One of the best things about last March's South By Southwest Film Festival was that I got to hang out with a bunch of Cinematipals like Kim, Erik, Pete, Jette, Snider and Gene ... and one of the best times we had together was during the world premiere midnight screening of Gregg Bishop's Dance of the Dead. It certainly helped that we were chilling at the Alamo Drafthouse, but the flick should play well in traditional cinemas as well.

Which brings me to the point: According to a recent press release, Dance of the Dead is now co-owned by the horror-lovin' Lionsgate and Sam Raimi's Ghost House outfit. I'll leave the specifics for the after-the-jump press release, but suffice to say that Dance of the Dead is sort of like George Romero meets John Hughes. (Read Peter's review here and mine right here.) Congrats to the Dance gang for snagging a pair of partners who actually specialize in high-quality indie-style horror stuff. (And while you freaks are waiting for Dance of the Dead to hit your town, feel free to rent Bishop's first flick. It's called The Other Side and (after watching it) you wouldn't believe how much it cost to make.

An unapologetically funny, gooey, gory, silly, slathering bloodfeast, Dance of the Dead is a full-bore party movie. If the idea of rocket-launched zombies rioting in an apocalyptic graveyard doesn't make you giggle, there is no hope for you.

The ideal setting to watch the movie was probably the world premiere at SXSW on Sunday night, where countless members of the cast and crew were in attendance, copious amounts of beer and other adult beverages were consumed, and the energy level remained on overkill throughout. (It made such a deep impression that my colleagues Scott Weinberg, Eric D. Snider, and Kim Voynar have already posted about it.) Even so, in the quiet of the (second) morning after, I'm convinced that Dance of the Dead delivers on what it sets out to do. There is no pretense of social relevance and no hint of talking down to the audience. Director Gregg Bishop (The Other Side) and writer Joe Ballarini simply want horror fans to have a good time.