Dead Rising: Watchtower Is Not Deep, But It’s Fun [Tubi Horror Review]

Genre – Horror
Director – Zach Lipovsky
Writer – Tim Carter
Cast – Jesse Metcalfe, Dennis Haysbert, Virginia Madsen, Meghan Ory, Keegan Connor Tracy, and Rob Riggle
Runtime – 118 Minutes
My Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½☆☆☆

Watch/Stream Dead Rising: Watchtower on Tubi for free

If you know anything about me, you will know I like watching low budget trashy horror films, for some of dumb fun and good to put on when I want to turn my brain off. and Tubi is the perfect platform to find them.

So I will be doing mini reviews, well more statements, about these films, much shorter than my other reviews, and my ratings for the films will generally be based on how much fun they are in a trashy dumb way, because not many of them are actually good in the objective sense.

All my Tubi horror film reviews

Dead Rising: Watchtower

Dead Rising: Watchtower follows freelance reporter Chase Carter as he investigates a new zombie outbreak in East Mission, Oregon, after the government’s Zombrex vaccine proves ineffective, who teams with survivors, including Crystal and grieving mother Maggie, to uncover a conspiracy by the military, and must fight hordes of zombies and escape before the city is bombed.

My Thoughts

Pretty Fun

It was certainly more fun than I thought it would be, with ridiculous weapons, messy zombie fights, and just about enough humor.

Small budget, big energy

The energy and creativity make up for what it lacks in polish.

Chase carries the chaos

Jesse Metcalfe’s Chase Carter is a cocky, likable lead.

Crystal brings the heart

Meghan Ory’s Crystal is tough, believable, and the one you root for when things go bad.

Dynamic duo

Metcalfe and Ory’s banter and teamwork keep the movie fun even when the story dips.

Supporting cast

Keegan Connor Tracy’s Jordan adds sarcasm and bite. Virginia Madsen’s tragic Maggie brings pathos, while Aleks Paunovic’s Logan is gleefully unhinged.

Great action for the budget

Zombie kills are creative and gory, and the “DIY weapon” setups works better than it should, really.

Camera work stumbles

Some weird POV shots and weapon-cam moments break feel a bit too gimmicky.

Clunky story setup

The “flash-forward” opening felt unnecessary.

Overlong ending

Logan’s return fight at the end kills some momentum, and while the first showdown was satisfying, the second feels like filler.

Frank West cameo rules

Rob Riggle is hilarious as Frank West, and his commentary adds meta humor and ties it directly to the games.

Self-aware tone

The movie never pretends to be serious horror, and too many of these type of films make that mistake.

Not deep, but fun

It’s messy, uneven, and loud, and it’s the kind of movie you throw on for some zombie chaos.

Final Thoughts on Dead Rising: Watchtower

Dead Rising: Watchtower is fast, funny, and full of creative kills, and it was more entertaining than I thought it would be.

Just some good dumb fun.

Final Score: 6.5 out of 10
UP: Fun tone, creative kills, Frank West cameo, strong leads, solid humor
DOWN: Awkward camera tricks, stretched ending, weak opening setup, uneven pacing

Dead Rising: Watchtower Trailer

Simon Leasher

A lover of cinema for over 35 years, I have watched many films from around the world in many different genres, yet I still normally always come back to trashy slasher horror films when in doubt. More

And yes, The Godfather 2 is better than The Godfather.