MicroCinema Scene

Airy comedy-mystery features a one-hit wonder true crime writer (Randal Malone) who is egged on into pursuing a recent spate of murders by an obsessive fan with problems of her own (Trish Haight).  Soon the sleuthing duo is right in the sights of a demented killer with a few tricks up his sleeve.

Ron Ford’s latest, Dead Season, reminded me of a drawing room-style mystery like those favored by Agatha Christie, although peppered with occasional spates of violence and nudity.  Ford seemingly crafted his feature with a lot of love for the melodramas of old, but fuses it with the modern expectations of twenty-first century audiences.  Though a bit light in scares and surprises, plenty of humor, and a genial atmosphere, keeps things rolling along.  Those who like their storylines light will probably be willing to overlook a few leaps in logic, though some may not be as forgiving.

Viewers’ enjoyment of the feature will also heavily depend on their reaction to an overly mannered performance by Malone and a very enthusiastic turn by Haight.  Ford’s appearance as a disabled handyman struck the right note, however.

But Dead Season falters a bit with very uneven production values, especially in shooting and lighting.  The opening scene, for instance, looks so different stylistically that it seems to have been lifted from a completely different feature.  Other scenes look well-crafted while others appear a bit slapdash.

Overall Dead Season is a breezy genre piece that favors classic conventions while catering to today’s direct-to-video consumer, with mixed results.

Two and a half stars. 

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