Circus of the Dead is one of those films that has eluded me for years. I’ve seen it available at cons and I’ve heard it mentioned online, it’s just one of those movies that I never jumped on. I’ve wanted to see it, but for one reason or another, I’d always pass right by Billy Pon’s booth.
That’s not to say that I wasn’t interested in the film, it was just something that I assumed would eventually make its way to me. Having now seen it, I can’t believe I waited so long to finally sit down and take in one of independent horror’s all-time best stories.
While I do love the film, Circus of the Dead isn’t without a few flaws. The film opens with a record being played, and while I’m all about an old track setting the mood, the audio is over modulated. What should be an eerie scene introduction leaves viewers reaching for the remote right off the bat.
There are a few other issues with audio throughout the film, nothing too serious, but every so often I would be removed from the tension when the natural sound would be cut too early or too late.
Speaking of distractions, it seemed like Billy might have got a bit too comfortable dipping to black. There were so many scenes where a quick cut would have been fine, but instead, we’d get another fade to darkness. Again, overall not a huge issue, but when you spend so much time building suspense only to be dipped away kind of sucks.
Because the issues are few and far between, the narrative stays intact. Murders and rape are the central story, and because of the delivery from Corn and Co., the sense of dread constantly sweeps the audience like a blanket of death. Papa Corn, played by Bill Oberst, literally gets off (no pun intended) with every slaying, and it’s this commitment to mayhem that ultimately led my fiancé into an actual panic attack while viewing.
There are moments when you legitimately believe Oberst is angry and having met the man, it was hard to watch. Pretty much every time he’s on camera he easily steals the scene. The guy makes fucking a severed head look good. Seriously, even if you don’t love the movie you can’t deny this performance.
Circus of the Dead has a few editing issues, but that’s really it. The performances are top-notch, the effects are next-level, and the writing is stellar. While the influences are fairly obvious, I think Billy did a solid job giving horror fans a tribute to the films that inspired him.
In closing, this is the type of film that makes me proud to be involved in the Texas film scene. Hell, this is the type of film that makes me happy to be involved with film in general. I think Billy captured something special here, and I can’t wait to see what happens when he opens the bottle again.
You can purchase Circus of the Dead HERE.
Tell them CineDump sent you so I can guilt Billy into killing me in his next film.
Jessie Hobson