Starring - Felicity Mason (Mortified, A Predator's Obsession), Mungo McKay (BeastMaster, Inspector Gadget 2), and Rob Jenkins (Australiens, Sharkmen)
Release Date - 2003
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "Crazy has come to town for a visit"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
When I was in high school I was a very active member of the Upcoming Horror Movies forum. I discovered so many great films during those years because of the snobby, yet well versed, horror fans that were quick to either bash or praise a horror release. I tended to gravitate toward the films that often caught heat from the horror hipsters because my tastes in horror is a bit different. When I saw posts about the Australian horror comedy Undead I couldn't wait to see it. I pre-ordered a copy of the film on DVD and fucking loved it. In the years following I was able to snag another copy of the film on DVD featuring different artwork than my original copy from a Hollywood Video that was going out of business. I don't mind to double dip with the price is only $1. Sadly, after college I started my reviews for Horror Society and a lot of the films that I often revisited took the back seat to movies that I was sent for review. When Umbrella Entertainment announced that Undead would be gracing their Beyond Genres line I was excited. Odd that it wasn't part of their Ozploitation Classics but that doesn't matter much. I couldn't wait to upgrade to blu and give this one the revisit that it rightly deserved. I reached out to them and they were once again kind enough to send a copy my way. Thanks guys!
The film follows a small Australian town that descends into darkness when the living become the flesh eating undead. Some survivors band together but attitudes and poor decisions tear them apart before the undead can. When things look the darkest and they are at their end they face an intervention from someone outside of their town...and this world.
I remember when Undead was released and several members on UHM hated the film but there was a handful that actually liked it. Honestly, it was cheap but a lot of fun. The humor doesn't really find it's mark but the story and characters more than make up for it. I can see why some of the more picky horror fans dislike the film but if you are open to horror comedies and the odd side of cinema then you will enjoy this one. The acting in this one has plenty of room for improvement but not the worst I've seen. Some of the characters are written to be funny while others are meant to be more serious to help carry the story along. The cast has some experience but it's clear that they didn't have enough to make their performances stand out. As fun as the film is the characters are rather forgettable. The story for this one starts out like your typical zombie flick with a small town under siege from the undead but as the film progresses we find the survivors dealing with something much more than just a zombie outbreak. The characters may not be as memorable as other films like it but they did fit in well with the story. My biggest gripe with the film is the untimely humor and how flat it is. I love a good zombie comedy but this one is very inconsistent and uneven. Finally, the film has some fun practical and make-up effects and some seriously horrible visual effects. The practical effects look great and really do make this film as enjoyable as it is. I love the kills in the film and how they use classic practical effects to pull them off. However, the visual effects are horrible and something that always turned me off back when this was a regular watch. Overall, Undead isn't perfect. It suffers from a low budget and fairly inexperienced cast but it finds a way to work. It's enjoyable and one I would highly recommend watching with friends. The blu from Umbrella is leagues above the DVD release and one I would consider a must own for zombie fans. Check it out.
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