Follow the dead

Plot

As viral videos seem to evidence the fall of Dublin at the hands of the undead, four Millennials in rural Ireland can't discern fake news from real. Has a dependent lifestyle left them too naive to weather their fate?

Cast

A competent bunch I'm unfamiliar with, but Tadhg Devery absolutely knocks it out ofthe park.

Verdict

Surprisingly not the first Irish zombie movies I've seen after the likes of Dead Meat (2004) Boy Eats Girl (2005) and The Curing (2017) but perhaps the best of the bunch.

It sees a group of misfits unprepared for what's ahead, and for the most part it works and is a genuinely funny film. Alas where it doesn't slumps the movie into sheer unadulterated mediocrity and that just broke my heart as when it's good it's really quite good.

Rants

Am I suffering zombie fatigue? Zombies are my favorite sub-genre of the my favorite genre and I can't even begin to tell you how many I've watched over the last few decades. But is that damaging future ones? Has it created an expectation? Has it caused me to have higher standards? I hate to say it, but there's a distinct possibility it has. I've become a zombie snob.

Breakdown

Very endearing Genuinely funny in places Tadhg Devery Falls very flat in places.

Having the chance to sit down and watch the 2020 horror comedy "Follow the Dead" here in 2025, as I stumbled upon it by sheer chance. And seeing it was a horror comedy with zombies, of course I opted to watch the movie.

Writer and director Adam William Cahill put together a script that was pretty sluggish. It was a very, very slow narrative, and that made it quite a struggle to sit through. And to insult to injury, then there wasn't a whole lot of anything interesting happening in the story either.

I believed that I was in for a zombie movie, lo and behold my surprise when I was introduced to 95 minutes of a group of Irish people sitting around in a flat doing nothing more than talking.

Now, "Follow the Dead" is labeled as a horror comedy, but it failed in both aspects.

Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with the actors or actresses on the cast list, as Irish cinema isn't what I've been seeing the most of. Usually I enjoy watching unfamiliar talents on the screen, but found it somewhat the opposite here. The acting performances were, for the majority, somewhat wooden and rigid. A lot of the performances felt stiff and unnatural, as if the actors or actresses were just reading the dialogue from held-up cue cards.

"Follow the Dead" was a dumpster fire of a movie. And if you enjoy horror movies, and have a fondness for zombie movies, do yourself a massive favor and stay well clear of this stinker. This is not a zombie movie!

My rating of writer and director Adam William Cahill's 2020 movie "Follow the Dead" lands on a generous two out of ten stars.

I, like many, am a connoisseur of indies, so there are films out there that...make you want to scream. But every now and again you come across a film that showcases a new director, writer, or actor in their best light. "Follow the Dead" is one of those films. And while basic premise has become a perennial horror trope - zombies are taking over - now film makers are exploring other ways to show the undead apocalypse. In this case, it's a bunch of twenty-somethings in Ireland who cannot discern the truth of their situation because of their distrust of the media, after having been bombarded with "fake news" for most of their adult lives. That initial skepticism gradually gives way to their new reality, and focuses on the relationships of the characters. From the opening senes, it's apparent that "Follow the Dead" was crafted with the eye of a talented film maker and writer, Adam Cahill. The writing delivers a different take on the genre, with solid acting that organically follows the tale in a believable way. There is a gentle slacker vibe from the man-children, and the women in the story seem to have their acts together far more than the boys, which is a real-life truism. Some may feel that the action gets a little slow when it gets too talky toward the third act. There are some twists that don't conform to the genre either, which may be a good or bad thing, depending on the viewer and their expectations. Overall, this is a fine effort from a new film maker who has a bright road ahead. I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would, and give this film 3.5/5 stars.

I'll make this short, but felt compelled to leave a note so that folks at least understand what they're getting in to with this one.

Typically, when one thinks about a "zombie flick," there are thoughts of decomposing dead people walking around trying to eat regular people. While "Follow The Dead" is technically about zombies, it is only from a peripheral basis that zombies are involved. To be more concise, THIS IS NOT A ZOMBIE FLICK, rather a dramatic comedy that uses zombies as the foil.

Thematically, the film is about human relationships and values. There are angles that reach in to climate change, political control, and social morality as well, but those are breached within the confines of the script and not major studies. Many conversations of the previously mentioned themes run through the film, but one thing you will NOT see is zombies attacking people. Well, that is not entirely true. I think there are two or three examples of zombie bites, but there is almost no blood and there is certainly NO GORE. If that's what you're looking for, look elsewhere.

I mention all of the above not because the film is bad, but because it looked like a good zombie flick and turned out to be an ok dramedy. In that context, the film was fine.

So...to reiterate, THIS IS NOT A STANDARD ZOMBIE MOVIE. There is almost no blood, there is no gore, and only a couple instances of violence. In retrospect, the film was rather enjoyable. I just kept waiting for the blood to flow and it never did. That said, the characters were all likable, so watching their transition and growth was appreciated.

Overall, the film was well made. It looks and sounds professional, the script was adequate, the actors were fine for the most part...no big complaints.

Guide:

• some profanity but not overbearing. Would probably fall in the PG-13 range.

• no nudity or sexual situations
• no drugs other than 3 seconds of a guy smoking what is inferred as being a joint.

• no gore and very little violence. Blood is seen two or three times but it looks like not much more than scraped knee kind of things.

There is nothing that reasons why someone around 11 or 12 years old couldn't watch this.

Follow The Dead is a blend of comedy, drama and horror that is a nice treat for the audience. The characters are well developed, more than usual for this type of genre. I give credit to the writers and director along with the actors. I don't normally go out for this type of movie but I'm so glad I did. It had me laughing out loud pretty much throughout the entire movie! Maybe I've find a new genre to watch. I enjoyed the mixture of being scared, excited, and entertained all at the same time. If your looking for a movie that will not disappoint check out Follow The Dead and be delightfully entertained.