Movie Review - Train To Busan

Train To Busan

2016

The Cast

I had this movie sitting on my "YouView" box for quite a few months, even though I had been originally excited that Film4 had decided to air this "little" Korean gem of a horror movie. There had been rave reviews and more than a slight "buzz" about the picture. The trouble with me is that I've been let down by hyped movies before - The Blair Witch Project, a major case by example. Another trouble is my own little foibles. I don't want to be reading subtitles when I'm tired (and I do so love to watch horror flicks after the sun has set with the lights low... or off!) and I cannot stand dubbed films (too many Jackie Chan movies in my youth...). So one night, not so very long ago I was feeling awake enough to read a movie so I hit play on "Train To Busan"...

By the time the end credits rolled I was amped up and wide awake. This is one hell of a rollercoaster ride of a movie and one hell of a tangle of modern-day lives story. This is not your basic Zombie flick.

You start out really slowly and pretty sedated. A farmer is on his way to the market when his van is stopped by men in hazmat suits. These tell him that there's nothing to worry about. There has been a slight leak at a chemical plant. After quickly decontaminating his vehicle they send him on his way... unluckily for the dear he runs down and kills. More angry at damaging his van than killing a dear he drives away leaving the carcass in the road... yeah... you know what's going to happen. Sure enough, the dead animal thrashes about and shakily gets to its feet... with a dead look in its eyes...

Even though this section only takes a few minutes it's one of the most superbly shot sequences I've seen in a movie. The director Yeon Sang Ho manipulates each set perfectly give the audience a creepily eerie atmosphere, which did start the shivers running up and down my spine. For that I thank them... it's been a long time since that's happened. There's nice steady sweeping camera pans. Effortlessly worked lighting. Superb control of sound... or lack of it. Even better is that all of this artwork and skill doesn't stop here it runs throughout the whole movie. It screams skill and class
.

Then the writers, Park Joo Suk and Yeon Sang Ho, get to work weaving together tales of modern-day living. The main characters are Seok-Woo (Gong Yoo) and his daughter Soo-Ann (Kim Su An). He is a busy, work-comes-first-to-support-family guy who was already lost his wife to divorce and is now bringing up Soo-Ann, with the help of his mother. Soo-Ann is a young child who doesn't understand or appreciate her father's outlook on life. All she knows is that she doesn't see either him or her mother as much as she wants or should. She wants more time with both of her parents. So, on her birthday, after her dad buys her a repeat present (who doesn't need two Nintendo Wii's(?)) she gets him to promise to take her to see her mum for her real present. As is the usual case it's Su-An Kim's performance that steals the show - and this is as it should be.

This then brings them into contact with Sang-Hwa (Ma Dong Seok) and his very expectant wife Seong-Kyeong (Jung Yu Mi). Sang-Hwa and Seok-Woo do not get on at all and it's this juxtaposition in ideals and prerogatives that add more depth to the story; especially when they have to work together to survive the train ride. It's Seong-Kyeong that provides the glue to their relationship.

Add to this a mysterious homeless man (Choi Gwi Hwa), a couple of romantic teens getting to grips with their feelings towards each other - Yong-Guk (Choi Woo Sic) and Jin-Hee (Sohee), and officious self-centred train manager Yon-Suk (Kim Eui Sung), you have a set of characters which can create some volatile or sentimental storylines... and this is before we get to the best Zombies... EVER!

One of my favourite zombie flicks is Return Of The Living Dead. Two of the reasons were the zombies - they were dead and very icky (most were skinless)... and they were fast. The brain-eating buggers didn't shamble after you. And you have the same here. Though these dead aren't so skinless they are damned fast and furious.

This adds to some pretty spectacular action scenes in the movie which Yuen Sang Ho directs magnificently. But, whereas, most directors would opt for action over horror and story Yuen is proficient in all styles. The scenes where the dead reanimate are both startling, invigorating, eerie, and full of style and strength.

This is a tour-de-force of filmmaking, let alone horror filmmaking. Everything in this movie is excellent, from the story to the acting to the directing. This was nearly a 10 out of 10, however, because some of the scenes get a little cheesy or stereotypical (for me) I rated it a little less.

To all movie fans out there and horror fans alike - this is a must watch movie.

I give this movie a Ferocious Bite Of Excellency of 9.75 out of 10.

The Trailer

This is the dubbed English trailer and shows how a film can suffer with voice overs.  This is now the reason I watch subtitled movies.

Here's the subtitled version.  Amazing how much better it already appears in its natural language and voices.

Movie Review - Hellraiser: Judgement

Hellraiser:  Judgement

2018

The Cast

Oh, My God!  They just keep getting worse... and worse...

Can we please have a decent story writer and director give the fans a decent story, one that will do Barker's vision credit(?)  

This story has so many flaws it verges on the ridiculous.  Evidently, the humans have grown out of wooden puzzle boxes so the L'Merchant  Configuration is no longer a viable gateway to hell.  But as The Auditor  (Tunnicliffe) says to Pinhead (Taylor), "At least, we still have the house..."  Hey!  Who would have thunk it(?)  The Cenobites own property and real estate...  No matter how preposterous that sounds it actually gets worse...  How do they lure their intended victims through the door(?)  They drop them a line via good ol' pen and paper.  I wonder if it's the chatterer that runs down the stationers... I hear he loves to meet people and is a terrible gossip; gift of the gab he's got...  Why, couldn't they think of a new and imaginative way to contact their victims?  At the very least, Tunnicliffe (the writer) could have the message sent on a piece of human skin and tattooed in blood.

Then when the victim gets inside, the audience is treated to a bit of unnecessary vileness.  After The Auditor takes down the quarry's life story, via a typewriter which uses the captives blood as print (finally a bit of imagination) we are introduced to The Assessor (Gulager).  He eats the transcripts then regurgitates the remains down a tube, which sprays over three naked women, The Jury.  This then leads to the subject being handed to The Surgeon, no matter what the verdict, who proceeds to do a hack and slash job.  Then once again, the naked women get splattered... this time with blood.  This gives a new perspective on hell's judging process; however there's no rhyme or reason to it, so it just feels like fill in.  Even though it's quite nasty to view, it's also quite boring.  Tunnicliffe (The Director) doesn't have the skill to create an atmosphere of horror or tension, which helps to make the scene even more tedious.

One decent thing about this film and story is the Thriller story woven throughout.  Two detectives, literally brothers in arms, Sean (Carney) and David Carter (Wayne), along with Detective Christine Egerton (Harris), are chasing a gruesome serial killer terrorising the city.   However, the inevitable twist is so obvious it weakens this "stronger" section of the film.

The best part of this whole mess is the acting.  Even Tunnicliffe isn't too bad.  I think it was a little too much to create a new Cenobite (loosely termed, as he's not really a Cenobite) who has more screen time than Pinhead himself and then give the part to yourself.  As for Pinhead, Taylor still doesn't have the presence of Bradley, but he is much better than the last instalment.  I will give this to Taylor though... he has sitting down-pat.  That's right, we get to see Pinhead relaxing... twice...  How Scary!

There's even an appearance by Heather Langenkamp as The Landlady.  Though, if you blink you'll miss her for she's on screen for about the same amount of time it takes you to read this paragraph.

Do yourself a favour and miss this mess of a film.  There are a lot better horror flicks out there... A Lot!  If you need your Pinhead fix then, as usual, I recommend cracking open the original flicks.

I give this An Audited Vomit Induced Regurgitation of 3.5 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Hellraiser: Hellworld

Hellraiser:  Hellworld

2005

The Cast

So once again, we have a good premise for a story that isn't fully developed, which in turn weakens the film.  Hellworld is a computer RPG and puzzle game starring Pinhead and the Cenobites.  Years later, a party is being held for a select group of gamers.  To get an invite you just have to solve a puzzle.  A group of five friends solve their way into the party.  Once there, they meet the host, a mysterious man who has decked out the mansion with a whole host of gruesome oddities.  It's not long before the blood starts to spill...

It was a treat to see Lance Henriksen in a Hellraiser film... except that it's not a Hellraiser film.  Out of the new series, this is the furthest off the mark... however, it is more enjoyable than the rest.  Even though the twist in the tale spoils the film, in respect to it being a Hellraiser movie, it actually makes it a decent psychological thriller.  Not the best as it's all been seen before, but still very watchable.

The other point at odds is the acting.  This isn't as strong a cast the previous flicks only Henriksen and Bradley stand out.  The rest of the cast is quite average.  I'll also wager this film wasn't mentioned when Cavell went up for the Superman role,   But for once, the direction helps to keep the audience's attention.  Bota is quite good at creating a lively party atmosphere.  He even keeps the pace tripping along to the beat.  This is a great surprise as his previous takes on the Hellraiser mythos have been quite meandering, even verging on boring.

The major drawback to this film is the gaping holes in the story, which I cannot go into detail about because it would spoil the film for those of you thinking of watching.  There are way too many inconsistencies to be explained in the film and this damages the story and lessens the enjoyment.

What this film needed was a much better thought out story taking into account the Cenobites as main characters and not just add-ons.  It could be done and it wouldn't have taken too much to accomplish.

If you are thinking about watching the film then I would say to give it a go but remember it's not a real Hellraiser story... in fact, it's not actually a horror film.  If you like psychological thrillers, with a dark supernatural twist, then you should delight in this movie.

I give this a Psychological Fake Hellraiser Party of 5.25 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Hellraiser: Inferno

Hellraiser:  Inferno

2000

The Cast

This is a good idea but a badly structured story... and it's this which lets the film down, greatly.

Detective Joseph Thorne (Sheffer) is not a good man. On the first case, we see him investigate a dead man he bullied in high school, he steals the deadman's drugs and later the cash from his wallet, which he uses to procure a prostitute for the night.  The following morning he leaves her in the motel room... alive.  Later that day, he receives a distressing call from her.  When he and his partner, Tony Nenonen (Turturro),  turn up at the motel they find she's been slaughtered.  Thorne takes it upon himself to frame his partner for the crime... should he decide not to help him find the killer.  A man they later believe to be called "The Engineer".

It's not until the end of the film, when all the twists have unravelled, that you fully understand and realise just how good this story is.  However, you have to suffer some really bad scene construction to get there. 

For the most part, this is basically a thriller with gore, which isn't even up to the standard of the original series.  Another thing that isn't on par with the originals is the imagination or atmosphere.  There's a couple of dream sequences which are badly directed and acted,   There's no tension, which should have been oozing out of the screen at these points, and there's definitely no fear.  Even, when the Cenobites appear (for a Hellraiser film you don't get many Cenobites for your dollar), we are not in awe of them... we are not in fear of them...  These should, at least, have a presence about them, as they did in the first four films, for these are Daemons to some and Angels to others.  Beings to be worshipped and feared.  It's a good thing that Bradley brings his own persona with him as Pinhead is the only eerily creepy daemon on screen.  If it weren't for Pinhead this would be a massive flop.  However, this is down to the straightforward, nothing new, basic direction.    I do believe that the better horror films are the ones where the director tries to create something new.  It's like Derrickson, didn't want to scare anybody.

Sheffer is okay as the bad cop but his acting skills show their flaws every now and again, especially in the dream sequences (as mentioned before).  It's Turturro and Remar that add strength to the cast, along with Bradley.  It's actually nice to see Remar in a more subtle role as the Psychiatrist-come-Reverend.  Though I couldn't help believing, he would have been a much better choice for the lead,  It may even have been good to see Turturro stretch his acting wings in the role, as he's been a solid actor in everything I've seen him in.

What this film needed was to clean up the story, add a better structural skeleton to the story and film, more Cenobites, more atmosphere, more Cenobites, more tension,  more Cenobites, more fear, oh, and did I mention more Cenobites.

I would recommend re-watching the original four movies rather than sitting down with this... though if you really want to...  it's worth one watch... just!

I give this Precocious Blood Letting Failure a Sin of 4 out of 10.

The Trailer

Free KIndle Horror Novella

The Suicide Plan

By Emma Clapperton

A chilling new suspense novella.

Standing up and welcoming everyone to the spiritualist church is something Patrick McLaughlin does most evenings. Most of the faces in the audience are familiar to him, except one. David Hopkirk walks into the West End Spiritualist church in Glasgow and slits his own throat in the middle of a demonstration. But why?

Patrick is then catapulted into a case, which sees the death of a child, a failed court case and a family torn apart.

Soon Patrick will have all the pieces of the puzzle but will he be able to fit them together in time?

The next instalment of this chilling new series is now available:  Beyond Evidence

Click here to collect novel

Movie Review - The Evil Within

The Evil Within

2017

Supernova LLC / The Writers Studio : Vision Films

7.5 / 10

This is a special movie, not just because it's a brilliant and original horror movie, but because of the story behind the making of the film.

The writer and director Andrew Getty started this film back in 2002 when it was titled "The Storyteller" and was released in 2017 under the current title, two years after Getty's death due to an ulcer causing internal bleeding.  This is a shame as he spent so much money on the project and wasn't around to see his creation brought to life... or take credit for it.

The story is about a mentally handicapped man, Dennis (expertly portrayed by Frederick Koehler), living in his brother's, John (Sean Patrick Flannery), care.  Dennis is plagued by twisted and dark nightmares for which a tall grey man claims responsibility.  Then one day John and his girlfriend, Lydia (Dina Meyer) bring home a mirror for Dennis' bedroom.  Dennis hates the mirror as he doesn't want to loose his hamsters like he's lost his comic collection.  However, his decision changes when his reflection starts talking to him and offers him a way to get better... to get smarter...

It was the trailer that had me salivating at the thought of watching the film.  However, be aware the movie isn't how it looks on the trailer.  Instead of an exciting run-of-the-mill horror what Getty gives his audience is a deep and powerful insight into the human psyche and not just through Dennis, but all of the other characters have some kind of dysfunction.  John is hiding a secret.  Lydia has relationship issues.  Even Pete (Tim Bagley) - who is only in the film a few minutes - hates people touching him and invading his person space.

The film can even be taken a couple of ways.  It could be a very dark psychological thriller or it could be a supernatural entity possession, making it a horror.  It works in either genre.

The star of the show is Frederick Koehler as Dennis.  He is brilliant at portraying the character, giving him facial ticks, body form, hand gestures, and a speech impediment.  His acting is really believable and draws the audience into the film more.  However, it's Flannery's and Meyer's characters that appear flat at times, a little too dimensional and wooden; I think this may be the characters they were playing or the direction at the time of the scenes, as both of them are good actors.  It just jars the mood and atmosphere at times and this is a bad thing as the movie depends on mood and atmosphere, which Getty builds beautifully.  It's also great to see Michael Berryman again.

This film reminds me of Phantasm in its essence and spirit, and like Phantasm I will gladly watch this film again... and again... and, probably, again...  There are a lot of interesting and well thought out concepts in this story, which should send a chill down your spine.  However, if you prefer shock horror over creepy and atmospheric then this probably won't be your cup of tea.

  

Movie Review - The Road

The Road

2011

GMA Films : Freestyle Releasing / Freestyle Digital Media

8.5 / 10

If you're like me and enjoy a good movie, no matter what the language, then you should check out this Filipino gem.

What this film gives the audience is a story in three very different acts.

The first act is the present day where three friends "borrow" a car to go joy riding.  Though their version of joyriding isn't creating havoc on the road but to actually practise their driving.  While they're tootling around the town they see a police car and decide to try and find a quieter section of town.  They come across a fenced off lane and think it would be a good place to improve their driving skills.  However, it's not long before they find themselves in some scary and creepy situations.  The director Yam Laranas does a fantastic job of creating an eerie atmosphere, using shadows and light to their fullest.  The only thing I found annoying with the film was in this act... the girls really can scream... you need to turn the volume down before all the glass in your house explodes...

The second act starts to tell of the events that have led up to the present day events.  We travel back in time a couple of years to when two sisters disappear while travelling the road.  Adding to the creepiness of the earlier act the story now adds a dark and ominous feel as things become dangerous and deadly for the sisters.

The third act goes back twelve years to the very beginning and shows the psychological effects that a dysfunctional family in turmoil can experience, especially if one of the family is mentally unstable.  This is one of the strongest sections of the film as it resolves the mysterious parts of the story.  Laranas does a brilliant job of building atmosphere, once again.  This time he uses brightness and shadows to convey feeling.  Add the great acting of Carmina Villaroel who plays Carmela, a strong controlling independent woman caught in a loveless marriage due to having a child, a woman who runs hot and cold at the flick of a switch.

All of this makes the story much more interesting.   The writers, Aloy Adlawan and Yam Laranas, easily blend the styles and intricacies into a strong and believeable story that spread through the horror, thriller, psychological, and crime genres.

I would recommend this to all horror lovers and even to fans of thrillers, who wouldn't usually watch a horror movie.  This film really does work on so many levels.

This trailer does not portray how good this film really is.

Movie Review - Don't Knock Twice

Don't Knock Twice

(2016)

Red & Black Films / Seymour Films / FFilms Cymru Wales : IFC Midnight / Signature Entertainment

8.25 / 10

I was happily surprised by this film.  When I watched the trailer and saw that Katee Sackhoff was starring I knew I had to see the full movie.  I've been a fan of Sackhoff's for a while now, I particularly liked her portrayal of a deputy in the wonderful "Longmire".  However, in this film her character isn't as strong, she's flawed and broken.

Sackhoff plays Jess, a sculptress who has come back to England to put on a show and to get to know her daughter who she previously gave up to social services as she was a drug addict.  Her daughter, Chloe played believingly by Lucy Boynton, is cautious and bluntly refuses to see her mother.  She rethinks her actions when her best friend Danny, Jordan Bolger, disappears after they knock on the door of a haunted house.

What makes this better than the average ghost story is the interwoven mystery of the ghost woman and a group of missing children.  The twists and turns that the writers Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler give the audience are well constructed to keep them guessing the outcome.

The only thing I could have wished for were a few more scenes with mother and daughter, Jess and Chloe, getting to know each other.  The ones in the movie feel a little too rushed to meet the runtime.  This would have added greatly to the characters and the film.

There was one irksome element in the film... the "Two Knocks".  I know this is the hinge on which the story and its fear and tension balance, but really, who only knocks twice?  I personally prefer "Shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm knock.  But without this component, the "who's at the door" tension would be feasible.

in the first half, Caradog W James creates an eerie atmosphere and tension with some really nice camera shots and artistic segues between scenes.  This, however, disappears for a more standard film work in the second half.  

If you like ghost stories and mysteries with plenty of twists in the plot I would recommend this film for your viewing pleasure.  I don't think you'll be upset.

Video Nasty - Blood Feast

Blood Feast

(1963)

Friedman-Lewis Productions : Box Office Spectaculars / Cult Video / Astra Video

7.75 / 10

Director Herschell Gordon Lewis is definitely the wizard of gore as this film attests.  Though this film was shot in 1963 and the special effects were just starting to bloom, Lewis knew he could get away without showing too much by coating everything in gallons of fake blood.

It's this overabundance of the sticky red stuff that placed Lewis into the hearts of all the horror lovers out there - myself included,

Here you have an Egyptian Caterer, who is really a follower of an Egyptian Goddess he is trying to bring back to life by carrying out an Egyptian "Blood" Feast.  This consists of taking body parts from numerous beautiful women... a heart here, a brain there.  These are to be devoured at the feast and when a willing sacrifice is given to the Goddess she will arise once more...

Lewis does a pretty decent job of keeping the pace of the story flowing throughout the film, keeping the audience interested.  The acting is standard and the only two outstanding characters are Mal Arnold who overacts the hell out of the killer Fuad Ramses and helps make the film more distinctive, and lovable in a B-Movie kind of way.  Though, Gene Courtier as Tony the boy on the beach is really annoying and detracts from the film.

If you want a romp through a slayerfest then you will like this tongue-in-cheek horror film.

Nergling - Video Nasties Scare - Blood Feast

Movie Review - Dead Heat

Dead Heat

(1988)

Helpern/Meltzer : New World Pictures / Anchor Bay Entertainment / Image Entertainment

7.25 / 10

This was a rare treat to watch.  I had forgotten how good and funny this little horror comedy thriller is.

This is a buddy-buddy cop tale that takes a walk on the Darkside.  While in a shootout with a couple of jewellery store robbers they are amazed when the bad guys just won't lie down dead even though they're dancing a Spandau Ballet in a hail of bullets.  It takes a hand-grenade and a speeding car to bring them down.

It's not until they get the bodies into the morgue that they realise they have already been autopsied...

This is one of the best and funniest Zombie films around.  Back in the glorious '80's the special FX really did go the extra mile.  The scene in the Chinese butcher's shop is hilarious and gruesome as the dead animals come back to life.

However, not everything about this movie is fun.  Around the half way mark the film slows down and the laughs start to disappear... in fact, the story pretty much stops.  It does pick up in the last fifteen minutes of the film but never quite reaches the highs of the first half of the movie.

Both of the lead roles, Treat Williams as Roger Mortis and Joe Piscopo as Doug Bigelow, work well together and this chemistry works well and pretty much holds the film together.  It's when these two aren't together that the movie suffers.  Most of the comedy moments are where these two are working off each other.

Both Darren McGavin (of "Kolchack: The Night Stalker" fame) as Dr Ernest McNab and Vincent Price as Arthur P Loudermilk are underused.  These two could have been utilised a little more in the second half of the film, this may have helped the lift the movie here, making it a little less boring.

Mark Goldblatt, does a good job of utilising the lead actors and bringing out some really good dark comedic moments.

I'd recommend this to anybody who has a dark sense of humour and likes everything horror and Zombi.  Still one of my favourites of the '80's even with the stale second half... it has a special place in my heart.

Movie Review - 13 Sins

13 Sins

2014

The Cast

This is a really interesting film that asks the question, what will you do for money?  Kill a fly for a thousand dollars?  Eat the dead fly to cover your fiance's debts?

This is the quandary that our anti-hero, Elliott Brindle (portrayed amiably by Mark Webber), has to face when his phone rings one night while he's out for a drive.  The voice on the other end of the line is both eloquent, haunting, and scary in equal measures (voiced brilliantly by George Coe and sounding a lot like Angus Scrimm from Phantasm - I just wanted him to say, "BOY!"), seems to know everything about Elliott's life and circumstances... he's lost his job... his mentally handicapped brother will have to go back into care... his racist father has to leave his assisted living residence, to move in with his son and his coloured fiance,

The voice assures him that in thirty-two hours he could have enough money to make all his problems disappear.

What would you do?  Elliott accepts the thirteen challenges and as the hour's progress the trials get progressively nastier and deadlier.

Daniel Stamm who directed the film and along with David Birke wrote the screenplay does a good job of pacing the film through a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, building a nice tension.  I knew the twist was coming at the end, though the writers do a good job of giving you a few possible outcomes to try and keep you off balance.

The film's strength and enjoyability is helped by having three strong actors in the cast; Ron Perlman (Detective Chilcoat), Pruitt Taylor Vince (Vogler), and Tom Bower (Elliot's Father). Even Devon Graye playing the handicapped Michael Brindle does a decent portrayal, which I didn't find too disagreeable at all.

Even though this is primarily a thriller the vagueness and unknown origin of the voice and it's all-encompassing knowledge, along with the conspiracy theory of pure evil adds a possible supernatural / religious angle to the story.  Those parts of the story along with the style of direction and building of tension and fear make this a Horror film too.

I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would have as this type of story has the probability to be full of cliches and familiar scenes.  However, even though some of the cliches and scene's are there the acting and direction make them seem fresh.  There have been reviews stating that the ending is an anticlimax and flat.  Though I like the ending as it resembles reality.

If you like this style of film and story then give this a try and you shouldn't be too disappointed.  But if this is on and your car has broken down so you can't visit friends and family, then give this a look, you may enjoy it.

I give this a puppet-master 8.25 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Wyrmwood

Wyrmwood:  Road Of The Dead

2014

The Cast

If you, like myself, have started to become bored with the "Zombie-Fest" the film companies have given us, from the remakes of George Romero's classics to Zombie Nazi's to World War Z, then this is a great big breath of fresh air... or not (you'll get that joke once you watch the film.

What you get here is the classic opening and cause for the Zombie plague, a group of falling stars which changes the chemical make-up of the air.  The change forces the population to become Zombies, except for one particular blood group... these are our survivors.

Along the way you get their stories, an army with a suspect mission, a mad professor with an insane plan to help the human race, and the next generation of Zombie.  Even though all of this has been done before in other films, the vigour with which the director, Kiah Roache-Turner gives the film, and the twists to the "Zombie Myths" which the writers, Kiah and Tristan Roache-Turner, add give this film and the particular genre a much-deserved kick in the arse.

The actors were great and did a fantastic job on the characterisations.  I especially liked Leon Burchell as Benny, who blows a guys head off to find he wasn't a Zombie, to which he runs over to the corpse and shouts, "Is he okay?  Is he gonna be okay?"

The first time I saw Barry, the main hero, I wasn't too sure of his character or the actor playing him, Jay Gallagher.  I was wrong about my initial opinion on the character and actor, as his story is one of loss, anger, revenge, and growth, and shows what kind of psychological journey you would take should the Zombie Apocalypse occur.

Bianca Bradey did a wonderful job of portraying Barry's sister Brooke, who is a strong, intelligent, take-no-crap, woman.  Frank, played by Keith Agius, is a wonderful character who has a great depth to him, the scene in the stalled truck is brilliant.  The mad professor is greatly over-acted by Berynn Schwerdt making him a wonderful psychopath.

This film is so chock-full of so many different things, even genres, comedy, action, thriller, with horror being the main genre and I was grateful that the horror feel stayed throughout.  I was waiting to be dismayed when it all eventually fell apart.  Like watching a plate twirler, you're expecting a plate to fall and smash, and once that happens usually all the other plates follow.  When the end came and the credits rolled, I was wearing a big smile on my face, thanks guys for a great film.

I caught this as it aired on Film4 though now I'm looking to pick up a copy so I can throw it at my friends while screaming, "WATCH THIS!"

This is a MUST WATCH for any Zombie-ites out there.  I give this a flesh-ripping blood-dripping 10 out of 10.

Okay, so the trailer is below, however, I would recommend watching the movie and not the trailer, because, as is the want of trailers, some (not even most and definitely not all) of the good scenes are shown, but most of the pivotal scenes are, which would be better and more satisfying when viewed in the movie.

You Have Been Warned!