A Little Bit Zombie

So many positive things are said about this zombie comedy that I was looking forward to it and seen the mosquito flying around as a zombie I thought I was in for a hell of a ride. It was a while since I had seen a good horror comedy. Last one was Tucker And Dale vs Evil (2010).

After seeing it I just can say that I found it total crap. I didn't laugh, I even never had a smile on my face. Even as it started off rather well with Stephen McHattie (Max) doing his shootings toward the zombies. But after that part we only see the POV of the mosquito biting a human who will become a zombie. Downhill from there. No funny situations, no zombie to spot, sure, he's changing but not into a zombie, just in someone wanting brains to eat. The situations coming out of that are jokes that teenagers will love, the bunny for example. Some do refer to old eighties comedies like the national lampoon flicks and stuff like that but I guess it must be typical American humour because I didn't like it at all. I'm into British jokes and stuff and sometimes an American comedy do work but this here was a waist of time.

Too much of talking and nothing really happening. Even when the girls are dressing up and looking sexy to catch a guy to capture for his brains didn't work and wasn't funny. Guess I had to read the title closer, it was stated a little bit zombie and that was true.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 1/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5

I was really pleasantly surprised by this film. I just blindly rented this without even looking who's in it, just to find out that Stephen McHattie has a role in it (and while his character might not be the most welcoming one, he's a great actor and it's always great to see him play anything). Apart from that, the rest of the cast was almost unknown to me, but that didn't matter.

There have been quite a few good zombie comedies in the recent years, but there also have been quite a few bad ones. This fits into the category of the good ones. It's not top notch, but it does make a lot of fun watching it (even if/when it get completely ridiculous). Obviously they didn't have a lot of money to shoot this, but the end result, does warrant a look or two ... maybe even a bite! ;o)

I watched "A Little Bit Zombie", like so many other people, at a genre-dedicated festival, and director Casey Walker was physically present to introduce his achievement and attend a Q&A after the screening. Although I fairly liked the movie for what it is already, it was Walker's playful attitude and OTT enthusiasm that made me appreciate it even more! He explained, in great detail, how he got the crowd funding off the ground and unsubtly elaborated on his aversion towards big budgeted studio productions. His film became a zombie-comedy, and that's a rather risky undertaking nowadays, since we have seen so dreadfully many of them and what innovating elements could possibly be brought anymore? Well, "A Little Bit Zombie" indeed brings nothing new to the horror table, but at least it's a 200% enthusiast, unpretentious and massively entertaining flick. Steve is a goody two-shoes desk clerk who's about to get married with his "Bridezilla" Tina. Together with his sister Sarah and his best pal Craig, who're both trying to convince Steve that Tina isn't his perfect match, they're heading out to the family cabin for the final marriage preparations. But poor Steve gets stung by a virus-infected mosquito on the first evening and literally starts to waste away as per the next morning. He's slowly turning into a zombie, developing an insatiable hunger for brains and gradually losing body parts. For Tina, the only thing that matters is assuring that her flawless wedding ceremony takes place, whether her husband is an undead rotting corpse or not. Meanwhile, Steve is also pursued by a psychotic zombie hunter and his geeky scientist sidekick. "A Little Bit Zombie" opens as a prototypic but nevertheless tasteful comedy, but quickly shifts towards a rather juvenile slapstick baloney. Steve's struggle to resist devouring a defenseless little bunny rabbit, the clique's visit to a downright disgusting butcher shop and the two girls – in sexily revealing outfits – scouting for potential brains for Steve to eat… They're all examples of highlight sequences, but it's definitely not solid horror. There are some excellent gross-out effects, but naturally the film is never atmospheric, morbid or even remotely unsettling. The acting performances are more than decent, with Crystal Lowe and Stephen McHattie as the most famous names in the cast. Interesting zombie comedy for the fans, but surely not on par with the real high-fliers of its kind ("Shaun of the Dead", "Zombieland", "Braindead", Return of the Living Dead"…)

I had the chance to see this very funny, award-winning film at Worldfest-Houston in April, 2012. A Little Bit Zombie turns the zombie genre on its head, shakes the brains out, and devours them. I was laughing from the opening scene all the way to the end of the credits. While one or two of the jokes fell a bit flat for me, the vast majority of the comedy was brilliant, not to mention the premise of the film itself, which I won't spoil for you. I'll just say this is a zombie film that shows us what it's like from the perspective of the zombie. You'll sympathize!

But it's also a very smart commentary on society, and has a lot to say about how our ethics are relativized by our private commitments. It further forces us to think about who the real monsters are in our day and age, flipping the script: the zombie is the complex protagonist, while the zombie hunter is the mindless, intolerant killing machine. But even the antagonist has a complex past, one which reflects a sharp commentary on society's expectations of "real men." His intolerance isn't a choice; he, like the zombie, is a victim too.

The cast was stellar. Everyone was hilarious. The performances weren't over the top. Their comedic timing was right on. There was not a poorly-delivered line in the entire film, as far as I noticed.

The writer/director Casey Walker did a great job. There's a lot of dialogue in the film, but the shot pacing kept everything moving forward. Wasn't bored for a second. This film was obviously story- boarded. Every line, every shot seemed to be very precise.

I highly recommend this film, not just to fans of the genre, but to anybody who likes a good comedy. You'll laugh till your brain hurts.

My expectations for this were less than zero. The truth is 99.9% of low budget horror and/or comedy films of the last 20 years have been utter crap that is a waste of time to watch. Still I try them out, hoping to find that occasional 0.1% that's worth it. A Little Bit Zombie is not a great film or even a particularly good one. The jokes are stale and the fx are mediocre. But it does have a good cast, some decent direction, and an enjoyably upbeat tone throughout.

Kristopher Turner is the lead and he's probably the weakest actor in the cast. His mugging and rubberfacing shows his limitations as a comedian. However the rest of the cast picks up the slack and makes the most of weak material. Stephen McHattie and Emilie Ullerup are good fun as a pair of zombie hunters. McHattie seems like he's having a great time with the role. Kristen Hager and Captain Steroids...I mean Shawn Roberts...are good as the sister and best friend. Crystal Lowe is the bride-to-be and she was probably the most enjoyable part of the movie for me. I always try out any movie she's in, no matter the low budgetness, and am rarely disappointed in her performance.

All in all, it's worth a gander but still a limited, though pleasant, film to watch.