Shock 'Em Dead
Shock 'Em Dead
R | 31 January 1991 (USA)
Shock 'Em Dead Trailers

Martin is a total loser, who nobody cares for. When he fails to get a position as guitar player in Lindsay's band and loses his job on the way, he makes a deal with a Voodoo priestess. She promises him the fulfillment of all his dreams if he swears obedience to her. He becomes a rock star and has many women - but to stay alive, he has to kill other people.

Reviews
Diagonaldi Very well executed
Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant
Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.
Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
Woodyanders Lindsay Roberts (an appealing portrayal by luscious onetime 80's porn queen Traci Lords) manages a rock band that's on the verge of making it big. Complications ensue after Lindsay discovers that cocky and flamboyant new guitarist Angel Martin (a solid performance by Stephen Quadros) has sold his soul to dark forces in order to ensure that his talent will prevail.Director/co-writer Mark Freed really delivers the terrifically tacky'n'trashy goods with this jaw-dropping piece of perfectly putrid junk: Plenty of choice clunky dialogue ("That's negative energy, man!"), big poofy hairdos, copious gratuitous female nudity, an absurd script, chintzy (not so) special effects, some deliciously dreadful acting (Tyger Sodipe in particular contributes a laughably hokey turn as an uproariously unconvincing "old" voodoo woman), gloriously ghastly songs, and an insanely insane story that thankfully isn't played completely serious. The pulchritudinous presence of several hot babes helps a lot: Enticing Karen Russell, ravishing redhead Laurel Wiley, and cute perky brunette Gina Marks. Aldo Ray grumbles his way through his final film role as grouchy pizza joint owner Tony while Troy Donahue pours on the smarm as a sleazy record company executive. A total schlocky hoot.
superlightweight At first when I got this one I browsed through it briefly and put it back on my shelf. The super-low production values and crappy cast made me think it was going to be absolutely horrible.When I finally viewed the movie it really put my expectations to shame. Yes, the production value is nothing to brag about, but the actors actually pull it off. Everyone is at least tolerable, and some can actually act a little bit. A lot of the acting works simply because the timing is alright.This is true of the cutting and screenplay as well. The pacing is right there. No need to trim anything with the fast forward button. The story moves forward constantly with a great imaginative script full of well defined characters in good scenes. The scenery and cheesy rock'n'roll wardrobe and hairstyles are great as well. Most of the effects are crappy, but they are used well all the same. Some are up to the standards of a few years earlier, some to standards of many years back...With a proper budget this would have been a big hit, for sure. The worst part of the movie is actually the misleading cover. Traci Lords is far from being the star of this one, there's at least three girls and a whole bunch of guys with more interesting roles, and the title has nothing to do with anything.At the time of writing this movie has a rating of 3.8 on IMDb which is certainly lower than it deserves. I would have given it a 7 if the production and effects had been better. A job well done!
Wout Visser (wrvisser-leusden-nl) This B-movie is only held together by its coherent and vivid story. That's a pity I think, because the 'Shock 'em dead'-story is worth a much better movie than what we see here.The only person in 'Shock 'em dead' with some acting talents, Traci Lords, plays the wrong role. Although this movie is about horror & suspense, Lords' part has nothing to do with that -- while h&s just suits her talents very much! Lords' acting as the rock group's manager is wooden and uninspiring. If she had taken part in the horror & suspense, for instance by teaming up with self-destructive rock guitarist Martin Paxton, I feel 'Shock 'em dead' would have turned out much better.
seif0014 Although one might think that this movie sucks, I can truly say it kicks ass. The only problem is that Traci Lords doesn't flash us her acting ability enough. However, the storyline makes up for it in so many ways.