Undead
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Us zombie fans are a lucky bunch. Over the last few years we have been treated to some pretty decent flicks, and come July, another good one will be hitting the theatres. It’s called “Undead”, and it is a modest 2003 horror comedy film from Australia. Though not a classic like Romero’s original Night and Dawn of the dead films, it is a highly enjoyable flick that manages to bring some interesting ideas to table. “Undead” carries with it a heavy dose of humor and gore, as well as a nice twist that makes it stick out of the pack.

In “Undead”, a small town is assaulted by meteorites which causes the towns folk to turn into flesh eating zombies. This zombie invasion carries with it burning rain and bright beams of light that carry insects and other life forms away into the sky. A small group of survivors must fight for their lives in order to survive. The group is made up of two bumbling cops, the ass kicking current “Catch of the week” beauty queen named Rene, the pregnant former beauty queen, her fiancé who happens to be a pilot, and lastly Marion, the Amish looking badass, who is a well armed social outcast that has a history with zombie fish and alien abductions.

The film starts off typically, zombies rise up, our wannabe survivors get trapped in Marion’s house. Our Survivors get besieged by the zombies, run into the basement/bomb shelter (Marion was prepared for this). Sadly the shelter isn’t stocked with much food or water. They end up leaving the shelter when the pregnant survivor starts having contractions and the police officers are more petrified by the idea of birthing a child than of the undead. Of course leaving the house proves to be no easy task and what to after that is an even bigger mystery.

“Undead” is successful because it doesn’t take itself seriously and it introduces some elements that are more at home in 1950’s B-Horror movies than modern horror. These old school additions do set this movie apart from many of the recent zombie movies. The film also carries with it a healthy amount of gore. The gore is not “Dead Alive” level, but it is a bit more than “Shaun of the Dead”. You get to see such wonderful things like a zombie being cut down the middle with “The Club” (you remember, that stupid thing you put on your steering wheel), and a zombies torso getting shot off, leaving only the legs and spinal cord still standing. The gore quality level is high, it all looks great (I swear to god I am not a gorehound, but gore can be fun). The acting is cheesy as hell. No Oscar winners in this bunch, but they do their jobs, and they really help keep the mood from getting overly serious.

The last quarter of the film does take a turn. Not as huge as the turn “28 days later” took, but as mentioned before, non-zombie elements are introduced. I personally feel the turn is really what helps set this movie apart from other zombie films, and it all leads to a twist ending that not only doesn’t suck, but is pretty clever. I am definitely in the group that likes the turn and the twist, and I think it is all pulled off wonderfully. The first part of the film is good, but not really unique in any way. The ending really gives this movie the push needed to make it memorable.

The reason I haven’t given this film a higher rating is despite how much I liked it, it is not the best of the recent zombie films. With films such as the brilliant “Shaun of the Dead”, the “not as good as the original” but still very good remake of “Dawn of the Dead”, and the great but flawed “28 Days Later”, “Undead” is fun, but doesn’t carry the overall impact of these other films. I really wish this would have hit American theatres 2 years ago, when the current zombie film invasion was just beginning. It wouldn’t have had so many meaty competitors, and could have carved out its own niche much more easily. This one still stands on its own, and if you are a zombie or comedy horror fan, check it out without hesitation. 3 ½ Cans.

Added:  Thursday, May 26, 2005

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