It’s been nearly 30 years (damn I feel old) since Sam Rami and Sean Cunningham drug small bands of actors out into the woods for a pair of bloodbaths that redefined the idea of what no-budget filmmakers could achieve with ready-made locals and buckets of blood. THE EVIL DEAD and FRIDAY THE 13TH have inspired countless sequels, spin-offs and literally thousands of imitators. All these films (and I’ve seen my fair share of ‘em) try desperately to be original in some way, but they all owe allegiance to one shining pitch point—Kids in cabins get killed.

Shot outside of Ottawa, Ontario in the summer of 2001, FOREST OF THE DEAD is another in a seemingly unending series of microbudget labor-of-love projects. So, what sets director Brian Singleton’s project apart from the barrage of other like-minded flicks that populate a decidedly overcrowded field? This one is actually pretty freaking good.

A group of college-aged kids arrive at a desolate summer camp, looking for a little rest while en route to a weekend adventure with another group of friends. Upon arrival, the crew is greeted by a mysterious woman, who informs them that the camp has been closed for several years. She then lends an ominous footnote while inviting their overnight stay. It’s not long before our intrepid heroes are doing what horror film teens do so well—drinking and debauchery. But, all is far from good, and something is stalking the woods in search of fresh meat. When the final batch of buddies arrives, they discover an onslaught of flesh hungry campers looking to take a bite out their former friends. The resulting climax is an orgy of over the top blood and guts perpetrated on a miniscule budget with gallons of Karo syrup and more than a few mannequin heads.

For the film’s first legitimate release (on DVD from Elite Entertainment), Singleton and assorted cast members reassembled in 2005 and shot some additional scenes. It’s not hard to notice where they occur. The most notable gaffe happens as Roger (played by Mark Singleton) appears at various times with and without braces—as well as varying degrees of beard-growth. This is hardly the most glaring technical problem with the film. One character urinates by virtue of a water bottle that slips into frame and in another low angle shot the boom mic pops on screen for an unexpected cameo. Still, these little idiosyncrasies are what hallmark DIY features, and indeed, what often endear them to viewers hearts.

As in virtually every film cast with a group of your nearest and dearest, the acting is far and away the least competent portion of the project. I mean these guys are all over the map, and the recipe for disaster seems imminent! On top of the poor line delivery, the editing cuts for reaction shots miss that the beat more often than not. Don’t get me wrong here. It’s nice that Singleton even took the time to shoot reactions and inserts. In fact it’s a promising sign that he understands a basic of filmmaking that 99% of other first time DIY directions fail to see. But, FOREST OF THE DEAD is hardly a film of static medium shots, with no coverage and no cutaways to establish place and mood. These are the moments that make the film flow—and at 79-minutes it flows by pretty briskly. That says a lot, because the action really doesn’t kick in until the last reel. Up to that point, the film is a gabfest choc-full-o obvious in-jokes and so many 80’s pop culture references, it begins to make you wonder what year the setting of the film is occurring in. In fact, with a pair of actors sporting Montreal Expos and A-Team ringer t-shirts, I was pretty much sold on the fact that this film was taking place in 1985. A point of contention I might add that is never adequately resolved throughout the course of the film. If the intention was to shoot this as a retro-horror-flick, I think it succeeds. If that was far from the goal, the film still works in a seemingly timeless fashion. So, I guess it doesn’t matter either way.

You know…it doesn’t take a hell of a lot of talent to assemble a cast of friends and spend your summer shooting a low budget horror film at an old YMCA campground. It does however take a lot of thought and a good deal of talent to manufacture an entertaining genre entry in the process. FOREST OF THE DEAD might not be the next NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD or EVIL DEAD or even the DEAD NEXT DOOR, but it does share a great deal of brotherly bond with those films. They were all made outside the system by a group of people who were looking to entertain themselves and a very lucky audience—and entertain them they did.