Writer: Steve Best
Producer: Susan Hayes
Cast: Richard Lee O’Donnell, Jade Blocksidge, Edward Nudd
Country: UK
Year of release: 2013
Reviewed from: festival screening (Day of the Undead)
Website: http://st3518.wix.com/zombiehood
The title of Zombie Hood, which was produced in and around Nottingham, is a reference to Robin Hood although there’s no real connection apart from some people taking refuge in some woodland and a few shots of the Robin Hood statue outside Nottingham Castle in the film’s climactic scene. On screen the two words are run together, suggesting Zombiehood might be etymologically similar to Noel Clarke drama Kidulthood (or Steve Martin comedy Parenthood!). I suspect most US viewers will think it means ‘zombies in the hood’.
There’s nothing obviously startling or innovative about Zombie Hood - at heart it’s a pretty generic zombie movie - but on closer inspection there are a number of interesting elements which are rarely seen in this over-milked subgenre. More importantly, everything that Zombie Hood does, even the stuff that we have seen done before, is done well. This is a solid, gripping, skilfully crafted zombie feature and an impressive debut from writer-director Steve Best.
Shot over two years, the film feels very fragmented, but that works in its favour. Time and again we are presented with new characters, some of whom swiftly meet gruesome ends, a few of whom become central characters and eventually meet up with others. We have no way of knowing, as each scene opens, whether we are watching an important part of the main narrative or a self-contained vignette which serves only to reinforce the randomness and helplessness of the immediate post-apocalypse. And that actually works brilliantly in conveying the sense of chaos that would ensue from a zombie outbreak. (Some of these short, unrelated scenes were apparently filmed by other people and submitted as part of a competition.)
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Class conflict provides character conflict in Zombie Hood as middle class Dermott (voice-over artist Edward Nudd) becomes the de facto leader of the small group of survivors but runs up against Sam (Tom Murton), a swaggering cocky youth who thinks he’s a big man because he has got a gun. Rounding out the party are old geezer Bill (Harry Keeling) whose legs are not what they once were and who spends part of the film, somewhat impractically, in a wheelchair. Plus ten-year-old(-ish) Melanie (Alice Joyce), whose initial meet-up with Bill raised some unintended chuckles from the audience that the characters really don’t deserve.
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The 200 or so zombies on view were trained up by Steven Uden and Adelle Overton of Zed Events, who organise live action zombie events. Overton (who was an exec producer on Slasher House) also has a role as another survivor, Ella. Jayne Hyman (Devil’s Tower, Wasteland) was in charge of the zombie make-up team (and also co-producer), with visual effects by Steve Askey. Cinematographer was David Wayman, director of various shorts including a Tomb Raider fanfilm (in which Alexandra Lyon played Lara Croft). Quite a number of the cast and crew have worked on Wayman’s various pictures as well as some shorts by my old mate David Lilley (The Hand, Vespers, The Wailing Well etc). Token name value, if you can call it that, is provided by some bloke who was in Big Brother.
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I’m going to type that again because I’ve just thought of it and I like the way it sounds: a satisfyingly nihilistic ambience. Oh yes.
MJS rating: B+
Definitely one of, if not the worst film i've ever seen. Storyline was terrible and acting was just as bad.
ReplyDeleteIf you're going to be derogatory, at least have the dangly bits to ID yourself.
DeleteIf you don't like independent, low-budget horror films there's not much point you looking at anything else on this blog. I'm sure there's some bloated Hollywood monstrosity somewhere for you to enjoy.
DeleteEvidence that the East Midlands has lots of really talented people. :)
ReplyDeleteI like good independent low-budget horror movies. Not garbage like zombiehood where you don't like any of the characters and the storyline goes nowhere. The effects and makeup and gore were quite good and some of the directing was solid. The script seemed to be written by a thirteen year old who has no idea about character or plot progression.
DeleteThat's a valid opinion. Perhaps you could give some examples of low budget indie horrors that you do like, for comparison.
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