Review of Nine Dead (2010) by Edgar H — 16 Sep 2010

Since Saw was released in 2004, we have had countless films based on the simple concept of people walking up trapped in a room with no idea why they are there. These films have been met with various levels of success with Nine Dead being the latest one attempting to cash in on the success of the original Saw film.

Nine people are kidnapped by a masked man and handcuffed to nine poles inside a locked room. The killer informs them that there is a reason all of them are being held captive and they must figure out this reason in order to be set free. The catch is that one of them will be murdered every ten minutes until they can figure it out. Much deliberation ensues and not much else.

Everything about Nine Dead is completely unoriginal, it has almost no gore with nearly every kill happening off screen and the majority of the acting is dreadful. Yet somehow it still manages to be a somewhat engaging film which is mostly down to the decent script that moves along at a nice pace and never ventures into ludicrous territory. The final reveal is a little disappointing in its simplicity but it is fun watching this rag tag group of characters bickering among themselves as they try to save their lives. The short running time certainly helps and the sight of Sabrina the Teenage Witch going all crazy is always entertaining.

It's understandable that Nine Dead went straight to DVD due to its tiny budget and lack of scope. There is still some entertainment to be found here though and it's much better than the similar themes House of 9. Surely this has to be end of the Saw clones though!