Hollywood Mortuary

A heartfelt salute to the simpler days of black and white horror movies, HOLLYWOOD MORTUARY is a hit and miss proposition. The clever black and white filmed tale of a Hollywood monster make-up artist obsessed with making a comeback and taking matters into his own hands, HOLLYWOOD MORTUARY fights itself as part faux pas documentary and part black comedy with tongue square in cheek. The problem I found was that the regularly interwoven commentary throughout the movie with the "special guest stars" such as Margaret O'Brien & Anita Page broke up the film's momentum. While the idea is full of promise, the execution is not as smooth as I had hoped.

The story begins with real past and present Hollywood insiders talking about the fictional legend of Pierce Jackson Dawn, a one-time top horror film effects make-up artist whose life story took on strange rumors and innuendo, and whose death was perfect for the type of film he loved so much. Pierce Jackson Dawn, played by Randal Malone, is well cast as the bigger-than-life artist, whose self worth ranks right up there with Lon Chaney, but whose credits have dried up in recent years. Early in the film he spends time with a well-endowed snake charming fortune teller, who clues him in on a spell to make zombies, but the cost of the necessary ingredients are too high for him at the time. After a humiliating interview with a bumbling press agent and a pep talk from his colorized mirror reflection, the make-up artist head straight to see Mr. Shine, the top dog at Cosmopolitan Studios, home of Dawn's past triumphs. After being told that the studio isn't doing horror anymore but instead focusing on stories ripped from the headlines, Dawn is booted out of Shine's office, no longer under studio contract. Early on we're also introduced to Pratt Borokof and Janas Blasko, two rival horror actors who found fame under Dawn's make-up. Blasko has become a bloated, drug addicted has-been who dies of an overdose at the feet of our Don Knotts-esque press interviewer. Pratt Borokof seems to have retired happily into the middle class world of Leave It To Beaver, but still finds delight in reading the obituary of his rival Blasko.

On his way home from the studio, Dawn stops by unannounced at Borokof's home to tempt him into making a horror movie. The retired actor not only isn't interested, but insults Dawn, enraging the make-up artist. Dawn grabs a shovel and kills the actor, quickly fleeing the scene. A job offer from a young funeral home owner tempts fate as Pierce Jackson Dawn's first job is on Pratt Borokof. During a dream Dawn comes up with the answer to a spectacular comeback, and using the spell from the fortune teller, revives both Borokof and Blasko, sending them out into the night to make headlines and set up a return to film glory for all of them. Needless to say, Pierce Jackson Dawn's plan goes astray despite the newspaper headlining rampage of the zombie actors. At first the two rivals are literally at each other's throats, but they soon begin to work together, ultimately bringing about the make-up artist's demise. The ending of the film is cute, and great use is made of a stand up comic's routine during the film.

Obviously a labor of love for writer/director/producer Ron Ford, I tip my hat off to the use of seldom seen but always appreciated black and white film, especially for this project. It's appropriate and really adds to the old fashioned feel. The occasional use of color film during Dawn's chats with his mirror image or during murder scenes is inventive but for me falls a little flat, taking me out of the old-time tone. The dialogue and acting is campy fun, but suffers a bit from some choppy editing and some effects not fully realized. The cast all seems to be having fun, with Randal Malone leading the way. Tim Sullivan, Joseph Haggerty, Wesley Deitrick, Denise Stradling, Tim Murphy, Greg Cannone, Athena Worthy, but the way the credits are set up, the actors are not directly credited to their roles.

The homemade feel of the movie is perfect for it's subject matter, but I wished there had been two separate projects here---one a fun documentary and the other a black comedy homage to the golden age of horror and movie monsters. I think the combination of these ideas is less potent than they would have been apart.