I Sell the Dead

Glenn McQuaid was fascinated as a child by British horror costume films made by Amicus Films and Hammer Films, in which genre stars such as Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing were gloriously sanguine. This début can also be regarded as a homage to these production houses.
I Sell the Dead is a genuine buddy movie, but then about grave robbers, body snatchers and living dead. The story is situated on the misty and grimy 19th-century British Isles. Thanks to McQuaid’s background in post-production and special effects, the fact that this low-budget film was shot on location around New York cannot be seen.
Partly because of the comic-strip adaptation of his story (made by Brahm Revel) McQuaid attracted a star cast. Ron Perlman (The Name of the Rose, Hellboy) is on fine form as a very unconventional priest and Dominic Monaghan, well known as Charlie from the TV series Lost, plays the sympathetic body snatcher Arthur.
When Arthur waits in a dark dungeon for the execution of his sentence, he receives a visit from Father Duffy. Arthur’s buddy Willie ended on the scaffold and he awaits the same fate. So it’s high time to confess to Father Duffy. While enjoying a bottle of whisky, Arthur describes with delight how the business of grave robbing works. Father Duffy is extremely interested, especially in the part about bringing the dead back to life… (EH)