Dead Roses

Dead Roses
Directed by	Robert McCorkle
Produced by	Johnathan Tucker
Starring	Johnathan Tucker
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$5000

Dead Roses is an American independent zombie horror film. The film, described as "Night of the Living Dead in the projects"^[1] and "Dawn of the Dead in the hood"^[2] was independently produced in Brooklyn, New York for $5,000.^[1][2]

The film and its independent production have been profiled in New York Magazine, New York Daily News, and NPR.^[2][3]

Plot

A woman's fiancé is killed by a drug dealing gang. For revenge, the woman conjures up a zombie to hunt down the gangmembers and kill them.

Production

Dead Roses producer/actor Johnathan Tucker, who worked as an extra on the film Krush Groove,^[2] met writer/director Robert McCorkle at a investment banking firm.^[3] The two bonded over their love of film and decided to create a low budget film. The film was shot with Hi-8 and Mini DV video cameras in public housing projects and edited on a personal computer.^[3] McCorkle also taught himself rudimentary special effects techniques for the film.

“

...people told me, all the zombies needed was a little talcum powder on their faces. But to me a zombie isn’t a zombie unless he’s decayed. Putrefied. Mutilated. All messed up. I mean, they’re dead, right? So I taught myself how to put this stuff on, from reading magazines and on the Internet. Just because we’re low-budget doesn’t mean it can’t be realistic—at least movie-realistic.[1]

”

McCorkle admitted that the film was Guerrilla filmmaking.

“

Another scene had zombies getting blasted with a sawed-off shotgun. Out of nowhere, we’re surrounded by a dozen cops. Someone called 911 and said, They’re blowing the fuck out of zombies down here. The cops have us spread-eagled, zombies too. One of the cops is pointing at the street and says, ‘What’s that?’ I told him it was brains. ‘Brains?’ ‘Zombie brains.’ Now there’s six cops with their guns out at Troy and Decatur, looking at a pile of fake brains like they’re going to throw up. Finally they told us to get a permit and left.[1]

”

McCorkle was not only the writer and director but also grip, make-up artist, and caterer.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Zombie Brains in Brooklyn! at New York Magazine
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Johnathan Tucker: From Film Actor to Film Director
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Making a Horror Movie, On the Cheap at NPR