The Laughing Dead
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The Laughing Dead |
| Original title | The Laughing Dead |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1989 |
| length | 91 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 18 |
| Rod | |
| Director | SP Somtow |
| script | SP Somtow |
| production | Lex Nakashima |
| music | SP Somtow |
| camera | David Boyd |
| cut | Rose Anne Weinstein |
| occupation | |
| |
The Laughing Dead is an American horror film with splatters by SP Somtow from 1989.
action
The Catholic pastor Ezekiel O'Sullivan devotedly cares for the needs of his parishioners. He himself is in a deep crisis of faith that makes him doubt both God and his calling. In addition, the clergyman, who is plagued by strange nightmares, longs for his secret lover Tessie, a former nun, and their son Ivan.
Once a year, O'Sullivan organizes an archeology excursion to ancient Mayan cult sites in the Mexican province of Oaxaca . There they want to attend a strange festival of the dead, the “Festival of the Laughing Dead”. After several hours of bus travel, Tessie and Ivan, who is always in a bad mood, join the illustrious community group. The pastor sees his teenage son for the first time, but he does not know who his biological father is.
On reaching his destination, O'Sullivan meets the seedy Dr. Um-tzec, a doctor of religious studies and ominous descendants of a Mayan god. Because of his lost faith and his illegitimate misstep, he abuses the father for an old ritual. In the course of the invocation, the spirit of an ancient god of the dead takes possession of the priest's body. From then on, the possessed victim changes and unintentionally murders a member of the tour group. This led to riots among travelers. Escape is impossible because Um-tzec's servants meanwhile sabotage any further journey. Ivan, who now learns that the pastor is his father, is kidnapped in this situation. As the central sacrifice, he is supposed to initiate the return of evil.
At a different time, Cal, an archaeologist present, succeeds in deciphering an old inscription that says that the pastor could be possessed. When O'Sullivan is confronted with this, he massacres several parishioners and flees. Those present now realize that they have to act. A group of five determined follow the clergyman and ultimately prevent Ivan's sacrifice. Dr. Um-tzec killed.
In the end, Pastor O'Sullivan is freed from all constraints and the survivors celebrate the feast of the dead with the locals. Ivan, Tessie and the father are happily united as a family.
Reviews
The lexicon of international films wrote that the "cheap horror film" only surpassed the "amateur level of the rest of the film" with its bloody splatter effects .
Web links
- The Laughing Dead in the Internet Movie Database (English)