Director: Scott Dunn
Cast: Scott Dunn, Sean McBride, Gina Gomez
Production Company: Chasing Light Studios
Runtime: 74 minutes
Imagine if you could leave your body and travel through time and space. Would you use your powers to help people? Would you help them even if they were annoying? Director Scott Dunn answers these questions and more in Mandao of the Dead (2018).
Jay Mandao wants to live a simple life, but is stuck caring for his adult nephew-in-law. Strange dreams lead to the discovery that he is capable of astral projection. Jay soon makes contact with a ghost who asks him to help reverse the events that led to his death.
Dunn also plays Mandao in the film, and has surrounded himself with actors that have worked with him before. Sean McBride and Gina Gomez both appeared in Schlep (2016), which is another comedy that he directed. If the chemistry is good, why not go with it?
The movie is certainly open to a sequel or even a series of films. Mandao’s powers and the weird situations that develop because of them could certainly lead to other tales. The important thing is that they have a good cast that works well together.
The story takes place around Halloween and includes other supernatural elements as well. A brief clip from Nosferatu (1922) appears on Jay’s television at one point, which becomes more meaningful later in the movie. Things get creepier as the narrative unfolds…
Mandao of the Dead effortlessly blends comedy with elements of horror and science fiction. The fun rises out of the odd characters that populate this film. Time travel comes into play as well. Different genres of horror are gleefully thrown in to complete the mix.
It’s as though The Sixth Sense (1999) brushed past Back to the Future Part II (1989) before rushing headlong into Let the Right One In (2008). Mandao of the Dead is a fun experience that entertains on a number of levels. Expect something a little different…
– John Migliore
For more information on the film, check out the links below…
Indie Horror Online 