Scary Tales: Dead Zone is a 2023 American sci-fi horror anthology film about a strange man who tells creepy stories to a stranded couple.
The movie is the third entry in Geno McGahee‘s Scary Tales franchise following Scary Tales (2014) and Scary Tales: Last Stop (2015). This movie was followed by Scary Tales: Dark Walker (2024).
Written, directed and co-produced by Geno McGahee (director of Deadly Western; Rise of the Scarecrows: Hell on Earth; Sickle aka Amityville: The Final Chapter; Satanic Meat Cleaver Massacre; Halloween Tales; writer of Amityville Cop).
Also produced by Rick Caride, Gregory Hatanaka, Matthew Hebert and Eric Michaelian.
Plot:
An arguing couple on a drive ends up lost deep in the woods. When their car runs out of gas, they are forced to walk and discover a house in the middle of nowhere.
Inside, a strange man with an interesting past has some tales to tell but the creatures in the stories won’t stay on the paper. From the Muffin Man to aliens, a world of horror comes to life and there is no way out of the dead zone…
Reviews:
“An intriguing low-budget indie anthology that does have some likable factors alongside some big issues, this is decidedly fine for what it is but those issues cause it to never be much more than that. This is mainly for the most hardcore anthology fans or those who appreciate this kind of indie genre effort while most others who don’t enjoy these factors should heed caution.” Don’s World of Horror and Exploitation
“Their acting sets the tone of what to expect throughout the whole film and it isn’t positive […] This is so painfully amateur that I really wonder how it made its way onto digital […] 83 minutes of time you won’t get back […] On the plus side, they must’ve had fun since there was no pressure to produce anything good.” 2.2 out of 10, Jackmeats Flix
“Whilst the film suffers from some amateurish performances, Scary Tales: Dead Zone’s biggest issue is that the stories within the anthology and the very wraparound itself feel like ideas that haven’t been totally fleshed out – as if the premise was developed but no one could come up with any truly satisfying conclusions.” ★★ Nerdly
YouTube reviews:
Trailer:
Free to watch online on YouTube [plus previous two movies]:
Release:
Scary Tales: Dead Zone is available to watch for free on Tubi.
More Geno McGahee movies:
RISE OF THE SCARECROWS: HELL ON EARTH Reviews with teaser trailer
SICKLE aka AMITYVILLE: THE FINAL CHAPTER Reviews and overview
Cast and characters:
Lorrie Bacon … Allison; Rick Caride … First Man; Mark Carter … Wes; Phil Godeck … Banker; Matthew Hebert … Second Man; Oselito Joseph … Captain; Rita Maria … Michelle
Adriana Medina … Sara; Gabbi Mendelsohn … Anne; Eric Michaelian … Slate; Brent Northup … Ben; Cayla Pike … First Alien; Danell Reese … Guy; Enoc Rodriguez; Nick Sheldon … Williams; Chris Spinelli … Jay; Jesse Waegelein-Hall … Sarah; Pawel Watracz … Rufus; Shauna Wilson … Olivia
