THE DEMENTED
Six college friends reunite for a carefree weekend that soon turns deadly. A terrorist attack in a nearby town infects most of the residents with a deadly virus that induces rabies-like symptoms, only far more severe. The infected begin to attack the house where the friends are vacationing and the tormented group must rely on their wits to survive as resources, including shelter, become scarce and the flesh-eating infected multiply. Starring Kayla Ewell (TV’s THE VAMPIRE DIARIES), Richard Kohnke (TV’s THE CARRIE DIARIES), and Sarah Butler (I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE).
Director: Christopher Roosevelt
Writers: Christopher Roosevelt
Stars: Kayla Ewell, Richard Kohnke, Ashlee Brian, Brittney Alger, Sarah Butler, Michael Welch
Rating: 7 / 10 Stars
REVIEW – The Demented is basically The Crazies mixed with 28 Days Later. You have a group of young adults that go spend the weekend together, unbeknownst to them that a terrorist attack is going on with missiles carrying infectious contagion; it leaves the people who get exposed as some kind of diseased dead running the streets eating humans. I would not say zombies, because they looked more crazed than a zombie. The film tries and has a lot of great ideas going, but the problem with the bulk of this film we have basically seen it all before and better. Now, I am not saying this is a bad film or unwatchable, because the film was entertaining enough and kept me glued to see how it would all turn out, but I am just saying that this is not a rush out and have to see film, this is maybe a take your time and if you have seen all the horror films that came out that week, I would say try this then. The film reminded me at times of another film that came out a while back called State of Emergency, that if you keep your expectations low you may enjoy the film more. This film really piles on the script, which I am all for a story, but I felt that the story this film tries to convey to the watcher was just style with no substance. We are supposed to care about these characters but all we know is basically that one cheated on the other, and that one comes across as a creepy pervert. Around the 34 minute mark is when this diseased dog appears and the film gets going, after they take care of the dog, here comes the infected and you get plenty of good chase scenes and also some very tense moments. Well, let me rephrase that, tense for this film. This film just becomes a big chase from the 50 minute mark till the ending, where it just seems that everyone has excellent cardio and even with a broken leg they can run like speed demons if needed. This film pulls a trick out of its hat with the ending that I thought was a little wink to all of those who stuck it out with this film that will get a reaction. The film tries like I said earlier and is fun for the most part, but I just wish there was more to this film than I got. A little more gore would have gone a long way, even though we get some really well done gore scenes here and there. I felt that the backstory on the characters should have been in-depth more and less trying to just talk on screen and say nothing really worthwhile. If you are a patient fan of b horror films and do not mind low budget, you may be the person this film is aimed for. This could pass for a Saturday movie night after you watch 28 Days Later and The Crazies.
THE DEMENTED | Official Trailer: