We seem to have run the gamut of the zombie apocalypse film. Like the possession film, it’s getting to be more and more difficult for filmmakers to breathe new life into the sub-genre, with only a few managing to eke out moments of true inspiration. Enter Canadian filmmaking trio RKSS‘ (Turbo Kid, Summer of 84) horror comedy We Are Zombies, which introduces a world in which zombies exist, but do not crave brains or human flesh. In fact, depending on the circumstances of their death, they may still be fully functioning, and even have the ability to speak. Because of this, zombies are now second-class citizens given the politically correct label of “living-impaired,” with their civil rights constantly under attack. We’ve seen more benign zombie apocalypses like this in things like Warm Bodies, so it’s not as if this is completely original territory, but it’s still nice to see something different than the doom-and-gloom post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Based on Jerry Frissen and Guy Davis’ French comic book series The Zombies That Ate the World, We Are Zombies sees slackers Karl (Alexandre Nachi), his sister Maggie (Megan Peta Hill) and their friend Freddy (Derek Johns) make a living by ripping off the super-evil Coleman Corporation, which is making money off the living-impaired by promising them a sweet retirement plan when in actuality they’re performing deadly experiments on them. Unfortunately, Coleman Corp. catches on to their con and kidnaps Karl and Maggie’s grandmother, holding her for a $25,000 ransom. The trio must now find a way to earn the money back before good ol’ granny is killed.
If all of this sounds like a lot for a slight horror comedy, you might be surprised to know that nearly all of it works. What’s most impressive about We Are Zombies is the world building that RKSS fits into its brief 80-minute runtime, making sure that the film gets its point across without overstaying its welcome. Little details like zombie fetishists using a site called ZILF for sexual gratification, or a sly reference to South Park’s season 11 episode “Night of the Living Homeless,” in which actual zombies ask the living for spare change, do wonders for this alternate universe. Almost every scene introduces a new aspect of this world that makes you want to spend more time in it, if only to see what clever idea the writing/directing trio comes up with next.
Social commentary is present, but the film never beats you over the head with it. RKSS opts to keep things light and frivolous for those who don’t want to be preached to. Still, casual mentions of the term “zombophobe” and labeling grave-robbings as hate crimes guarantee that it’s always going to be in the back of your mind. None of it is particularly deep, which keeps We Are Zombies from entering “great” territory, but it’s all quite amusing.
We Are Zombies is a joke-a-minute film, and while not every joke lands (the hit-to-miss ratio is about 75/25), it’s all delivered with such earnestness and a helpful dose of charm that even when something falls flat you can’t help but have a big grin on your face. It’s that charm that helps We Are Zombies to overcome its faults. This isn’t a film that will inspire a ton of belly laughs, but you’ll be chuckling throughout.
Lest you think that the comedy aspect of the film means that RKSS goes light on the gore: fear not. We Are Zombies is loaded with gore gags (almost all of which are done practically). Blood flows, intestines are wrapped around car tires and bodies explode. The makeup work on the zombies is equally impressive, with different types of zombies, including a “boss-level” amalgamation of body parts, being introduced every now and then.
We Are Zombies is a delightful, if slight, entry into the zombie sub-genre. It never goes beyond its surface-level observations, but it also doesn’t have such lofty ambitions, so it’s hard to hold that against it. Plus, it’s so goddamn charming you’re going to have a difficult time not having a complete and utter blast with it.
We Are Zombies made its international premiere at Fantastic Fest. Release info TBA.
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