Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

Last updated

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
Dylan Dog Dead of Night poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Kevin Munroe
Written by Thomas Dean Donnelly
Joshua Oppenheimer
Based on Dylan Dog
by Tiziano Sclavi
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGeoffrey Hall
Edited by Paul Hirsch
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by Omni/Freestyle Releasing [1]
Release dates
  • March 16, 2011 (2011-03-16)(Italy) [2]
  • April 29, 2011 (2011-04-29)(United States)
Running time
108 minutes [3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million [4]
Box office$5.8 million [4]

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night is a 2011 American action horror-comedy film [5] based on Tiziano Sclavi's Italian comic book Dylan Dog , starring Brandon Routh as the antagonisted eponymous and self-aware detective who investigates cases involving the vampires, zombies, and werewolves of New Orleans. Directed by Kevin Munroe and written by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, the film co-stars Sam Huntington, Anita Briem, Peter Stormare, and Taye Diggs. The film was released by Omni/Freestyle Releasing in the United States on April 29, 2011. The film received negative reviews from critics, and was a box-office bomb after grossing just $5 million on a $20 million budget.

Contents

Plot

In New Orleans, Dylan Dog, a paranormal detective, recounts his past experiences helping people with supernatural cases until his wife was killed by vampires. He currently works on regular cases with his partner, Marcus Deckler.

When Elizabeth Ryan finds her father dead and is attacked by a strange creature, she seeks Dylan's help. Initially reluctant, Dylan changes his mind after Marcus is killed by the same creature. He begins investigating and identifies the killer as an eighteen- to nineteen-year-old werewolf from the Cysnos clan. Dylan suspects Gabriel's daughter, Mara, and visits Gabriel, an old friend. Gabriel's son, Wolfgang, attacks Dylan but is defeated.

Dylan discovers Mara's body in a warehouse and encounters a vampire. Elizabeth reveals her father's missing artifact, linking it to the vampire attacks. Dylan and Elizabeth are later attacked by vampires demanding "The Heart." They escape and continue their investigation.

At the morgue, Dylan finds Marcus turned into a zombie. Dylan takes Marcus and Elizabeth to a black market for body parts, where they learn that vampires, led by Vargas, seek "The Heart." Dylan confronts Vargas at a nightclub but gets no answers.

Dylan consults his vampire friend, Borelli, who reveals that "The Heart" is the "Heart of Belial," a relic containing the blood of an ancient monster. Dylan retrieves the relic from a vampire elder's tomb but is captured by Vargas. Vargas admits to killing Dylan's wife and takes the Heart before trapping Dylan and Marcus in a crypt.

After escaping, Dylan and Marcus pursue Vargas, who plans to turn Elizabeth into a vampire with Belial's blood. Dylan realizes Elizabeth is the true enemy and wants revenge for her father's death. He confronts her at the Corpus House and battles Belial, who possesses Vargas. Elizabeth is attacked by Wolfgang and his werewolf allies, ultimately killing her. Belial dies, leaving Vargas unconscious.

Dylan entrusts the Heart to Wolfgang and decides to revive his paranormal detective agency, partnering with Marcus once again.

Cast

Production

Screenwriters Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer initially set the film up at Dimension Films in 1998. Oppenheimer lobbied for Breck Eisner to direct, having already produced his student short film Recon. [6] The film was produced by independent film companies Platinum Studios and Hyde Park Entertainment, distributed by Freestyle Releasing, and directed by Kevin Munroe. It starred Brandon Routh, Sam Huntington, Anita Briem, Peter Stormare, and Taye Diggs. This was the second time Routh and Huntington co-starred in a film together, the previous film being Superman Returns (2006).

Release

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night was released in the United States and Canada on April 29, 2011. [7] The film was released in Italy on March 16, 2011. The world premiere took place on March 15. [8]

Reception

Box office

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night grossed $1.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $4.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $5.8 million, against a $20 million production budget. [4]

Critical response

On review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 7% based on 43 reviews, with an average rating of 3.43/10. The website's critics consensus called the film "an uninspired, feebly-acted horror/comedy that produces little scares and laughs." [9] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 31 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [10]

Luca Raffaelli of la Repubblica , said "it's a good B-movie inspired by a great top-league European comic", and pointed out that the character of Brandon Routh "is hollow" while the original comic character "uses the horror to talk about modern society's problems". [11] Roberto Castrogiovanni (www.Movieplayer.it) tries not to compare the movie to the original comic, but states that "not everything is perfect", and the biggest problem is "the original plot and the development of the screenplay": the plot is predictable, dialogues contain the usual stereotypes, and the main character is just the usual American action-man. [12] Federica Aliano (www.Film.it) heavily criticized the movie, saying "it's far worse than any bad expectation", and highlighted the big difference with the original comic: "the mature feeling of Tiziano Sclavi's masterpiece could never be achieved by using splatter and beautiful images, but by using psychological introspection and by projecting into reality the nightmares and fears of characters and readers". [13] Federico Gironi ( Coming Soon Television ) refers to the film without comparing it to the original comic, and notes many similarities with Underworld , Buffy the Vampire Slayer , and True Blood , which make the film "like baby food, good for an extremely young target [audience] without a deep critical edge", although the director "avoids disappointing the audience and gets a couple of good gags [in]". [14]

The film was also negatively received by Marco Lucio Papaleo (www.Everyeye.it), who gave it an overall score of 5 out of 10: "Technically Dylan Dog: Dead of Night is not bad, and sometimes even interesting. But it is not Dylan Dog. And even if all the names were changed, it would just be a nice movie, but actually [one] already seen and useless." [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giorgio Cavazzano</span> Italian cartoonist

Giorgio Cavazzano ; born 19 October 1947) is an Italian cartoonist, and one of the most famous Disney comics artists in the world.

<i>Dylan Dog</i> Italian horror comics series

Dylan Dog is an Italian horror comics series created by Tiziano Sclavi and published by Sergio Bonelli Editore since 1986.

<i>Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust</i> 2001 film

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a 2000 dark fantasy vampire adventure anime film produced by Madhouse, Filmlink International, BMG Japan, Movic, Good Hill Vision, and Soft Capital. It was written, directed and storyboarded by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, with Yutaka Minowa designing the characters, Yūji Ikehata serving as art director and designing the setting, and Marco D'Ambrosio composing the music. The film is based on the third novel of Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D series, Demon Deathchase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon Routh</span> American actor (b. 1979)

Brandon James Routh is an American actor. He portrayed Superman in the 2006 film Superman Returns, which garnered him international fame. In 2011, he played the title character of the film Dylan Dog: Dead of Night. He also had a recurring role in the NBC series Chuck, as Daniel Shaw. Routh also has supporting roles in the films Zack and Miri Make a Porno and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Ervin Rustemagić is a Bosnian comic book publisher, distributor, and rights agent, born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and currently based in Slovenia. He is the founder of Strip Art Features (SAF) in Sarajevo, as well as the magazine Strip Art of the former Yugoslavia. Rustemagić represents artists such as Hermann Huppen, Bane Kerac, and Joe Kubert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Huntington</span> American actor

Sam Huntington is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Josh Levison, a werewolf in the Syfy series Being Human, and for his role as Jimmy Olsen in the superhero film Superman Returns. For its two seasons from September 2015 to April 2017, Huntington had a recurring role on the Fox series Rosewood. He also played Mimi-Siku Cromwell in the Disney movie Jungle 2 Jungle. He played Ox in Not Another Teen Movie. He also had a cameo in the December 2017 USA Network TV-film Psych: The Movie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occult detective fiction</span> Crossover between mystery and horror fiction

Occult detective fiction is a subgenre of detective fiction that combines the tropes of the main genre with those of supernatural, fantasy and/or horror fiction. Unlike the traditional detective who investigates murder and other common crimes, the occult detective is employed in cases involving ghosts, demons, curses, magic, vampires, undead, monsters and other supernatural elements. Some occult detectives are portrayed as being psychic or in possession of other paranormal or magical powers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michele Soavi</span> Italian filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter

Michele Soavi, sometimes known as Michael Soavi is an Italian filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter best known for his work in the horror film genre, working alongside directors like Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Kreisberg</span>

Andrew Kreisberg is an American television writer, producer and comic book writer. He is best known as the creator of the television series The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow.

Kevin Andrew Munroe is a Canadian filmmaker and animator. His best-known work is that of writer and director of TMNT (2007).

Pirates of the Caribbean is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with Walt Disney's theme park ride of the same name, which opened at Disneyland in 1967 and was one of the last Disneyland attractions overseen by Walt Disney. Disney based the ride on pirate legends, folklore and novels, such as those by Italian writer Emilio Salgari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiziano Sclavi</span>

Tiziano Sclavi is an Italian comic book author, journalist and writer of several novels. Sclavi is most famous as creator of the comic book Dylan Dog in 1986, for Italian publishing house Sergio Bonelli Editore. More than 300 issues have appeared in the series, which has sold millions of copies. It has been in collaboration with several artists, including Claudio Villa, Corrado Roi, Gustavo Trigo, Carlo Ambrosini, Luigi Piccatto, Angelo Stano, Mike Mignola, Andrea Venturi, Giampiero Casertano and Bruno Brindisi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Platinum Studios</span> US media company

Platinum Studios, Inc. is a media company based in the United States. It controls a library of thousands of comic-book characters, which it seeks to adapt, produce, and license for all forms of media. The company has released films and/or television programming with Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, MGM, Showtime, and Lions Gate. Platinum has developed film or television with others, including Disney's 20th Century Studios, WarnerMedia's New Line Cinema and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

<i>Lastikman: Unang Banat</i> 2004 Filipino film

Mars Ravelo's Lastikman: Unang Banat, or simply Lastikman: Unang Banat, is a 2004 Philippine superhero film based on the comic book character Lastikman, directed by Mac Alejandre and written by RJ Nuevas. It stars Mark Bautista, Sarah Geronimo, Cherie Gil, John Estrada, Danilo Barrios, Elizabeth Oropesa, Joel Torre, Mark Gil, Bearwin Meily, and Tuesday Vargas. The film was released through Viva Films on December 25, 2004, as part of the 30th Metro Manila Film Festival. The subheading is a pun that can mean First Strike or First Stretch

The demon Belial, or characters named for him, have appeared in many examples of modern culture. This is distinct from medieval culture and Milton where Belial was related to the character in Jewish sources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horror comics</span> Comic book genre

Horror comics are comic books, graphic novels, black-and-white comics magazines, and manga focusing on horror fiction. In the US market, horror comic books reached a peak in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, when concern over content and the imposition of the self-censorship Comics Code Authority contributed to the demise of many titles and the toning down of others. Black-and-white horror-comics magazines, which did not fall under the Code, flourished from the mid-1960s through the early 1980s from a variety of publishers. Mainstream American color comic books experienced a horror resurgence in the 1970s, following a loosening of the Code. While the genre has had greater and lesser periods of popularity, it occupies a firm niche in comics as of the 2010s.

<i>Midnight Son</i> 2011 American film

Midnight Son is a 2011 vampire horror film written and directed by Scott Leberecht, produced by Matt Compton, and starring Zak Kilberg. A trailer was released late October 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paola Barbato</span> Italian writer of comics and novels

Paola Barbato is an Italian writer of comics and novels. She is part of the writing staff of the Italian comic book Dylan Dog, published by Sergio Bonelli Editore.

The International Cartoonists Exhibition is an annual art exhibition held in Rapallo, Liguria, Italy. Founded in 1972, it was one of the earliest Italian exhibitions devoted to comics. Conceived in order to popularize and increase the importance of work done by comic authors, it was the first exhibition of its kind to display original artwork. It is one of the few comics-related activities to have been founded and always directed by professional authors of the field, beginning with Carlo Chendi, an Italian cartoonist and Disney Italy screenwriter and the cartoonists Luciano Bottaro and Giorgio Rebuffi, who founded the Studio Bierreci; other collaborators include the restaurateur Fausto Oneto, the designer Enrico Macchiavello and the official site's owner, Davide Caci.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "1". The Numbers . Nash Information Services. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  2. "Dylan Dog: anticipata l'uscita italiana!". Everyeye.it. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  3. "DYLAN DOG - DEAD OF NIGHT (15)". British Board of Film Classification . June 17, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.[ dead link ]
  4. 1 2 3 Dylan Dog: Dead of Night at Box Office Mojo
  5. "DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF NIGHT (2011)". American Film Institute .
  6. Roman, Monica (February 8, 1998). "Eisner sets three-pack of features". Variety. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  7. Kit, Borys (March 1, 2011). "'Dylan Dog: Dead of Night' Release Date Set". The Hollywood Reporter .
  8. Rizzo, Marco (March 16, 2011). "Dylan Dog: Dead of Night".
  9. Dylan Dog: Dead of Night at Rotten Tomatoes
  10. "Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2002)". Metacritic . Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  11. "Dylan Dog, un'occasione sprecata". La Repubblica. March 15, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  12. Roberto Castrogiovanni (March 15, 2011). "Dylan l'ammazzavampiri". Movieplayer.it. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  13. Federica Aliano (March 16, 2011). film.it (ed.). "Un pasticcio emo e adolescenziale, difficile da definire. Lento e noioso, oltre che sciocco" . Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  14. Federico Gironi (March 15, 2011). "Dylan Dog - la recensione del film". Comingsoon.it. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  15. Marco Lucio Papaleo (March 16, 2011). "Dylan Dog - Il Film - Recensione". Everyeye.it. Retrieved March 17, 2011.