So what of the movies themselves? IS DEAD RIOT even worth my angst? The answer is a resounding “Hell yeah!” What we have here is a movie that combines the genres of Blaxploitation, Kung-fu, zombie and women-in-prison. The result varies, but how can any fan of trash NOT like this film? I’m not watching it for the depth of its the plot; I’m watching it to see a full-figured gal rip a zombie’s head off while performing wire-fu!

Written by Fangoria editor Michael Gingold, DEAD RIOT stars the prolific Tony Todd (of CANDYMAN fame) as Shadow, a blood cultist who is put to death for his transgressions, only to be regenerated 20 years later when blood is spilled over his final resting place at a women’s prison. The feminine Carla Greene plays heroine Solitaire, whose quickly earns a position of respect in the institution when she takes a stand against the oppressive lesbian prisoner Mondo. The twisty and shameful path from beginning to end plays out in a predictable fashion, with copious foul language, generous nudity, drug use and fairly banal (but enjoyable) fight scenes.

DEAD RIOT occasionally produces some startling imagery, some good old-fashioned blood splatter and a fairly sleazy plot. It’s a good bad movie that stands reasonably well on its own without the need for embellishment, and it gets a solid three stars from me.

So does the fake aging really detract from the film? Not so much. Do the soundtrack pops distract? Yes. Are the missing scenes annoying? Definitely. Is the overall experience ruined? Somewhat. I still would have liked the option to watch a “non-grindhouse” version. At least the audience chatter is optional.

At any rate, can a film made in 2006 really be a “grindhouse” film? Probably not. To qualify, it needs to have at least been shown in a grindhouse or similar theater. Novel concept eh? But can a film made in 2006 be exploitive, like the grindhouse films of old? Absolutely, and DEAD RIOT fits that bill.

This isn’t intended to be a complete review of DEAD RIOT. I can’t review the film properly because I don’t feel like I’ve seen the definitive version (Perhaps I haven’t missed anything. Let me know). Similarly, I can’t review Herschell Gordon Lewis’ BLOOD FEAST 2 (2002) because Media Blasters packaged a cut gore-free version with its recent “Cannibal Lunchbox” three-pack.

This is my plea to producers and distributors: Don’t screw up the original films. Don’t make me purchase another version of a mediocre film just so I can see it as it was intended.

And just a note to the Weinsteins: GRINDHOUSE should have been released as it was shown in American theaters, not separated into two DVDs so a sucker like me had to buy both discs. And we wonder why the bottom has fallen out of the DVD industry, or why companies like Blue Underground, who release excellent products, are struggling?

Media Blasters seems like a decent company. They release films that are reasonably weird and obscure, and they do a good job packaging them, producing the DVDs and including trailers and bonus features, such as filmmaker interviews. Their dedication to distribution of weird film and their love of the product is evident. That’s why it’s painful that I have to give this double-bill a thumbs down. Seek out the films in their original forms and enjoy them as they were meant to be seen!

Note: I didn’t mention a lot about the B-feature, FLESH FOR THE BEAST in this article. The disc that came with my double-feature is apparently defective and would not play in my DVD player so I can’t make a judgment on it. Look for a more complete review of it later here at Shameful Cinema.

Be sure to stick around after the credits because there are a half-dozen good trailers tacked on at the end, including SLAUGHTER HOTEL, DON’T GO IN THE HOUSE, WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO SOLANGE? and more.

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