The Dead Next Door

In the near future, the world falls victim to a plague of violent carnivorous undead humans, and a black-ops elite team of soldiers, nicknamed the "Zombie Squad", has been enlisted by the government as exterminators to control the growing epidemic. While on a series of routine containment missions, the soldiers stumble upon a mysterious religious cult which wishes to protect and enable the zombies, believing them to be a punishment ordained by God. Within their compound may be a cure to the virus causing the plague.

• Pete Ferry as Raimi
• Bogdan Pecic as Dr. Moulsson
• Michael Grossi as Mercer
• Jolie Jackunas as Kuller
• Robert Kokai as Rev. Jones
• Floyd Ewing Jr. as Capt. Kline
• Scott Spiegel as Richards
• Michael Tolochko as Randalls
• Bruce Campbell as Raimi and Cmdr. Carpenter (voice only)

Sam Raimi served as executive producer on the film under the pseudonym 'The Master Cylinder' using a portion of his payment from Evil Dead II.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094962/trivia |title=The Dead Next Door (1989) - Trivia - IMDb |work=Internet Movie Database |accessdate=10 August 2012 |archive-date=20 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520010436/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094962/trivia/ |url-status=live }} Bruce Campbell supervised post-production sound and dubbed the voices of two characters, Raimi and Cmdr. Carpenter.{{Cite web |last=Miska |first=Brad |date=2017-08-04 |title=Zombie Classic 'Dead Next Door' Gets 2K Transfer |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3451548/zombie-classic-dead-next-door-gets-2k-transfer/ |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-03-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324184824/https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3451548/zombie-classic-dead-next-door-gets-2k-transfer/ |url-status=live }} The movie was produced over nearly four years, in Akron, Ohio. Although unsure of the exact figure, in an interview director J. R. Bookwalter estimated that the film cost $125,000 to produce.{{cite book|last=Albright|first=Brian|title=Regional Horror Films, 1958–1990: A State-by-State Guide with Interviews|year=2012|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1476600420|page=42|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=39jxgdy3IhcC&pg=PA42|access-date=2024-05-20}}

The film was shot on Super-8, which is an amateur grade film generally only used for making home movies. Everyone involved worked on the film for a deferred salary. The film is notable for highly graphic gore effects.

AllMovie wrote, "very stylish for what is essentially an epic-scale home movie [...], this remains Bookwalter's best effort", comparing the film's fast pace to that of a "live-action video game".{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-dead-next-door-v12712/review |title=The Dead Next Door (1989) - Review - AllMovie |last=Firsching |first=Robert |work=AllMovie |accessdate=10 August 2012 |archive-date=29 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729182841/http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-dead-next-door-v12712/review |url-status=live }}

The score for the film was composed by director J. R. Bookwalter. The soundtrack has been released on CD and in MP3 format by Tempesound.{{cite web |url=http://store.tempevideo.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TV&Product_Code=TS-2606 |title=Tempe DVD: DEAD NEXT DOOR, THE (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD) |work=tempevideo.com |accessdate=10 August 2012 |archive-date=18 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218233818/http://store.tempevideo.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TV&Product_Code=TS-2606 |url-status=dead }}

• {{IMDb title|0094962}}

{{Films directed by J. R. Bookwalter}}

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Category:1980s American films

Category:1980s English-language films

Category:1989 films

Category:1989 horror films

Category:American splatter films

Category:American zombie films

Category:English-language horror films