Directed by Robbie Pickering. Written by Oren Uziel. Starring Nicholas Braun, Mackenzie Davis, Josh Fadem, Joan Cusack, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Rachael Harris, Pat Healy, Vanessa Hudgens, Keegan-Michael Key, Dennis Leary, Derek Mears, Bob Odenkirk, Patton Oswalt, Aurora Perrineau, Ian Roberts, Cerina Vincent, Ed Westwick, Mae Whitman and Chris Zylka.
Plot: when a town populated by humans, vampires and zombies, is invaded by aliens, a small group of outcast teenagers must bring everyone together to fight.
While not a popular opinion it seems, DJ and I really liked this movie. It’s about a small town in Ohio where vampires reign supreme, zombies scrape the bottom of the barrel and humans fall somewhere inbetween. Dag (Braun), a human, is crushing on Lorelei (Hudgens), also human, but she’s dating Chaz (Zylka), another human and total asshole. Lorelei is a bit of an ass, too, as she’s just using Dag’s bedroom as a place to store her weed. Elsewhere in town, Ned (Fadem) is living as Chaz’s underappreciated brother. He’s very unhappy and winds up telling zombie Jenna (Whitman) to bite him so that he doesn’t feel so very much anymore. There’s also Petra (Davis), a human who lets vampire Milan (Westwick) bite her, thinking he wants a long-term relationship. He ends up rejecting her later, leaving her to deal with vampirehood on her own. Then, the aliens show up.
Most of the humans, vampires and zombies turn on each other and are abducted because of it. But Dag, Ned and Petra begin working together to figure out why the aliens are in their town at all. Ned’s genius, even apparent while a zombie, really helps in this department. And Dag’s parents have been keeping a secret that turns out to be a blessing as well. In the end, the movie isn’t just about defeating aliens though, it’s about trust, communication and cooperation. Will they save the day? Will Dag and Petra get together? Will Ned and Jenna be happy? Will Ned and Chaz learn to get along? SPOILER ALERT: the answer is ‘yes’ to all of these things. As it should be.
This was very creative. We enjoyed that. It was also very funny, very original and very rewatchable. The effects and innovation were also enjoyable. We especially liked the vampires exploding when you staked them. The rules were sound. Characters behaved realistically. The cast was convincing, the direction was strong and the ending was fantastic. It’s important that you get to see a happy ending every once in a while.
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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