Stalled

STALLED
Writer:Dan Palmer
Director:Christian James
Starring:Dan Palmer, Antonia Bernath
Availability:DVD Widely Available
Rating:

    About ten years ago now, I remember first seeing a hilarious British horror comedy called Freak Out.  Over the years, the movie never seemed to get the love I felt it deserved, and it lacked the spit and polish of Edgar Wright's work.  However, I had a great time with it, and I've been wondering ever since if Christian James and Dan Palmer would ever get around to making another movie.   Well, they finally did, and while the results don't reach the manic heights of Freak Out, it's still a refreshing, modestly charming little movie.

    Stalled is a movie that, for starters, achieves a seemingly impossible feat for a lot of indie films.  It manages to take place in one location, yet keep your interest all the way though the entire 84 minute run time.  This is a testament to Palmer's hilarious script and James's strong eye behind the camera.  Dan Palmer also plays the lead role as WC, a janitor who ends up in the stall of a women's restroom.  He hides out while a couple total hotties show up, and start in on a little lesbian action.  Just as WC is about to whack it to the action at hand, one of the girls bites the other girl's neck, and lo and behold, it turns out she was a fucking zombie.

    Sooner or later, there are zombies showing up left and right, the whole time WC is trying to stay alive while stuck in the bathroom stall.  He also encounters the voice of a woman in a nearby stall, someone to keep him company while he tries to make sense of the madness going on right outside the door.  Palmer is perfectly likable in the lead, which is a big part of the film's success.  Even though there are several moments where it is revealed WC is a pervert and definitely more than a little pathetic, he's still endearing, and you end up rooting for him despite all his flaws.

    The movie's also not afraid to let itself get serious when it needs to.  The gore is incredibly well done.  There's a reveal about an hour into the film where we find the girl is not who she claimed to be, and while I won't spoil it for you, what results is a moment that's actually unbelievably heartbreaking.  While it's not the most festive film in the world, it also takes place during the Christmas season, so the fact that these two lonely people are forced to spend the holidays holed up in a bathroom stall while a zombie outbreak is going on outside lends a certain pathos to the film it might not otherwise have had.

    The humor in this movie is far more subdued than you'd expect from a film of this nature.  There are still some laugh out loud moments, though.  There's a scene early on when he has to battle the first female zombie, and the way he ends up having to dispatch her had me dying.  There's also a scene where WC takes a hit of ecstasy, which results in a hallucination sequence that includes a very funny take-off on the Thriller dance.  Plus, the film's final moment, while sort of grim in a way, is also a very funny and fitting end to the film.

    This is no modern masterpiece by any means.  It's often more amusing than funny, and there are times I wish they would have done more with the zombies themselves.  However, it's a movie that's worth checking out, especially if you were a fan of Freak Out.  It's a funny, charming, sweet-natured little movie that's at least worth a rental.  It won't change your life, but it will definitely make you smile.

    Until next time, my fellow freaks and weirdos...