Night of the Zombies, 1981

 

         We open with a coupla’ Americans, one from ‘Army Graves Registration,’ the other from the ‘U.S. Archives Division,’are in a remote and wintery area of Germany in search of the remains of soldiers from a later battle in World War Two.

A visiting German border guard explains there were no battles in this region. He further warns them they would be better off staying in town at night while they do their research, as this area is frequented by bandits, and also, “If you believe the poor, ignorant villagers, zombies.”

Of course, the Americans laugh off the warnings and refuse the suggestion to stay in town, and sure enough, once night falls, the pair encounter a full squadron of, (Duhn-duhn-duh…)

Nazi Zombies! So, yeah. I’m in, right! Great original premise, snowy remote locale, this could be a good one! Ahem. To continue.

So, those guys were killed. News reaches Washington that they disappeared while seeking the graves of a German Platoon and and American Chemical Weapons Division, well, a new search team is assembled.

A former C.I.A. operative is called in. He begins to investigate locally and here begins an excessively long and dragged out series of exploring, exposition, and espionage. Agent Monroe, the C.I.A. agent proceeds to travel all over Munich interrogating and strong-arming informants about deserters from thirty years before, (remember this is 1981, and WWII is much more recent to the time this film was set, than from that time to now!)

Eventually, Monroe and team, scientists and a cop, head back out to the blustery and snow-covered countryside and the research basecamp.

No surprise, the undead show, but not quite as ‘zombie-esque’ as expected...

The zombie’s make-up is absolutely crap - just grey-painted faces. Perhaps some fake flesh. And that’s it. Plus the face paint ends at the collar so the actors’ real flesh tones are visible at the base! And the Z’s, although Nazi Z’s, are also ‘Type 6,’ Dead People, a z-type of which I don’t typically review.

The original and interesting premise, which lured me in, quickly became convoluted with sub-plots and unnecessary backstories, all of which, by the way, the filmmakers felt needed to be discussed and played out at length. Had 3 out of the 4 story arcs been edited from it, a nice little movie could have played out.

I did like the the initial duo of researchers. It was a shame they couldn’t have stuck around for the story, because the rest of the cast of characters was thin and two-dimensional. The ‘Hero,’ Monroe, is as cardboard as a pizza box and shows less emotion than the zombies, (this is not exaggeration! In one scene, he infiltrates a platoon, and overhears them talking and the undead are displaying MUCH more personality than he did all movie long!)

     

The remote setting of the basecamp was cool and atmospheric, and showed some neat scenes of the dead marching out of the snowy backdrop. Even the long, drawn scenes of Muich were foreign and exotic enough to make me stay with Monroe’s ongoing and painstaking fact-finding mission.

Sadly, my enthusiasm for Night of the Zombies waned as the film ran. The Night of the Zombies began with ambition, but lost its way. Held up to the Zombie Movie Rubric, Night of the Zombies landed a 1.4 out of a possible 4 points. This does not earn it a recommendation to watch, but it does not warn to avoid, either, so, there ya go.

But there is a YouTube trailer to convince you one way or the other: NIGHT OF THE ZOMBIES

Dead Air, 2009

 

 

A shock-jock radio DJ and his team taking questions about what makes people paranoid are blissfully unaware that terrorists have planted chemical weapons in various public sporting arenas across the country. The effect of these weapons is not surprisingly turning people into violent, mindless assailants. Once the on-air crew discover what is going on, they decide to remain at the station and report on the disaster, mostly through watching the news on TV, and phone-in callers, (very much like the Canadian ‘Pontypool’ from the previous year.)

Dead Air reunites 1990’s Night Of The Living Dead Bill Mosely and Patricia Tallman, but their characters seem a bit more subdued here than the sibling act in that remake, (which is awesome, BTW. Go check that out if you haven’t!). Still interesting, and engaging, but just lacking the same level of energy.

The ‘dead,’ in Dead Air are technically ‘infected,’ but seem to react more like zombies than your 28 Days Later/Crazies infected. These guys apparently have no thinking at all, and little coordination. And very clumsy. I mean, escaping a zombie while trapped together in a stuck elevator SHOULD be difficult, right? 

And unlike true zombies, they have less of a hunger for the living, and more of a general distaste, and attack with ‘swatting’-like blows, as well as punches and bites. This is most likely because in Dead Air, transmission of the illness is carried out with scratches as well as with bites.

 

And the infected are few. The biggest horde seen is one of the few outside of the studio shots and may have numbered into the dozens. Their undead make-up was just red, bleeding eyes to differentiate the living from the diseased.

In short, not much of a story arc and a tissue-thin plot combine with more than a few predictable moments as well. And then there is the whole Muslim terrorist angle…

It may read like I am slagging on the flick, and to some degree, I am, but this was obviously a shoe-string budget, (which must’ve seen the lion’s share going to secure Mosely and Tallman!) And it has that feel to it, too. The sounds, the tight settings, the music. So, that should all be taken into consideration.

Also, it should be told, it didn’t suck. I enjoyed it as an honest entry into the Z-genre. The Zombie Movie Rubric, however, is a far more objective rating tool. According to its cold, unblinking stare, ‘Dead Air’ earned itself a 2.0 out of 4 possible stars. This should earn it a “yeah, okay,” recommendation, or as a viable scratching to a Z-flick itch some dark night alone. Just don’t expect a masterpiece.

For the trailer to DEAD AIR to decide for yourself, see it here: DEAD AIR. 

 

28 Years Later, 2025

 

Well, the infection raged. And almost three decades later, Western Europe was cleared and Great Britain was quarantined to contain the virus, (again.) Survivors, unfortunately, were left on their own.

One small island community, accessible only by a fortified causeway that only appears at low tide, subsists through farming, fishing, hunting, and sharing resources.

One thing that is mandatory, however, is defense. And training is key. Being able to kill the enemy when the time comes is a rite of passage.

Spike is twelve, and his dad feels that he is ready for his first kill. They venture out confidently, but after encountering fat, slow, crawling infected, and then running, snarling rage-filled ones, and finally something called an ‘Alpha,’ the father son duo barely make it back to the island.

Here on that island, life is quaint, folkish, and anachronistic, (and if it weren’t for the threat of the homicidal mainlanders wanting to kill, eat, and savage you, kinda desirable!) Technology is medieval, with no computers, radios, or even firearms. Bows and arrows are the chief weapons of defense of the uninfected, maybe a knife. The best key to survival is staying away from the mainland.

But Spike’s mom is sick, not infected, mind you. Just not well. So, when Spike hears of a doctor still alive out there in the wilderness, he makes a desperate choice to return with her. Here’s where the meat and potatoes of the story begins.

The Zomb…, I mean, ‘infected,’ are the sort from the previous two ’28’ movies: angry, growling, and thoroughly without mind, mercy, or conscious. This time however, we see three distinct varieties. The “Slow and Low,” are fat, crawl on the ground, and seem to get by feeding on worms, grubs, and assorted insects, but they will certainly' swerve up on a human should the opportunity arise. 

Then are your standard infected. Coordinated runners who sprint all out, all the time. They kill with hands and teeth, biting and eating, (and thusly, like the chubby crawlers, spread the virus.) They typically travel in hordes, day or night.

Finally, are the “Alphas.” They are huge. Extra tall and muscular, and require many more strikes to damage or slow them down. They also are seemingly more evolved. There is some degree of patience and planning with Alphas, but Boy! They can still boogie! And a full-tilt sprint from a jacked 6’ 6” dude with violent murder in his eyes is not what one wants bearing down on them!

All of the infected are unarmed, filthy, and naked. But with ‘rage’ as the only emotion, humility, hygiene, and fashion-sense seems to just fall by the wayside. This creates an even further distinction between the humans and the animalistic infected. It also adds a nice touch of ‘monsterishness.’

The protagonists are interesting, too. Their way of survival, customs, and responsibilities is portrayed well, and one understands the demands of their culture. Important to add that no one is overtly duplicitous or mean, despite personal faults.

So, let’s get to the ratings. The acting is convincing all around, both from sick and healthy, and the effects, (although sometimes surprising extra bloody,) is believable. And the movie moves along at a decent pace. According to my Zombie Movie Rubric, (and for all intents, we’re rating them as ‘zombies,’ since running zombies have blurred that line.) 28 Years Later earned itself a 3.1, out of a possible 4 stars, (Points? Thumbs-up? Never DID make that distinction, did I? But I digress.)        

    Although not as shockingly different and awesome as ’28 Days’ nor as dramatically engaging as ’28 Weeks,’ ’28 Years Later’ still rings in with a solid recommendation!

A coupla' nice trailers to view on IMDb ☞ 28 YEARS LATER

Ziam, 2025

Global disasters have put the Earth into a worldwide famine. All nations are suffering. Thailand, however, is suffering a bit less so due to an ‘insect farming’ program initiated by a man named Vasu. His next big plan is to provide food for the world with a type of fish untouched by the pollution. Unfortunately, said fish isn’t quite as clean as it is believed, and the consequences are… Anybody? Anybody? That’s right! A quick and painful death followed by cannibalistic zombism.

We meet Singh. He drives (and defends,) a truck delivering those bug-based protein bars across the unsafe countryside, where looters and hijackers apparently run amok. But Singh is a retired Muay Thai kickboxing champion, and seemingly can fend off dozens of men single-handedly. This is not appreciated by Rin, his wife. And not just because she is a doctor at nearby Prachamit Hospital.

It was at this hospital that the first case of, we’ll call it “fish poisoning’ takes place. Rin witnesses the first signs of infection and fairly rapid transformation of a patient. Very quickly, the hospital is overrun with zombies and victims, with the balance shifting rapidly.

Singh hears news of the quarantine at the hospital and scoots into action, defies the quarantine and seeks out Rin, unaware of neither the outbreak of undead, nor the military’s explosive solution to end the spread of the contagion. Action ensues!

    Lots of action.

    Bare-knuckles, martial artsing action! 

Okay! Jumping right into the nuts and bolts of it, the zombies are fast ones. Fast, angry, growlers, true, BUT they 1. Are Dead, 2. Transfer zombism through bites, 3. Seek out and eat the flesh of the living, and 4. Are only stopped by destroying the brain. So, some credit must be awarded for canon. There is a weird transformation to them later in the film, too. Not too sure about that.

The action, though not always zombie-related, is immediate and throughout. Decent gore, and the darkened hospital setting makes for a nice claustrophobic and labyrinthine environment.

As for the cons, the characters, while capably acted, come off as fairly one dimensional and uninteresting. Not overly engaging and I found myself not really caring about their fates.

Then there is the story arc: An outbreak, followed by hero tries to rescue damsel. Et cetera. The entire plot really added nothing new to the genre, and some of the events were quite predictable.

And there is a concept called ‘plot armor,’ where your main protagonist can overcome superior adversity, but in Singh’s case, his near invulnerability borders on ridiculous. I mean, is this guy even human!?!

Lastly, and this might just be me, it wasn’t really scary. Oh sure, it had horror elements and a scary scenario, but no real jolts. No jumps. No dread.

But that’s me nit-picking. Let’s get a more objective rating by holding it up to the Zombie Movie Rubric! And, based solely on that grading system’s criteria, Ziam lands itself a ZMR score of 2.6 out of a possible 4.0. This does earn it a “Worth-a-watch” recommendation, but go in expecting a fun, at times silly, martial arts film within a Zombie outbreak.

Here is the YouTube trailer: ZIAM 

And just a word of caution, if you ever are in Thailand, watch out for those car windows. They shatter like thin ice!