Mandao of the Dead Review

Mandao of the Dead is a 2018 feature film written and directed by Scott Dunn.

An interesting blend of comedy, horror and sci-fi that gets a lot of mileage out of a smaller scale production, Mandao of the Dead has a lot to offer fans of all three genres throughout.

If you can say nothing else, the one piece that can be easily agreed upon throughout this film is the agile pace that everything is given here. At no point does anything really drag down, and even in some of the slower scenes the energetic performances from the entire cast keep things lively.

The other part of this film that succeeds is a very smart blending of genres. If you enjoy what you could define as slacker or stoner comedies, there is something for you. If you like horror or films that take place around Halloween, you’ve got some good bits to enjoy. Lastly, if you like science fiction there is plenty of time traveling to sink your teeth into (points for a double pun maybe).

Getting back on track as mentioned earlier the acting in the film is really strong from everyone in the cast. The chemistry between Scott Dunn as Jay and Sean McBride as Jackson in particular really carries the movie. Without it things would fall much flatter, especially in the comedy department. This is not the case and everything just feels natural in each scene.

One other really significant part of the film was the soundtrack from Holland Thomas, really delivering a spot-on tone for every scene, that was mixed just right. The sound department did a great job here, which can be something that plagues true indie cinema all too often.

The cinematography from AJ Young is both natural and abstract when the scenes call for it. It is nothing over the top with perfect carvings of shadow, but it gets all the elements just right for when they are needed.

Overall, there is a lot to love about Mandao of the Dead and it is easy to see that this was a fun project but also one filled with a lot of heart. While not perfect it delivers on an interestingly inventive premise and keeps the pacing upbeat throughout.

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Cheers!

Daniel Hess

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