Rabid Love

)
Director - Paul J. Porter (Hard Sell)
Starring - Hayley Derryberry (Zombie Night), Jessica Sonneborn (Piranha Sharks), and Brandon Stacy (The Penny Dreadful Picture Show)
Release Date - 2013
Genre - Horror
Tagline(s) - "Catch the virus" "Foam is where the heart is." and "Madness can be contagious."
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Lately, I have been trying to make my way through the Brain Damage Films and Midnight Releasing catalog and the last few films I watched have left a bad taste in my mouth. However, I still tried to be optimistic.  The list they sent me still included two more films and the poster work for both looked great.  The next film, Rabid Love, looked amazing and with a title like that my mind went over time thinking of what all this film could be about.  So I hit play and opened a beer because I knew I was really going to enjoy myself!
     Rabid Love follows a group of recent college graduates as they head out into the woods for a little rest and hunting. However, they are not the only ones in the woods.  There is also locals, a few hippies who are protesting hunting...and there is also a psycho killing people with a metal claw.  The group go about their little vacation unaware that they are in the middle of all this carnage.  Before long they befriend a wildlife photographer and soon uncover his sinister intentions and experiments.
     I love when I watch a film I know nothing about and it completely knocks me for a loop. I also love when a film is a period peace and the poster artwork gives you no warning nor signs.  Rabid Love did just that.  This film was a surprising 80s "cabin in the woods" horror flick that is able to combine the slasher elements with the post-Walking Dead undead/infected.  The film has a solid slasher that has a pretty bad ass weapon.  The film also features zombies in a sense.  These 28 Days Later inspired zombies (or zombie) was actually a surprise and a different take than this huge influx of traditional zombies we have been hit with since The Walking Dead aired.  The acting in this film was great and I don't mean great by indie standards.  The acting in this is beyond indie and could rival that of any big budget film.  The entire cast has talent in front of the camera, as well as, chemistry with one another.  The story for this one is fun.  I loved how the film went from the color-by-numbers slasher to being a science experiment run a muck with infected killers.  A lot of thought and dedication went into this story and it shows.  I also loved the 80s angle.  I have seen this a lot lately but this one is among the best (right up there with Blood Junkie).  Finally, the film offers a lot of on screen kills that are fun and extremely bloody.  Sadly, the special effects are lacking but they are still fun nonetheless.  Overall, Rabid Love is for fans of 80s horror.  It is an answered prayer for those that are sick of horrible remakes and unimaginative films.  Check it out or keep bitching!