The Dead Outside (2008)
The Dead Outside (2008)
One of the things I love about independent horror films is that magical moment when you discover a true diamond in the rough, to me that is exactly what I found when I discovered The Dead Outside, a gem of an independent horror film from Scotland. This disorienting atmospheric horror film, has three active characters (all others are either flash backs, nightmares, or zombies). The film tells the story of Daniel who is driving down a desolate road in rural Scotland, when his car runs out of gas. We find out that there is a global pandemic going on, where the infected go mad and are little more than zombies who kill the non infected. Daniel makes his way to an isolated farmhouse, where he finds safety, and gets some sleep on the couch. But he is awoken by a beautiful young woman with a shotgun pointed at him, who we find out lives in the farmhouse alone, we also find out that she is immune to the virus that is causing the pandemic. Daniel suggests to her that she go to see if the doctors can find a cure from her blood, but she refuses, later we find out why. After a few days a woman named Kate arrives, attracted to the sound of the generator, and Daniel convinces April to let her stay the night, but Daniel tells her April's secret, but can Kate be trusted? And will April and Daniel survive The Dead Outside?
The Dead Outside was the writing and directorial debut of Kerry Anne Mullaney, and was co-written by Kris R. Bird. The film was an independent film, made in Dumfries and Galloway Scotland UK. The film was an independent production by Mothcatcher Films, and was released in 2008. The film won a handful of awards at film festivals, and in my opinion is a nearly perfect film, with only really one major flaw.
The Dead Outside stars Sandra Louise Douglas s April, Alton Milne as Daniel, and Sharon Osdin as Kate. The film's cast are mostly industry unknowns, but were all perfectly cast for the film. I would definitely say that Sandra Louise Douglas was amazing as the strange and mysterious April. She has this amazing presence on screen, and her eyes are absolutely mesmerizing, and she convincing in her role as the solitary survivor, who lives alone in her family's farm house. Alton Milne as Daniel was okay, but I never really cared for his character, just kind of a blah character, but he plays that well. I also struggle to trust Daniel throughout the film, especially when he tells Kate the secret that he swore to April that he would never tell about her immunity, putting her life in danger. He seems kind of self-centered, but I do also pity him because of the trauma of his backstory, so he is also a kind of complex character, and I can see what April sees in him. When Kate comes on the scene, as played by Sharon Osdin, if just feels like something is not right about her and she plays that character so well.
I have not hid my absolute love for this film, but I did say that it has one major flaw. The flaw in this film lies in the sound mixing, the film has wonderful atmospheric music, and it also has some great quiet dialogue, however that dialogue is very hard to hear because the music track is so high that the dialogue gets drowned out, and then of course the DVD that I am watching doesn't have subtitles available. So many viewers are going to struggle with this, because first of all there is a very thick Scottish accent which some viewers might struggle to understand, and then there is the fact that the dialogue is at times completely drowned out by the music track. That single flaw alone could kill this film for some viewers, and that is unfortunate. That is really the only real flaw of this film, and honestly if the filmmaker invested in remixing the sound levels for the film, and re-released it, it would be a perfect film. When I first watched this film, I was annoyed by Daniel's inconsistency of wearing a mask, to avoid getting infected, he would sometimes wear it, but not always, like when he meets Kate neither of them wear a mask. So this inconsistency bothered me, until the pandemic of 2020-2021 happened, and I witnessed, that this is exactly how people behave during a global pandemic, where mask wearing should be consistent but many people are inconsistent in it, which actually makes his character more realistic watching it now. I also really loved the subdued colours in the film, giving it an almost black and white feel, which to me adds exponentially to the atmospheric horror tone of the film. I think that if you have not yet seen this film, I highly recommend checking it out now, and I feel like it is even more relevant today, than it was when it was first released. If you come across a copy of this film do not pass it up, just be aware of the sound issue when you go in to it, but seriously stick it out. This isn't a high action film, which many US viewers seem to require, but it is totally worth watching, the story and characters are great. I also love that this is a horror film that was written and directed by a woman, women writers and directors are sadly very under represented in the horror film genre. I would honestly say that this is a must see horror film, and one I highly recommend tracking down.
The Dead Outside stars Sandra Louise Douglas s April, Alton Milne as Daniel, and Sharon Osdin as Kate. The film's cast are mostly industry unknowns, but were all perfectly cast for the film. I would definitely say that Sandra Louise Douglas was amazing as the strange and mysterious April. She has this amazing presence on screen, and her eyes are absolutely mesmerizing, and she convincing in her role as the solitary survivor, who lives alone in her family's farm house. Alton Milne as Daniel was okay, but I never really cared for his character, just kind of a blah character, but he plays that well. I also struggle to trust Daniel throughout the film, especially when he tells Kate the secret that he swore to April that he would never tell about her immunity, putting her life in danger. He seems kind of self-centered, but I do also pity him because of the trauma of his backstory, so he is also a kind of complex character, and I can see what April sees in him. When Kate comes on the scene, as played by Sharon Osdin, if just feels like something is not right about her and she plays that character so well.
I have not hid my absolute love for this film, but I did say that it has one major flaw. The flaw in this film lies in the sound mixing, the film has wonderful atmospheric music, and it also has some great quiet dialogue, however that dialogue is very hard to hear because the music track is so high that the dialogue gets drowned out, and then of course the DVD that I am watching doesn't have subtitles available. So many viewers are going to struggle with this, because first of all there is a very thick Scottish accent which some viewers might struggle to understand, and then there is the fact that the dialogue is at times completely drowned out by the music track. That single flaw alone could kill this film for some viewers, and that is unfortunate. That is really the only real flaw of this film, and honestly if the filmmaker invested in remixing the sound levels for the film, and re-released it, it would be a perfect film. When I first watched this film, I was annoyed by Daniel's inconsistency of wearing a mask, to avoid getting infected, he would sometimes wear it, but not always, like when he meets Kate neither of them wear a mask. So this inconsistency bothered me, until the pandemic of 2020-2021 happened, and I witnessed, that this is exactly how people behave during a global pandemic, where mask wearing should be consistent but many people are inconsistent in it, which actually makes his character more realistic watching it now. I also really loved the subdued colours in the film, giving it an almost black and white feel, which to me adds exponentially to the atmospheric horror tone of the film. I think that if you have not yet seen this film, I highly recommend checking it out now, and I feel like it is even more relevant today, than it was when it was first released. If you come across a copy of this film do not pass it up, just be aware of the sound issue when you go in to it, but seriously stick it out. This isn't a high action film, which many US viewers seem to require, but it is totally worth watching, the story and characters are great. I also love that this is a horror film that was written and directed by a woman, women writers and directors are sadly very under represented in the horror film genre. I would honestly say that this is a must see horror film, and one I highly recommend tracking down.
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