Y'know, I'm sure that all of us wish we could be making movies, not just reviewing them. Don Adams and Harry James Picardi are two amateur filmmakers from Wisconsin who have been making their own films for years, and with Vengeance of the Dead, they finally got a break with a DVD distributor. Not only are we treated to their feature film, but also the DVD is packed with just about everything else they've produced. First, I'll tell you about Vengeance of the Dead, so hold on to your patoose, partners.

Eric, college-type guy, roars into the small town of Harvest to spend some quality time with his widowed Grandpa. At Grandpa's farm, Eric goes to his room and discovers a present left by his Grandma - a model rocket like the ones he loved so much as a child. The next day Eric and Grandpa launch it into the sky, but it lands in the burned-out remains of a house on the adjoining property. When Eric recovers the model, he finds an old silver spoon with intricate engravings, which he keeps as a souvenir. Next afternoon, Eric sees the spoon begin to vibrate while lying on his dresser. When he gets up to investigate, he catches the reflection of a small child in the dresser's mirror, and her mother's image as well. But when he turns around, no one is there. During an afternoon nap, Eric is assaulted by images of the girl, her mother, and someone walking with a shotgun. He convinces himself it was only a dream. However, that night Eric sleepwalks and goes to the nearby graveyard, where he exhumes the coffin of Emmit Gibson, hurls a lantern into the grave and immolates the corpse. He wakes in the morning with no recollection of those events.

Grandpa hears about the desecration and tells Eric that he had grown up with Emmit, but his friend committed suicide years ago. Napping again, Eric dreams of the little girl, who calls herself Julia. This time, Eric sees her mother and father being robbed by masked men with shotguns, and Julia hiding in her toy chest. That night, Eric sleepwalks again. He takes a gas can and walks to the "home" of Bus Driver Bill - an old school bus, naturally. Eric douses it with gas and drops a lit match, putting and end to Bill and his bus. The following day, Eric drives into town and buys a length of chain and a padlock. He has a daydream where Julia, now grown up, professes love for him. However, her mother appears to have different plans for Eric. Meanwhile, Grandpas' friend Wayne spies on his own granddaughter in the shower and fantasizes about her (pervert!) Unfortunately for him, Eric pours gas into his basement hideaway and… uh…lights his fire. Back at the farm, Eric views a videotape that shows him sleepwalking again and unlocking the chains he had tried to bind himself with. He dozes and finds himself with the older Julia. She leads him to her grave and starts to pull him underground. Mother arrives and stops her. Falling asleep yet again Eric sees more of the attack on little Julia and her parents. Her father is shot in the face, their money is stolen and Julia drops her spoon before she manages to hide. One of the masked men pours gasoline throughout the house, and they burn it down as they escape. Eric wakes up, but we know he's going to fall asleep again. Who will be the next to burn?

Well, I'll let you find out. Despite a number of technical limitations, this is a really good film. There are some lapses in the script, which make the story somewhat confusing at times, but you can follow the plot fairly easily (Eric sure sleeps a lot!). The acting may not be "Hollywood", but you get a real feeling that those involved have a passion for their work - and this is true of every facet in Vengeance of the Dead. The film was made for less than 100K, but Don and Harry put all of it on the screen. The dream sequences of young Julia are done in sepia, which is a real nice touch. The music is very good and fits in well with the picture. Lighting is decent, especially those tricky night shots (and there's a lot of them). However, the film itself is very grainy. It looks like they shot the movie on 16mm. There is a lot of "dirt" in some sequences as well. The audio has the most problems. While the "live" sound is all right, it's obvious by the lack of "noise' where they looped in dialogue, and some of that dialogue is totally unsynchronized with the actors on screen.

The DVD of Vengeance of the Dead includes a fistful of extras. On the first side of the DVD you have the option of director Don Adam's commentary on the main feature (which is really good - you should watch it with the commentary at least once.) There is a teaser for Don and Harry's film War Wolf, which is very exciting until you see the werewolf itself. They include a short Making of War Wolf as well. On the flip side of the disc, there is a short shot-on-video-for $400 film Schrek (not the ogre). This movie is about some neo-Nazi geeks who raise a dead goose-stepper named Schrek, who promptly turns on them and mayhem ensues. It's not bad for what it is, but be warned - it contains much more graphic violence the Vengeance of the Dead. There is a making of featurette for Schrek included, and the option again for commentary. The disc also gives you a music video by Graphic Nature for Vengeance (they do part of the soundtrack, some actual news casts spotlighting Don and Harry's film making efforts, and a behind the screens of the duo's unreleased film Red Eyes. Unfortunately, the DVD cover art is atrocious - it doesn't do the film justice at all. Still, it's quite a lot for one DVD.

If you're a true lover of horror cinema from the earliest days, you can't help but be inspired by Vengeance of the Dead. It may never be hailed as one of the top 100, but you tell everyone had a great time filming it. They may not have the money, but they certainly have the heart. Vengeance makes me want to run right out and make my own horror show, and you never know, I might just do that...

Be sure to visit Tempe Entertainment online here!