Corona Zombies

Director - Charles Band (Doctor Mordrid, Prehysteria!)
Starring - Cody Renee Cameron (The Neon Demon, Tosh.), Russell Coker (Punk's Dead: SLC Punk 2, The Gatekeeper), and Robin Sydney (The Gingerdead Man, Masters of Horror)
Release Date - 2020
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "The invasion begins"
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     We are living in a weird and unusual time.  We are in the midst of a global pandemic and instead of people helping one another through this trying and stressful time, we find them ranting and raving about their political party.  It's hard for people to come together and be supportive when so many people refuse to see people as their equals because they vote differently.  Regardless, life moves on and we find ourselves trying to find ways to keep us entertained when not worrying about our family.  When I was growing up I was a huge Full Moon fan and over the years I've found myself rekindling that love with films like Evil Bong, Killjoy, and The Gingerdead Man.  I love goofy horror flicks and I know people often question my taste in film but I don't give a fuck.  I like what I like.  A few weeks ago Full Moon reached out to me about sharing news of their newest flick Corona Zombies.  I loved the idea while many of you out there were turned off by Band exploiting the pandemic.  I use humor as a way to cope with stressful situations and I was very excited about seeing a horror comedy take on the Covid pandemic which is something I've dealt with on a daily basis because I am considered an essential employee.  I worry from the time I wake up until the time I'm home from work about carrying the virus home to my family.  Hate aside, I couldn't resist checking this one out and I'm glad I did.

     The film follows a beautiful and ditzy blonde who is shocked when she can't score some toilet paper and cleaning supplies from the store.  When she turns on the television she finds news coverage of a soup company expanding their line up with bat soup when something goes wrong.  The bat soup becomes contaminated and those that consume it are turned into flesh-eating zombies.     

     I had no idea what to expect when I went into this one.  Rumor was that Full Moon completed a zombie film sometime back and quickly shot new footage to make the Corona angle stick.  Others speculated that they remastered an older zombie flick, something like The Dead Hate the Living, and renamed it.  It wasn't until the trailer was released that I saw what absurdity that Band was giving viewers.  The acting in this one can be split up into three different parts.  We have the new footage from Band which is a little rough.  The cast is small but you can tell it was rushed into production and the cast did the best with what they were given.  The second part is the Italian classic Hell of the Living Dead that was cut and added to fit Band's story.  These scenes are impossible to judge in this context but if you've seen the original movie then you know what to expect.  The third portion is the dubbing which is the best part of the film.  The dubbing is bad but the crudeness of the dubbed material makes the film fun.  The story for this one is satire in it's purest form.  Band makes fun of the Gen Z's spring breaking, spoiled millennials that ignore the news, and world politics all in one swoop.  We then get the glorious dubbing over the Hell of the Living Dead scenes.  With all that being said, the humor does wear pretty thin by the 30 minute mark.  The film clocks in around an hour but you find yourself waiting for it to end anytime after the 30 minutes.  It would be a lot more fun with friends and some beer but as a solo watch it is way too long the way it is.  Finally, if you've seen HotLD prior to this then you know what to expect.  However, the new additions to the film has some fun make-up effects but the classic zombie gore is void from the film.  Overall, Corona Zombies is tasteless fun.  Full Moon has seemed to out Troma Troma with this one.  It's fun for a first time watch but don't expect a game changer.  Just take it for what it is and let the dubbing and one liners wash over you instead of the wave of anxiety that most of us feel right now.  Check it out.