Bed of the Dead (2016) aka The Dwelling

Bed of the Dead, The Dwelling (2016)
Directed by: Jeff Maher
Written by: Cody Calahan, Jeff Maher
Starring: Alysa King, Colin Price, Dennis Andres, George Krissa, Gwenlyn Cumyn

Bed of the Dead (2016)
aka The Dwelling

The title and opening of this film imply it could be a silly comedy, but this is genuinely a straight up horror about a haunted bed. That’s right! A bed is fashioned from a tree that was used to hang ne’er do well’s, in days of yore. As the opening rolls, we get to see this in action, and once the penny drops, it was hilarious. We’re even treated to some carpentry as a non descript furniture manufacturer puts together this wooden menace. Fast forward to to present day, and the haunted bed now resides in a knocking shop. Two intoxicated couples are feeling a bit kinky and decide to have a four-way in the same room as the possessed bed. Once you get on there, you’re not getting off alive!

Haunted by apparitions that only the individual person can see, the four unsuspecting horndogs start freaking out and things start to get gory, and a little bit silly. The hauntings play on each of the characters desires and fears, usually manifesting itself as a departed loved one or an opportunity to escape the dreaded bed, only for them to be cut down, in some cases literally. There’s some inventive death scenes here, harking back to the likes of A Nightmare on Elm Street, or Final Destination. Often gruesome, sometimes amusing, but more often than not rather original. The story arc is pretty good too, with a not entirely unpredictable ending, as you do see it coming, but ends up being somewhat paradoxical. The police are called to the scene of these bed deaths as the bed is set on fire, and we actually see what happens to these kinky couples in flashbacks. There’s a subplot running alongside the main story, as the investigating officer is battling his own demons. This affects his involvement in the investigation and the further he gets through the clues, the more of an interesting turn events take.

Whilst the performances and direction are pretty much what you’d expect from the genre, and a film with such a title, the practical effects are a breath of fresh air in a CGI age, and coupled with the fun fatalities the film shows, it’s an entertaining picture. The next time you visit a sex den, you may want to give the ginormous gothic bed stead a wide berth.

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