Written and directed by Matthew Leutwyler. Starring a shit ton of cool peeps like David Carradine and his niece, Ever Carradine, Diedrich Bader, Devon Gummersall, Bianca Lawson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Erik Palladino, Oz Perkins, Gina Philips, Jeremy Sisto and Vincent Ventresca.
Plot: a group of friends headed to a wedding stop off at a weird little inn in a weird little town with what becomes a BIG zombie problem
Aside from the very normal zombie movie plot above, the movie is highly abnormal. It’s, strange enough as it is to say, a zombie-horror-musical-comedy. And it totally works!!
Me and DJ were apprehensive going into this thing because while zombie-horror-comedies have been great (Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead particularly), horror-musicals have let us down (DJ actually fell asleep during Repo! The Genetic Opera and I was genuinely pissed off that I didn’t by the time it was over). But this movie was absolutely fantastic!
It’s low budget, but so well done. Entirely bloody and entirely hysterical. There are no boob shots, but there’s no real opportunity for one either. It followed all the strange rules it put out there about the weird little box and the weird little man. It wasn’t really scary and zombie movies should be scary even when they’re funny, but the above average innovation, excellent dialogue, renowned cast, likable characters and magnificent ending make up for it.
The most impressive parts are the death scenes, especially Erik Pallidino’s (which isn’t wholly surprising, so I’m not spoiling anything). The down-home sheriff played by Morgan, who says things like “that’s like trying to sneak a sunbeam past a rooster” and “you ’bout as handy as a pocket on a shirt” is also delightful. But what’s really enjoyable about this movie is the music. Most of it comes in by actor/writer/musician Zach Selwyn and his country-rock band Zachariah donning cowboy hats and singing lyrics that brilliantly sum up all the action on the screen.
This movie isn’t loved by everyone, but we just think they don’t understand it. Perhaps it’s just a love-it-or-hate-it type film, in which case, we love it!! And we recommend it. We also own it. And we give it an 84/100.
PS – You should probably stay to hear the credits song. It’s marvelous.
PSS – I forgot to gush about the Thriller-esque dance sequence, but I’ll leave that alone. If you watch it, you’ll love it and you’ll know.
“We’re comin’ to kill ya. We’re comin’ to kill ya.”
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
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