Beverly Lane – DVD Review

The Film:

When watching a movie to review, there are two different types of films to keep your eyes open for. The first is the studio picture, while the second is the independent film. Within both of those, you have different levels from big budget blockbusters to moderately budgeted films on the studio side, and high budget to do-it-yourself films on the independent side. When looking at the do-it-yourself movies, a reviewer is looking for different things than they would from a big budget film. With do-it-yourself films, the budget is obviously small, and the talent might not be as good, the effects might not be as mind blowing and the locations are smaller. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie, but it should be looked at with a different mindset. Beverly Lane is a direct to DVD film from first time filmmaker Joshua Hull, lands on the do-it-yourself side of the independent scene.

Take The Office add in some Dawn of the Dead and sprinkle with Shaun of the Dead and you will have Beverly Lane. The movie starts with a retirement party for the boss of Beverly Lane, Steve Beverly (Donald A. Becker). Andy (Noah East) is taking over and put together the party. There is a mime and 3 clowns as well as 1/4th of a barber shop quartet and a magician, Adam Cadabra. Not the best party, to say the least. While the party is going on inside, there is a zombie apocalypse going on outside. With a limited budget, this forces Hull to work within certain confines. One of these being location. The movie is set in the office building and the exterior, with a majority being inside. With that happening, the movie has an atmosphere similar to Stephen King’s The Mist. Friends start to bicker, and enemies are easily ticked off.

With Andy set to take over as the boss of Beverly Lane, he’s still young at 26 years old, and there are people that have been working at the office for longer and resent him for this. The clowns turn out to be part of the Clown Mafia, and threaten to throw anyone out to the zombies that causes trouble, and the mime is one of them. There is a Marcia Gay Harden type of character from The Mist, a woman who tries to start a circle of people to talk about religion. Obviously, it’s more comedic than The Mist, but it works just the same. With this being a zombie movie, people are going to make stupid decisions and eventually get picked off one by one.

Beverly Lane isn’t really bringing anything new to the zombie table that we already haven’t seen before. It’s more about the execution of the material and if it can be entertaining. There are only so many times you can watch the same thing over and over. Hull brings some fresh air as the characters are likable and fun. The make-up effect might not be Tom Savini-esque, but that’s to be expected on such a limited budget. At a running time of 69 minutes, there isn’t a dull moment and it’s easy to get through.

The DVD:

The DVD is packed with extras, and that makes it worth picking up. There are outtakes, which proves that even though making a movie is a job, it can be fun at the same time. The original trailer for the movie is attached. There is also an audio commentary with writer/director Joshua Hull, producers Jim Dougherty and Matt Rich and star Noah East (Adam). These don’t make it necessarily a must own, but they are a fun part of owning the DVD.

If you are interested in picking up a copy of Beverly Lane, it can be found on the film’s official site. Keep a look out for Joshua Hull, because he is a filmmaker on the rise.

The Film: Rating:

The DVD: Rating: