Site of the Living Dead: Dead Air, 2009

A shock-jock radio DJ and his team taking questions about what makes people paranoid are blissfully unaware that terrorists have planted chemical weapons in various public sporting arenas across the country. The effect of these weapons is not surprisingly turning people into violent, mindless assailants. Once the on-air crew discover what is going on, they decide to remain at the station and report on the disaster, mostly through watching the news on TV, and phone-in callers, (very much like the Canadian ‘Pontypool’ from the previous year.)

Dead Air reunites 1990’s Night Of The Living Dead Bill Mosely and Patricia Tallman, but their characters seem a bit more subdued here than the sibling act in that remake, (which is awesome, BTW. Go check that out if you haven’t!). Still interesting, and engaging, but just lacking the same level of energy.

The ‘dead,’ in Dead Air are technically ‘infected,’ but seem to react more like zombies than your 28 Days Later/Crazies infected. These guys apparently have no thinking at all, and little coordination. And very clumsy. I mean, escaping a zombie while trapped together in a stuck elevator SHOULD be difficult, right?
And unlike true zombies, they have less of a hunger for the living, and more of a general distaste, and attack with ‘swatting’-like blows, as well as punches and bites. This is most likely because in Dead Air, transmission of the illness is carried out with scratches as well as with bites.

And the infected are few. The biggest horde seen is one of the few outside of the studio shots and may have numbered into the dozens. Their undead make-up was just red, bleeding eyes to differentiate the living from the diseased.

In short, not much of a story arc and a tissue-thin plot combine with more than a few predictable moments as well. And then there is the whole Muslim terrorist angle…

It may read like I am slagging on the flick, and to some degree, I am, but this was obviously a shoe-string budget, (which must’ve seen the lion’s share going to secure Mosely and Tallman!) And it has that feel to it, too. The sounds, the tight settings, the music. So, that should all be taken into consideration.

Also, it should be told, it didn’t suck. I enjoyed it as an honest entry into the Z-genre. The Zombie Movie Rubric, however, is a far more objective rating tool. According to its cold, unblinking stare, ‘Dead Air’ earned itself a 2.0 out of 4 possible stars. This should earn it a “yeah, okay,” recommendation, or as a viable scratching to a Z-flick itch some dark night alone. Just don’t expect a masterpiece.