The Laughing Dead
1989·Horror·1h 31m
7.1
★
A busload of travelers and their disgraced priest tour guide, on the hunt for Aztec ruins, decide to stop in a Mexican village on the eve of the Day of the Dead. Unbeknownst to them, a local doctor plans to begin a diabolical ritual intended to bring about Hell on Earth.
Directed by Somtow Sucharitkul
mad doctor
zombie
demon
demonic possession
catholic priest
spiritual retreat
topos azteca
nightmares
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Cast
Somtow Sucharitkul
Dr. Um-tzec
Forrest J. Ackerman
Corpse #1
Michel Bustamante
Boy in Graveyard
George Salazar
Estrada
Richard Pena
Player #3
Crew
Somtow Sucharitkul
Director
Somtow Sucharitkul
Writer
Somtow Sucharitkul
Original Music Composer
David Boyd
Director of Photography
Somtow Sucharitkul
Executive Producer
Michael Deak
Associate Producer
John Carl Buechler
Special Effects Makeup Artist
Randall Newsome
Second Assistant Director
Mark Riccardi
Stunt Coordinator
Popular Reviews
3 reviews
The
7.0★ · 10/28/25
Well, that’s some interesting cultural appropriation.
Goofy buffet of gore, possession, zombies, monsters, specters, ancient deities, and basketball. Doesn’t quite achieve all that it could’ve and the tone is in the yuks and yucks vein of 80s horror comedies, including a foul mouthed kid. Still, it’s fun. It’s a Buechler!
Also, learning from the BTS doc that everyone in the movie is a sci-fi writer. Like there’s only a few actors in it. It was for sure worth getting the disk to see the transportation coordinator, hear the connection to Charlie Band, and get a sense of the scrappy fun that went into making this movie.
Goofy buffet of gore, possession, zombies, monsters, specters, ancient deities, and basketball. Doesn’t quite achieve all that it could’ve and the tone is in the yuks and yucks vein of 80s horror comedies, including a foul mouthed kid. Still, it’s fun. It’s a Buechler!
Also, learning from the BTS doc that everyone in the movie is a sci-fi writer. Like there’s only a few actors in it. It was for sure worth getting the disk to see the transportation coordinator, hear the connection to Charlie Band, and get a sense of the scrappy fun that went into making this movie.
Well, that’s some interesting cultural appropriation.
Goofy buffet of gore, possession, zombies, monsters, specters, ancient deities, and basketball. Doesn’t quite achieve all that it could’ve and the tone is in the yuks and yucks vein of 80s horror comedies, including a foul mouthed kid. Still, it’s fun. It’s a Buechler!
Also, learning from the BTS doc that everyone in the movie is a sci-fi writer. Like there’s only a few actors in it. It was for sure worth getting the disk to see the transportation coordinator, hear the connection to Charlie Band, and get a sense of the scrappy fun that went into making this movie.
Goofy buffet of gore, possession, zombies, monsters, specters, ancient deities, and basketball. Doesn’t quite achieve all that it could’ve and the tone is in the yuks and yucks vein of 80s horror comedies, including a foul mouthed kid. Still, it’s fun. It’s a Buechler!
Also, learning from the BTS doc that everyone in the movie is a sci-fi writer. Like there’s only a few actors in it. It was for sure worth getting the disk to see the transportation coordinator, hear the connection to Charlie Band, and get a sense of the scrappy fun that went into making this movie.
Cinergy
4.0★ · 02/11/22
Watched the Vinegar Syndrome 4k remaster
You know how a person who overly fetishes particular elements of Japanese media and entertainment is called a weeaboo? This movie deserves recognition as the first major reversal of that. Director SP Somtow is a Thai/American citizen, but this movie shows a deep fascination with Mexican and Aztec culture. Normally I'd be interested by cross cultural filmmaking, but like the white guy who goes to Akihabara in a kimono and samurai top knot, this film fetishes the history and culture in a way that is entirely not self aware. After our menagerie of white tourists are picked up and taken to Mexico, not a single Latin person seems to be featured on camera. Even our "Aztec" characters seem to be bad tans on white and Japanese actors, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
The remaster itself is pretty crisp, adding a nice level of color and visual fidelity to the film, for those more interested in the restoration quality.
You know how a person who overly fetishes particular elements of Japanese media and entertainment is called a weeaboo? This movie deserves recognition as the first major reversal of that. Director SP Somtow is a Thai/American citizen, but this movie shows a deep fascination with Mexican and Aztec culture. Normally I'd be interested by cross cultural filmmaking, but like the white guy who goes to Akihabara in a kimono and samurai top knot, this film fetishes the history and culture in a way that is entirely not self aware. After our menagerie of white tourists are picked up and taken to Mexico, not a single Latin person seems to be featured on camera. Even our "Aztec" characters seem to be bad tans on white and Japanese actors, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
The remaster itself is pretty crisp, adding a nice level of color and visual fidelity to the film, for those more interested in the restoration quality.
Watched the Vinegar Syndrome 4k remaster
You know how a person who overly fetishes particular elements of Japanese media and entertainment is called a weeaboo? This movie deserves recognition as the first major reversal of that. Director SP Somtow is a Thai/American citizen, but this movie shows a deep fascination with Mexican and Aztec culture. Normally I'd be interested by cross cultural filmmaking, but like the white guy who goes to Akihabara in a kimono and samurai top knot, this film fetishes the history and culture in a way that is entirely not self aware. After our menagerie of white tourists are picked up and taken to Mexico, not a single Latin person seems to be featured on camera. Even our "Aztec" characters seem to be bad tans on white and Japanese actors, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
The remaster itself is pretty crisp, adding a nice level of color and visual fidelity to the film, for those more interested in the restoration quality.
You know how a person who overly fetishes particular elements of Japanese media and entertainment is called a weeaboo? This movie deserves recognition as the first major reversal of that. Director SP Somtow is a Thai/American citizen, but this movie shows a deep fascination with Mexican and Aztec culture. Normally I'd be interested by cross cultural filmmaking, but like the white guy who goes to Akihabara in a kimono and samurai top knot, this film fetishes the history and culture in a way that is entirely not self aware. After our menagerie of white tourists are picked up and taken to Mexico, not a single Latin person seems to be featured on camera. Even our "Aztec" characters seem to be bad tans on white and Japanese actors, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
The remaster itself is pretty crisp, adding a nice level of color and visual fidelity to the film, for those more interested in the restoration quality.
Jesse Moynan
9.9★ · 01/02/24