Horror Movie Review: Dead & Breakfast (2004)

“Well, this used to be such a quiet little town / We never had too much trouble around here / Until that spirit was released / And we were haunted by the deceased / And now there’s all this crazy shit that’s going down here.”

Dead & Breakfast is a 2004 musical zombie comedy film directed by Matthew Leutwyler.

Six friends, Christian, David, Kate, Johnny, Sara, and Melody, are traveling in an RV to get to the wedding of their friend, Kelly, in Galveston, Texas. However they become lost in a small town called Lovelock, and decide to spend the night. They stop off at the local bed and breakfast owned by the creepy Mr. Wise. While staying, the group insult the chef, Henri, causing an argument to break out. After everyone goes to bed, David goes to the kitchen to get a snack, only to discover Henri brutally murdered, before Mr. Wise suffers a heart attack.

With the phone line broken, it takes until morning for the sheriff, and his deputy, Enus, to be summoned for help. The sheriff is quick to suspect the group, and takes the keys to the RV away, so they can not leave the town until the investigation is over. The group goes into town, while the sheriff arrests a mysterious drifter, who quickly becomes the prime suspect. The drifter warns Christian and Sara of ancient exotic wooden box, that Sara realizes belongs to Mr. Wise. However it is too late, as Johnny arrives back at the bed and breakfast and opens the box. He unleashes the “Kuman Thong” which possesses him, causing him to savagely murder various people. Meanwhile, Christian and Sara meet town local Lisa Belmont. She swears she saw Mr. Wise dig up the body of his dead son and perform a form of black magic on the body. Sara and Christian return to the bed and breakfast and discover Johnny has opened the box.

Sara and Christian alert the sheriff, who drives them to a local party, that David, Kate and Melody are attending with the rest of the town folk. The possessed Johnny arrives and a bloody massacre ensues, with the town folk, including Enus, becoming zombies as Johnny puts various body parts of his victims in the box. In the chaos, Christian is decapitated as David, Kate, Sara and Melody escape with the sheriff in a truck. They accidentally run over the drifter, knocking him unconscious after he escapes from his prison cell. Taking him with them, the radiator soon blows in the truck, forcing the group to take shelter in the bed and breakfast. They gather weapons and hold up, ready to defend themselves against the incoming army of the dead.

Can the gang escape Lovelock alive or will the Kuman Thong capture every last soul in town? Watch and find out.
Dead & Breakfast encapsulates why horror comedy is my favourite genre. In fact, horror comedy musical might top it. I’ve never seen a movie that has a song in it that describes the plot perfectly. To add to the hilarity, the songs are actually performed really well!

Although the opening is a little weak and unfunny, and additionally starts with a plot hole (who killed Mr Wise, Henri and the gardener??). It picks up quickly and is especially fantastic after the box is opened, my sides hurt from laughing by the end. A chaotic and crazy story in the best way.

Everyone’s performances are good and Dead & Breakfast features Jeffrey Dean Morgan early in his career and a cameo from Portia de Rossi! My favourite performance was Oz Perkins (Johnny) or Zack Selwyn (Randall Keith Randall), some classic lines in this movie for sure.

The gore is fantastic and has no right to be that good in a silly horror comedy but it was well appreciated. Truly a lesson for Nothing But Trouble – gross, ridiculous but still a “family picture” without gore doth not a classic horror movie make. Bed & Breakfast uses a type of zombie that is underutilized, the smart possessed zombie, similar to return of the living dead. Additionally, I’ve never seen an improvised, homemade shotgun quite like that one. Very unique.

Overall, Bed & Breakfast is an unpredictable, hilarious and unique film with plenty of laughs to be had. I honestly don’t know how this movie got made but I’m glad it was. They should all get awards for saying the phrase “Kuman Thong” with a straight face.