Rise of the Flesh Eaters

The Box Set

This is a very interesting set, containing three completely different types of zombie films: a documentary, a serious drama and a comedy. Although of varying quality, they combine to make a set to suit many tastes and differing moods - depending on how you are feeling and what company you have will determine which of these you watch.

I feel that The Zombie Diaries is the strongest of the three, though the other two are not without their merits. As they are all available individually, you may decide to buy all three or just those that interest you but this set has a very reasonable RRP and, whilst not as accomplished or enjoyable as Romero's Dead films or Shaun of the Dead, there is enjoyment to be had from these titles.

The Zombie Diaries

Introduction

Told as a series of vignettes which occasionally overlap, The Zombie Diaries follows different groups of people after a virus has turned most of the population into brain dead flesh eaters. The timeline jumps around and the film employs various filming techniques according to who is shooting - some are professionals whereas others are survivors with a small camcorder.

It begins with real interview footage of people on the high street being asked about the virus although the questions seem to imply bird 'flu rather than a zombie outbreak, the answers work for both scenarios. After this, the action moves to deserted farmhouses, an empty town, fields and makeshift graveyards, with the camera's POV showing everything, in the same way that it did in The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, Diary of the Dead and The Last Broadcast.

The film's interest isn't so much in the zombies themselves, but in the survivors and how the tensions affect the groups' dynamic and how they deal with each other and the enormity of what's happening.

Video

For a film shot mostly by amateurs using over-the-counter equipment, the choice of letterboxed 1:85:1 is odd as it would be more likely to be filmed in 4:3 (1.33:1) or 16:9 (1.78:1) - this detracts slightly from the documentary feel but the picture has some damage which comes with cameras being moved very quickly.

The scenes shot at night are either lit by a torch, the light on the camera, night vision or streetlights so when the survivors are in a field there is no light apart from that provided by the camera which leads to some good jumps and sustained tension.

Audio

As it should be, the soundtrack is only Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo which is perfectly suited to this style of film. Although there are no surrounds, the soundtrack is still able to unnerve and shock you whilst providing clear dialogue.

Extra Features

There are two commentaries, one by the directors (Kevin Gates and Michael Bartlett) who do a good job of telling you about the shooting process, from writing to editing and everything in between. The cast commentary involves the cast from each section and reinforces my opinion that actors should only be allowed to do a commentary when accompanied by members of the crew as they don't really add anything, just saying the odd line, laughing and sitting back and watching the film.

It is possibly to forego the commentaries altogether and get all the information you need from the 56 minute Until The Last Light Goes Out making of, which covers filming locations, the writing process, special make-up effects and casting.

There are also a number of deleted scenes, some of which could have easily stayed in the film, but were probably removed for pacing reasons - I'm speculating as there's no optional commentary or introduction to these.

Conclusion

As I mentioned above, 'found footage' and documentary films in the horror genre aren't exactly new or short on the ground and The Zombie Diaries could easily have sunk without a trace - I hadn't heard about it until it showed up for review - but it's a very well made film that adds to the sub-genre with enough to say that it's a worthy edition to any horror fans collection.

The Zombie Diaries predates both Cloverfield and Diary of the Dead, and is a different but similar take on filmmakers doing a documentary on a zombie outbreak. This is very much a low-budget affair, with friends and family playing the ghouls and extras and filming locations being organised on the fly.

This doesn't have the production values of those benefiting from the involvement of big names like J.J. Abrams or George A. Romero but is still a tense and interesting film and a very good DVD package - recommended.

Days of Darkness

Introduction

After having a romantic evening in the mountains, Steve and Mimi return to their car to find it covered in ash from a massive meteor which has streaked through the Earth's atmosphere and burnt up. When Steve goes to unlock the car, a strange lumbering man wanders towards the couple and, whilst fighting him off, is bitten. As more of these creatures approach, a stranger comes to their aid and shows them a safe place to go to.

Led to a military bunker and initially greeted with hostility by those who consider Steve to be 'one of them' due to his bite wound, the couple meet the others hiding out, amongst whom are an evangelical preacher, a porn star and her daughter and two car salesmen.

Steve is forced to spend a night in the basement with one of the refugees who has turned into a zombie who is restrained by his neck and, during the night, Steve studies his behaviour and, whilst prodding him with a pole, inadvertently castrates him.

With the compound surrounded by the living dead, tensions run high between everyone inside and in particular between Steve and Mimi when he finds out his virginal girlfriend is pregnant.

Video

Although the opening shots of the asteroid are a little unconvincing, the zombie effects are very good and make up for an introduction that led me to fear the worst. The transfer is clear, with decent definition in the low-light scenes and a suitably grim palette, reflecting the post-apocalyptic theme.

Audio

With only Dolby Digital 5.1 to choose from, there's really no need for a stereo option as the surrounds are used sparingly but effectively, with some good jumps.

Extra Features

Just a trailer.

Conclusion

As a mix between Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 or 1978) and Dawn of the Dead (1978), this doesn't come close to either but is an effective and well made character study in the face of horror with the focus more on the survivors than the undead.

Days of Darkness comes very close to B-movie territory, with some very odd humour that seems out of place especially when Marian Tomas Griffin's ex-adult film star talks of her past with bestiality and the number of men she f**ked the week after she discovered she was pregnant "but I didn't abort". I'm not sure whether the castration scene was supposed to be amusing or wince-inducing but it wasn't either - it was interesting and slightly funny but seemingly not played for laughs.

The acting is adequate and no more - you'll never find any of these cast members up for Oscars - but they get the job done, as does British ex-pat Jake Kennedy, whose direction is workmanlike, without any of the flair of the likes of Romero.

Zombies Zombies Zombies

Introduction

Oddly, this year has seen not one, but two zombie stripper movies. One, Zombie Strippers, boasted the inclusion of Robert Englund and Jenna Jameson in the cast but the other, Zombies, Zombies, Zombies, a labour of love by Jason Murphy and Tony Giordano, doesn't have any big names to speak of, nor a sizeable budget.

The plot is simple: a drug dealer steals an experimental cancer medicine and mixes it with hard drugs which he shares with 'ladies of the night'. This has the unfortunate side-effect of turning crack-whores into zombies and it's up to the strippers from the Grindhouse club to stop them.

Video

Sometimes very good, other times poor, the quality varies throughout the film. You'd expect a low-budget zombie movie to have plenty of gore but, oddly, this isn't the case here. It's only at the very end when the zombies start exploding that characters get splattered with red liquid and there's a degree of gut-munching going on.

Audio

A Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack of reasonable quality and clear dialogue is the only option.

Extra Features

The making of is quite revealing with some decent b-roll footage and interviews with the writer and director.

There are also some outtakes (some funny, some not) and the theatrical trailer.

Conclusion

The bumf for Zombies, Zombies, Zombies claims it draws comparisons with Herschell Gordon Lewis's films, by way of Russ Meyer. This is a bold assertion but, whilst it certainly has the energy and B-movie feel, it doesn't have the imagination, gore or nudity of the aforementioned schlockmeisters.

I enjoyed this far more than I should have - it certainly has no ideas beyond its station - the acting is occasionally lousy, the script poor and the pacing saggy, but I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't good fun. The best character is Johnny 'BackHand' Vegas (played with great zest by Anthony Headen), a pimp with a quick mouth and amazing bling, who gets the best lines, including a parody of Snakes on a Plane. For a film about strippers, featuring some Playboy models amongst the cast, there's a surprising lack of nudity - even a stripper on stage doesn't 'get them out'!

If you want something ridiculous and good fun then this is well worth a look - I doubt you'll watch it more than once as it's not in the 'so bad it's good' category and won't, like Peter Jackson's Braindead, become a cult classic.