Last Rites of the Dead

After being killed by her boyfriend, a woman finds that she has been turned into a zombie with the rest of the world starting to turn on the creatures for their condition and eventually joins a zombie's freedom group to keep her rights together that she's earned.

There wasn't a whole lot to like about this one. Among the best features here is the fact that it's got a really unique and novel idea that actually seems to be quite inventive, and with nothing at all clichéd about this instead it comes off as being new and original which is what's needed in these kinds of films. This even makes for some really nice scenes that couldn't have come from any other style of film, as there's the rather unique tortures that are inflicted upon them from the abuse on the streets to the treatment in the restaurants and how they're affected on the job-market, there's a lot in here that are solely responsible for being in this kind of film. Even the main scenes here of them sitting around like a support group here are only possible because of this storyline, and these here make this one completely unique and original. There's also the film's rather nice amount of blood and gore, which isn't all that much but does work nicely when it really wants to, and there's a couple of decent shots with it. The last big plus is the few action scenes it has, which are really good. There's a couple of zombie beat-downs near the beginning which are rather nice in a really weird way, the first fight in the park is really great, the raids on the zombie homes are fun and brutal, and bloodshed and the ending just feels right and is the best part of the film. Along with the other factors, these make the film watchable as this one here was somewhat problematic. The main one here is that the film decides to change around the very way that zombies behave, and it might be enough to put off some of the more hardcore fans. This one here gives them the ability to be cognizant of their death-like status, complete with their ability to reason, talk and the really weird subplot about them forming a support group to inform each other and talk about their problems, which is a nice idea but all it does is take away every single thing that made them fearful in the first place. By having them form a group to deal with it makes them seem like big losers, and there's nothing that makes them instantly- nonthreatening compared to others out there. Lastly, it has the other factor of making the beginning of this one incredibly boring since it's really just a rash of scenes that just serve as fodder in the group's talks, and that's hardly anything that can make the film interesting. None of these scenes are all that exciting, and are overall just plain dull, and are then made even worse through the need to play into the support group slot. These here are the biggest problems in the film.

Rated R: Graphic Language and Graphic Violence.

Not bad. Like pizza, there's no such thing as a bad zombie movie. You might also want to check out the zombie action comedy AWAKEN THE DEAD among others. You watch EVIL DEAD for the humor. You watch FLASH GORDON for the humor and the action. But we watch zombie films to see an alternate world that has monsters walking around to feed on the general populace. It's fluff. It's fun. So grab a couple of beers, rent three or four indie zombie flicks and have some fun!

This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper.

T. S. Eliot doesn't get enough credit. Neither do these zombie filmmakers who put it out on a limb to entertain us.

Firstly, I would like to say that I have seen many, many zombie films.

A few of them were great, but most are poor, samey and just rip ideas from other films.

Last Rites of the Dead was completely different. The story line was like a breath of fresh air, and a completely new take on the genre.

There are a few scenes where the budget is obvious, but for the most part the f/x are quite impressive for an indie flick of this nature. (Although I will say look out for the bit of white fluff that is supposed to be something else!)

The acting was energetic and passionate, without being over the top or false, and the dialogue was quite realistic. A credit to the script writer, and whoever did the casting.

All in all, a good way to spend an hour and a half, and even if you are not a zombie fan, but have the stomach, it's worth watching as the film makes you think about how you treat people that are different to you.

An interesting and entertaining way to make important social commentary.

This is a weird one to review. I mean, the first part is really bad, but the second part is as gory as hell. Let me explain. The first minutes you see how they attack a zombie but the zombie talks normal and has normal clothes on, so I thought OMG this is going to be worse. And it was, the first 45 minutes are really stupid, face it, zombies gathering together to talk about their life. And the make-up made for zombies to look alive. Really, I was ready to push the fast-forward button but somehow I kept watching. But once things go weirder and weirder you really should wait until the go into the woods. From that point on it's gore galore with decapitations, eating guts, tearing bodies apart, biting into human flesh, heads being shot to bits. But naturally the first part tears it down and that's sad. If they would have made it a bit shorter it would have been great. On the other hand, the girls who are in this flick are mostly buxom chicks and wearing short skirts but that doesn't make a flick. Also funny to see is that they cut out some nudity concerning a whore. One tot was shown but was cut out why I don't know. But it's available in the deleted scene's. Not that it was sexy or anything but it's strange to cut that part out of a movie. The acting was mediocre but the movie do needs the gory parts to deliver the gorehounds. If you can sit through the first half part than it's okay to watch.

If you ever get tired of the same old, traditional Zombie flicks like Dawn Of The Dead, and pretty much anything from the criminally overrated George Romero, I'd suggest giving up the mainstream stuff indefinitely, because you're not gonna find it there. If you're looking for an original Zombie flick, and you don't mind a low budget. you've found it. This is Zombies Anonymous!

Nowadays, when you die, your soul no longer leaves your body. Harsh, but true. A chick named Angela is right in the middle of a fight with her boyfriend, is hoping this hotheaded young man doesn't go off and shoot her, because she's really not into the whole living dead thing. Because if she doesn't survive, this new lifestyle will most definitely be in her future... So, anyway. now that Angela's undead, she's stuck in a world that's afraid of her. A world that hates her. A world that gives her very few options. For example, getting/holding a job will be almost impossible. And there's this whole thing where Angela feels incredible pain if she goes long enough without eating human flesh. She can pretend to be a regular person all she wants. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but without Human flesh, functioning is almost impossible.

While being over-the-top, gruesome, and dark-humored, Zombies Anonymous has quite a deep, semi-touching story, which seems to be about adapting to a new way of life. Well, that and discrimination. Reflecting how people fear, and ultimately hate what they don't understand. If you end up diggin' Zombies Anomymous, I'd highly recommend a film from the same director, called Strange Things Happen At Sundown. One Of The Best Vampire flicks I've come across. This Marc Fratto guy is one of the few bright spots in B-cinema over the last decade, and I look forward to anything else he comes up with. In case you've ever heard about a micro-budget, shot-on-video from the 90's called Shatter Dead, Zombies Anonymous is basically a ripoff of that one. at least the basic idea is. Ultimately, this one blows Shatter Dead away, gore-wise, creativity-wise, & entertainment-wise. you can't compare the two. However, I'd recommend you check out both of them. Zombies Anonymous obviously isn't the traditional Zombie story. And I hardly see that as a bad thing. 8/10