Analysis
Let me start by saying that I like independent, low-budget movies but I do expect a certain level of enjoyment and will not get misty eyed over a movie that has been created on $1,000 but ultimately sucks. This type of film should be the most innovative kind with the entertainment value coming from the production teams flexibility and ingenuity whilst attempting to make the film both intelligent and engrossing. All too often we see films that are dialogue heavy creating slow plot progression and bogging down the viewer with pointless padded out scenes.

It would seem that Ben Juhl and his team are a savvy bunch of movie makers who not only love genre movies but have seen enough of them to know what makes a film worth spending time watching. The Dead Link is a story about hidden treasures and alien discoveries that lead one unlucky group to the brink of madness and well beyond. Produced on a budget of around $10,000 the film progresses from a light adventure style and spirals down into a dark and frightful place. It's a horror film in the traditional sense that, unusually these days, does not rely on nudity for it's thrills.

The acting from all involved is of a high standard never being cheesy or formulaic and the plot progresses well without the usual and unnecessary dialogue heavy moments previously mentioned. On the technical side the visual quality is a little fussy with certain lighting technique showing a lot of haziness around the edges. I' am fairly sure that the movie has been shot on video and transferred to VHS for viewing consumption so the quality is bound to be low. I'd be interested to see this movie transferred to DVD for the extra quality but I guess were all a little spoilt now days.

For me, the high point for this production has to be the visual effects. Money, time and effort have clearly been spent on creating the the type of things that would normally be left out of such a low-budget effort. First we have the strange creature that was found in the wastelands of the desert then we get the spider-dog that, although seen only briefly, does a good job of trying to bite Ray's arms off. To top all this off we get some damn creepy facial make-up that adds a lot to the overall quality of the film.

Key Area	Rating (out of 5)	Comment
Action		The action primarily focuses on the scenes that are shot around Lillian's trailer home when the alien body starts to posses peoples minds. These are not your average car chase / running gun battle affairs but instead feature fist fights and a lot of running away from the horrors of the night.
Thrills/ Tension		The possession scenes make for creepy viewing and increase the tension with an atmosphere of impending doom. Not a film that will make you jump very often though unless you are of a very nervous disposition in which case you should be in a rubber room anyway.
Violence/ Gore		Thanks to the excellent special effects the impact of the carnage is made all that more real. One of the many highlights would have to be when Lillian is killed and we see a close up of her mashed up face complete with protruding eyeball. Tasty.
Bare Flesh	NONE	There is a scene which see's Jose Rosete's character, Bungy attack Liz whilst possessed. Although there is a little flesh, the all important elements of nudity are missing which is a shame because she's a fox.
Plot		A nice premise that is executed with enough personality to ensure that the viewer keeps focused until the grand finale. For such a modest budget, this horror film's story flows surprisingly well.

Verdict Ben and his team have produced a movie that does exactly what a good low-budget film should do and that's to entertain people no matter what the cost and leaves them with some lasting memories of the images they have just seen on the screen. All the right elements are in there including a good plot, convincing actors and, for the budget, great effects. Thumbs up Ben.

Movie Pictures (Click picture to enlarge)