Almost Dead (1994) Poster

(1994)

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5/10
Fun If Forgettable Thriller
ladymidath4 April 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I love these Lifetime thrillers, they are a guilty pleasure of mine. Add Shannen Doherty and I am there.

This was a paint-by-the-numbers thriller that involves a dead mother who is seemingly haunting her daughter. Throw in a surly cop, Costas Mandylor and a creepy barkeeper, John Diehl and you have a good movie. Not great, but good.

The plot chugged a long nicely but there were few scares and even though I did not see the twist at the end, it was clear that there was no ghost. Well until the very end scene anyway.

This is not a particularly memorable film, but it is a good way to spend a hour or so if you want something that's not too taxing on the brain.
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1/10
Completely ridiculous!!!
infoscamp24 July 2005
Completely ridiculous!!! Shannon Doherty is supposedly being stalked by the corpse of her dead mother, but as if that's not strange enough, the odd part is she doesn't seem remotely surprised or upset that a dead person is after her. At one point, she is actually buried alive on top of her dead mother's cadaver, and she behaves as if this event is barely out of the ordinary. The most annoying part is the final few minutes. The film has tried to be a true horror story, then tries to give a reasonable non-supernatural explanation for what went on, but then ends with a scene that is supposed to be both supernatural and comic - completely alien to the rest of the film! Ugh!
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3/10
I shall defer to the wisdom of the esteemed Dr. Doherty
daviddeep15 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Although previous posters have correctly identified this movie as a sub-B quality piece of junk, it cannot be completely dismissed without reference to a few of its off-kilter treats.

For example:

1. A tough, misunderstood "good cop" (played woodenly by fellow "Charmed" alum, Costas Mandylor) who spends time hanging out in a holding cell trying to impersonate a prisoner, and mumbles such memorable lines as, "This gun can kill anything -- alive or dead!"

2. A hunchbacked bartender/sidekick (what were the writers thinking??) who enjoys watching Shannen Doherty as she sleeps, makes her breakfast, then tells her fake stories about murder, disease, and his imaginary ex-wife's fondness for fine bedding.

3. An inexplicable throwaway scene in which Doherty's boyfriend (William R. Moses) is psychoanalyzing Mikhail Gorbachev as he reclines on the stereotypical couch!

4. Exhumed corpses that disappear, then sometimes reappear, with no relationship whatsoever to the plot of the film.

5. Perhaps the world's worst-ever funeral muu-muu as worn by the mother of Doherty's character. Who would allow a beloved relative to be buried in that?

6. Shannen Doherty as a psychology professor/research scientist?? 'Nuff said!!
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Should have died before release
ami-1226 November 2000
This movie is very, very silly. No plot, inadequate special effects and mediocre acting. It may have served a purpose as a vehicle for Shannon Doherty's career, but what an actor of the calibre of Billy Moses was doing in it, I'll never understand. Not worth the rental.
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3/10
Not "movie award" material but still:)
Dotaz8 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Yes I know - this is not a great high class movie but it is one of scariest things you can watch if you are in right age (my first when I was in my 6-10 years young...the lady "almost ghost" scared a hell out of me and I saw her every time I closed my eyes back in days:) And second thing is a good soundtrack in this movie...so overall I think if you will watch it just like horror movie during night you wont be disappointed...But once you will start think about the whole plot construction you may find yourself at least confused :D Points out of 10: 1 for overall quality, 1 for soundtrack and 1 because I still feel nostalgic about it:) Wow, this is just my second review and I realized that to fill 10 lines is not that easy:)
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1/10
Almost Dead and fully awful
zeppo-26 February 2005
They seemed to make this up as they went along, as the plot or what passed for one, just rambled on to the predictable ending. Doherty plays a psychiatrist who must have got her qualifications based on how short a skirt she could wear. For a professional career woman she doesn't have the sense to realise it's a good idea to wear a raincoat while walking round a cemetery at night when it's pouring with rain!

Helping her in this sad affair is a cop with an 'attitude.' Well, there's something you don't often see in films...a cop with an 'attitude,' and would you believe it? He also doesn't go by the book and plays by his own rules...how original....not.

Mandylor as the cop in question must have also got his qualifications by how much he could act the part by trying to be Sly Stallone as 'Rocky.'

This film isn't even entertaining as a 'so-bad-it's-good' picture, it's just bland and mediocre and the two leads are uninteresting as characters. Only the hunchbacked bar owner shows any sign of character and he isn't around for very long.

The conclusion to the 'mystery' becomes pretty obvious to viewers early on but it takes forever for the cast to figure it out. This type of story has been done so much better before in other films or TV detective shows and this is only worth watching if you want something to help you sleep at night.
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8/10
Plot - no!Scary - yes!
retwerts12 August 2008
Yeah,this movie isn't something special.The acting is not very good,the plot either.But for a true horror fan,that some times doesn't matter.The ghost of the mother is scary as hell!If you watch the movie late at night and don't care much about the acting or etc. of the movie then it should be very terrifying!

If you want to be scared watch the movie but don't expect a masterpiece.If you want to see a masterpiece don't watch the movie.It's very simple.But remember:you only watch horror films during night.

So in conclusion:If you like scary horror movies watch this late at night and you will be satisfy.If you don't like these film and you expect something like a plot ,good acting or something like that-skip that one!
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Are you serious?
guilfisher-115 March 2007
I agree with all comments on this loser. I laughed through all of it. A real campy melodrama. Ruben Preuss must have had his eyes closed throughout the directing of this. Could he not see the stupidity of the story, characters and plot? Then to top it off having Barbie look alike, Shannen Doherty, try to act. Playing a professional psychologist/teacher, she walks around in a white suit through most of the film with a low cut neckline exposing the right amount of lace undergarment and cut up to the kazoo. In distance shots with her lab coat, also cut up to the kazoo, she appears to not have a dress on allowing her legs to be exposed and her high spike shoes. Tell me what professional person do you see walking around like that? Most other hospital personnel wear long coats and slacks. So much for our leading lady who can't act her way out of a paper bag. Then we have her leading man, played on one note by Costos Mandylor, who manages to do nothing. In one fight scene, he's instantly knocked out while our petite leading karate chops the villains down. Laugh laugh laugh! Even with stalwart actors with the likes of William Moses and John Diehl can't save this bomb. It's the kind of movie you can change channels on and come back later and see the same thing. Nothing!
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10/10
Run-of-the-mill silly psycho thriller with extra eeriness added
Homme26 September 1998
The movie in itself isn't particularly special, just the average mumbo-jumbo mish-mash of psychology, occultism, crime and horror. There are dozens and dozens of such movies around, with nice graphics, spooky effects, thrilling soundtracks, silly plots and goofy dialogue: if you like the genre, you'll like this one too. However, this one comes with a bonus: the acting. It's *so* bland, *so* devoid of appropriate emotions, that the movie acquires a kind of "dreamlike" undertone. Hard to describe, but definitely entertaining!
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No, really, it's dead.
imdb-300110 January 2004
I thought they were playing it camp.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 rolls really bad movies and has those 2 robots kibitz and make fun of the movie as it plays.

This movie is just like that - without the very funny robots.
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10/10
Childhood nightmare
Rade00725 January 2024
I remember when I was a kid, I saw this film for the first time on montenegrin national television (RTCG 2). I remember every detail, the whole living room, my sister and mother were there with me and we watched it together. My sister and I was so scared and we had nigtmares about Katherine's mother. I'm not a kid anymore, but I actually took a long time to re-watch this film again. And about 25 years later I decide to watch it again. It's not the best movie ever made, but it definitelly have some soul and it will always be special to me. That was Shannen's first movie role after Beverly Hills.
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