"Dead Tone" Review- Written byMathius Mack Gertz

Title: Dead Tone
Review Date: January, 2010
Year: 2007
Director: Brian Hooks
Starring:
Brian Hooks ... Marcus
Jud Tylor ... Karina
Cherie Johnson ... Roxy
Germán Legarreta ... Shawn
Antwon Tanner ... Kareem
Wil Horneff ... Scott/Josh
Aimee Garcia ... Jody Walters
Rutger Hauer ... Detective John Criton
MPAA Rating: [R]
Studio: Hooks and Taylor Entertainment
Distributor: Screen Media Films
Running time: 100 minutes
Official Website: www.deadtonemovie.com

Finals at the prestigious University of Dreyskill are finally over and it's time to party. "The Crew", as they are known by their peers and dorm mates, are invited to a rich classmate's hideaway mansion high up in the hills of Colorado. What was supposed to be a weekend of fun and relaxation quickly becomes a trip they will never forget... If they survive! A simple game of prank scare phone calls becomes an intense game of survival and escape when one of the Crew members accidentally calls the wrong person.

I must confess that I was prepared to hate this movie. With Brian Hooks (Marcus) writing directing and starring in this lower budget film, it had to be bad, right? Wrong! Hooks has put together a well written, very well acted and well constructed urban horror/thriller that even attempts to deal with societal racial issues.

DEAD TONE manages to combine a chilling mix or gore, nudity and psychological horror to good effect. I was scared repeatedly and that is not an easy thing to do. While the plot premise is not new, the twists and turns that the story takes are unique and compelling. The racial subplot issues are realistic and filled with tension. The girls are intelligent, beautiful, sexy and revealing. Overall this was an excellent hour and a half of believable entertainment. It even has a wonderful homage to Romero’s Night of the Living Dead near the end.

Why DEAD TONE wasn’t released theatrically till 2009 is beyond me. You will probably have a hard time finding it at Blockbuster because of the production date but look for it in smaller DVD rental stores or online at Amazon or Net flicks. It will definitely be worth your effort. And for the horror fan boys out there, this one needs to be a part of your library.

FOUR STARS.