when it come to those eerie and uncanny little crime film and the sort that revolve around character that be border on scum and inhabit equally scummy surroundings and and additionally carry that waver and bleak feel thanks to some pretty grotty cinematography and some very black comedy while dead body be the sort of film paul mcguigan wish he could make . ala and the maddening and sporadic gangster no . 1 as well a the equally all over the shop and but interesting exercise in surrealism mixed with realism and effort entitle the acid house be the only one of his we have get to go on so far . dead body be robert quinn piece base on a derek landy script and a film that straddle the line between psychological horror and neo noir while intermingle element of crime and terror with theme link to morality and unnatural and obsessive disorder . mcguigan british base crime effort carry that wavy and distorted feel and like witness somebody nightmare and have front row seat in the process . his film be able to disgust be some area and amuse in others what with their outlandish and all over the place approach . they carry a very dream like sensibility despite be ground in a very realistic and down trodden and grimy look world the real world with as much an emphasis on the horror and the terror of the situation his character spawn than anything else . dead body be a film that tackle both some pretty harrowing character drive situation as well a a brief inclusion of a study of a delicate psychological mindset and only here and the film balance both the eccentricity of it character while the terror of the scenario they find themselves in and the question of morality that arise much well . dead body be effective and rather simplistic without ever feel like manipulative . it suggestive and know tendency to want to hammer home exactly what people be think and feeling do not detract from the experience . early on and we meet tommy mcgann ( scott ) and a young lad whose girlfriend jean ( davis ) dominate him and his life and the screen whenever she on for the brief time that she be . the point a to the fact his situation of living in a less than desirable house while with a job stack shelf and a partner he doesn not get on with at all well be put across in a distinct manner . a be the manner in which the audience be give distinct permission to dislike jean what with the bratty and spoilt and expectant attitude she so clearly possesses . later on the film will linger and rather obviously and on a police officer face a suspicion and tension rise in what be clearly a cheap and easy way to tell the watching audience that our hero be not quite out of trouble just yet . but compare this to gangster no . 1 and in which such be the episodic and misguided approach mcguigan applies to the material while that a vital and vital plot point arises when a character be spot leave a building by someone else out on a random drive in a scene set several month after the previous one . the feeling isn not a ground nor fulfilling . dead body set up be dominate by kay davis jean while a would be femme fatale just itch to pick a fight of some sort but just not really be able to find one . she have lead tommy jump through ring while go there and do this and that without tommy ever really react in the manner he could and principally because he be control by her promise of sex . the beginning build a certain amount of tension because of tommy underplayed reaction to what go on and it culminate in a distinct release when the initial incident happens and and jean dy . if the set up be simple enough then that one thing and but the pinch of the project be the manner in which tommy decides to rid jean of his hand by bury her without inform anyone of her death bar a best friend . thing tighten when it transpire there be a second dead body in the exact same place tommy bury jean and with suspicion and denial and general trouble the all round ingredient of the day . it be at this point the film blur the line between noir and horror while indeed tommy inhabits rather a large and ominous and spooky and even gothic house which he share with an elder relative whom inhabit the upper area of say house . this evokes memory of hitchcock 1960 film psycho and bates set up that he have with his mother and and where she position . it be additionally no coincidence this would be place of horror be the set for jean unfortunate demise . the placing of a dead body right in the hand of the hapless and male lead in order for it to act a the initial incident be a classic set up for any noir while from ulmer 1945 film detour right up to a more recent and and more contemporary compare to dead body and 2006 film entitle big nothing . what this film unfold into and be a twisted while rather unpredictable and quite frightening tale of genre hybridity and mind game tell under a palette of distinctly drain visuals . the voice over and the treading on the fine line that the lead do for most of the film between right and wrong aid in push it into a realm of the neo noir while if we consider the fact that the lead be and essentially and innocent and his murder charge be unfair then that one thing and but his attitude towards jean initially saw him act without thought and his cover up of her death be the anti thesis for drop the murder charge . dead body be taught while entertain to watch without ever feel exploitative and provide a consistent tone for the rather nasty physical and psychological content be explore .