Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

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Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

PG

1972

1h 25m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

50%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

41%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A director (Alan Ormsby), his wife (Anya Ormsby) and a troupe call up the dead, starting with a corpse named Orville.

Jeremiah Kipp

Slant Magazine

Sep 29, 2007

1/4

Clark's first film is memorable only for its catchy title.

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Rosie Fletcher

Radio Times

Dec 17, 2025

3/5

A curio, then, that's worth checking out for its place in the horror pantheon, rather than entertainment value alone.

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Lindsay Costello

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Dec 20, 2024

The film's lo-fi aesthetics and underground college project feel would be forgivable if it weren't so damn boring—it's a zombie film that takes forever to come to life.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Mar 31, 2023

3/5

...the shocks and scares are as raw as the outre fashions…

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James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

Mar 27, 2023

3/4

the first half is structured as a kind of lumbering black comedy before the ghouls are unleashed, which, despite the general amateurishness of the production, pack quite a punch

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Feb 15, 2023

2.5/4

The dialogue whiplashes between amusing quips and (mostly) leaden chitchat. But the final act, a full-fledged rip-off of Night of the Living Dead, is effectively staged.

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Rui F

@RuiOfTheDead May 13, 2026

CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS (1972) relies on verbal sparring to keep things moving while the dead remain buried, taking far too long to awaken them. And when it finally does, it lacks the intensity needed to justify the wait, despite some impressive makeup effects for its time.

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George M

@Milkyway Aug 3, 2025

I can't believe the director and writer did the supremely better horror film Dead of Night/Deathdream. This is how Night of the Living Dead would have ended up had George Romero been a crackhead. Boring until the end and then the terrible direction and tepid makeup takes any fun out of it. Waste of time.

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Jeepers C

@RT12312147 Jun 19, 2025

All I can say in my defense for movies like this, is that it's an acquired taste. The bad acting, plus the zombies. I love these movies.

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Horror fan 4

@Horrorfan4life Jun 5, 2025

This is enjoyable to watch for the horror parts of the movie but the comedy is lacking. The last 30 minutes of the movie is what saves this from being terrible. This would've been better just as a horror movie. Tim Treakle

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NONBELIEVER

@BLOODRUNS Apr 17, 2024

One of the most underrated horror movies ever made.

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Steve D

@RT35616104 Aug 2, 2023

Dated but shows signs of the directors talent.

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Bob Clark

Director

Alan Ormsby

Alan

Anya Ormsby

Anya

Jane Daly

Terry

Valerie Mamches

Val

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Jeff

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Synopsis

A director (Alan Ormsby), his wife (Anya Ormsby) and a troupe call up the dead, starting with a corpse named Orville.

Director: Bob Clark
Producer: Bob Clark, Gary Goch
Screenwriter: Bob Clark, Alan Ormsby
Production Co: Brandywine Motionarts Films
Rating: PG
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 9, 1972, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 3, 2016
Runtime: 1h 25m

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