some sort of criminal. Ben soon finds out through a lot of shuffling, gruffs and screams, that the world is no longer as he remembers it. A virus has spread across his city, and now, most people are zombies. You know, that old chestnut. Ben finally meets up with Mara, and together they have to try and survive this new zombie-infested world.

Actress Liv Collins Cook and Director Jesse Thomas Cook

If you’re like me, you love a good zombie movie… or even a bad one, if they don’t take themselves too seriously. There are literally thousands of zombie movies, short films, TV series and books out there. If it goes, “Grrr… argh…” the human race seems to want it. Cue quote from Planet Terror: “I’m gonna eat your brains and take your knowledge!”

Poster for Deadsight

Deadsight ticks all the right boxes when it comes to zombie’s movies. It has zombies, about 20-30 of them in total. This is an indie film after all and is on an indie budget. There’s also the gore and chaos of multiple zombie chases. One cannot have a zombie movie without a zombie chase or two.

Adam Seybold and Liv Collins

Even the filming checks all of the cliché techniques of what you expect to see in a zombie film. That’s not saying that Deadsight is bad We just live in a world where the undead movie has been done to death.

That been said, when was the last time you saw a zombie film where a blind man with a shotgun has to protect a woman that is about to pop a little sprog at any time? It’s certainly the first time I’d witnessed this particular narrative. I think this is the biggest plus that Deadsight has going for it. Director Jesse Thomas Cook was not afraid to take some chances on his movie. Even some of the filming shots were different and brave. One particular scene at the top of a set of stairs was angled so well, I tilted my head and felt my stomach lurch… very clever!

Deadsight is not without its flaws, however. I came across a few continuity issues with Ben and his eyesight and I was personally hoping for a zombie hoard of some kind, but that’s just my personal opinion.

Final Thoughts

All in all, Deadsight flows quite well. The story ties the journey of the two protagonists together nicely, and the end of the film left me satisfied. It does take itself a bit serious for my liking, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. Deadsight is another good addition to the ever-growing catalogue of this subgenre, so if you’re in the mood for a decent zombie flick, check out Deadsight!

About Ruben Lee Shaw

Movies have been a part of Ruben's life for as long as he can remember. His first film experience was E.T. when he was 5 in a dark grotty cinema in Amsterdam (at least that is how he remembers it). He grew up in South Africa and studied Film and Television production in the UK, which is where he now resides with his stunning wife, 2 interesting teenagers, a fat cat, a crazy dog, and sometimes a dark passenger, (his very imaginative imagination). He has worked on both features and short films and has experience as a journalist/reviewer for films, tv, and games. In 2016 he created his own super Geeky brand called The Ruby Tuesday.  Ruben has a love for horror and things that go bump in the night, although he himself will admit to being a scaredy-cat. Ruben's first teen-fantasy-horror novel is to be released in 2018. Some of his favorite creatives and their creations are Stephen King (It and on writing), Dean Koontz, (Odd Thomas series) Ridley Scott (Alien), C. S. Lewis (Narnia and Screwtape letters) John Carpenter (The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China), James Herbert (Rats) and Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labrythn, Hellboy and The Book of Life). Ruben continues to push the boundaries of his imagination and intends to release three novels and short films in the coming years.

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