Die Nacht der lebenden Loser

The film's underlying connection is obviously the lot of zombie films which have filled the last decades since Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" (1968). Although its approach is rather a different one. Not horror or the paranoid feeling of being enclosed by undead is the theme, but the problems and boons that come with being transformed to an undead. So you get the feeling of what's like to be one of the "evil" kind. And in this it's pretty funny, because there are many scenes in which the teenage actors are reacting unexpected, but never miss the point to be what they are: a bunch of maturing youths, whose only interests are in women, booze and party! So you better won't expect to find any trace of subtile character-play or the tragic evaluation of one's unforgiving fate - what doesn't mean that there are no interesting story-bends in it. You bet they are! The cast is fine with me, with the special appearance of Sissi Perlinger, a more or less well known comedian, as way-to-cool mother. Moments of blood & gore are limited, for which it's not the film's intention to shock you out of your skin and also the brief nudity is way too normal nowadays. The German rating is 12+ (PG) and nothing to discuss about. Interestingly there this a similar film out now with the title "Shaun of the dead" which takes on the funny sides of zombie-films, too, although it has a better making and the puns are more precise than in this one. But hey, it's a German film, alright? What else should one expect from a small budget and trivial story? So lean back, enjoy the film ...and remember the horrid times when there were films with the name "Zwei Nasen tanken Super"!

I saw this film as part of the Cinemuerte Horror Film Festival in Vancouver recently, and I have to say that I did enjoy it, as silly as it was.

The characters were affable, the zombie and gore effects were solid, and the storyline was good fun. You actually got to like the three "losers" and the preppy-rich kids were fun to hate. Don't listen to the person who commented on "bad acting", because they don't know what they're talking about. There was no bad acting in this movie at all. The actors were all very natural, and seemed like real teenagers, despite the fantastic situations they were in.

Anyway, when this film will reach DVD on North American shores is hard to tell, but if you like 80's-style teen comedy flicks, and are a fan of zombies and gore (there are some gross and violent scenes, but nothing as extreme as what you'd see in a Romero film, and they're mostly played for laughs), then this film is good for a laugh and worth renting. It's certainly better than most teen flicks coming out of Hollywood these days!

First and foremost: this movie really rocks. I am a native German speaker and I quickly took a gaze at the English pretty horribly dubbed trailer which does not come close to the original German version. My review is based on me experiencing this awesome comedy in German language, so it might be a bit biased for you English speaking folks out there.

If you enjoy a laugh along with a bunch of stereotypical characters then you better fasten your seat belts as this movie takes upon lots of clichés from the Zombie movie genre as well as teen comedies - with a German twist, though. There are boobs, butts and drugs, but not much gory violence as you'd expect from a classical Zombie movie. Nonetheless this movie also contains one of the most-closely to real-life teen party scenes I've ever witnessed on screen.

This movie is best watched with a couple of friends and plenty of beer for even more entertainment - and if you're able to: do so in German. I whole heartedly recommend this movie to anyone sporting a good sense of humor. Enjoy!

A German horror comedy that successfully spoofs all possible clichés of zombie films without ever paying any disrespect to the real genre classics or ending up as a retarded 90 minutes joke itself??? It's almost impossible to accept such a thing exists and yet here's Mathias Dinter's "Night of the Living Dorks"! I swear, unless you absolutely have no sense of humor in you, you can't but enjoy this silly story about three typical German high-school nerds that suddenly move up the social ladder because they have the strength and advantages of the living dead. In a desperate attempt to conquer a girl's heart (and body), Philip and his friends Konrad and Wurst (what's in a name) undergo a voodoo ritual and become soiled by the ashes of a dead Haitian zombie. There's no result at first but, after a car accident, our jolly trio is immune to pain and has developed an insatiable desire for raw meat. While Konrad and Wurst are having the time of their lives abusing their zombie powers, Philip turns to his loving neighbor girl for a cure. This light-headed and spirited production contains all the necessary ingredients to guarantee brainless entertainment and yet a lot more, too. Whereas other German movies are frequently uptight (no offense to any German readers...), "Night of the Living Dorks" specifically focuses on laughing with stereotypes and even the country's own national history. All the gags and references towards classic films in the script already featured in previous zombie comedies and yet this movie still feels fresh and innovating. Even the jokes that aren't zombie-related, like soft-drug usage or the "crush on teacher"-syndrome, are effective and will make you chuckle. The acting of the boys is pretty good, while the girls all look ravishing and show quite a bit of naked flesh. The gory situations aren't as outrageous as I thought, which is probably due to the German rating system, but there certainly is some nice sloth to enjoy. Many will disagree, maybe, but I think this pleasant German surprise doesn't have to yield much to similar movies like "Shaun of the Dead", "Return of the Living Dead" or "The Dead Hate The Living". Bring out the six-packs of beer!

The school friends Philip (Tino Mewes), Wurst (Manuel Cortez) and Konrad (Thomas Schmieder) are high-school losers: Philip desires the sexy Uschi (Nadine Germann), an easy girl for successful boys; the complex Konrad lists all the humiliations he has been submitted in school; and Wurst only cares to dope himself and smoke pot. Philip's next door Gothic neighbor Rebecca (Collien Fernandes) has a non-corresponded crush on Philip. When Rebecca performs an ancient voodoo ritual in the cemetery with her friends, Philip and his friends arrive, mocking the ceremony and are accidentally blasted with zombie ashes from Haiti. Then, while driving his van, Wurst smokes marijuana but he has a car accident and the trio dies. However, they awake in the morgue and sooner they realize that they have become zombies. While seeking an antidote in the Necronomicon, Konrad, Wurst and Philip find the advantages of being zombies, becoming successful due to their recently acquired strength.

"Die Nacht der Lebenden Loser" is an extremely funny parody of zombie movies, a sort of "American Pie" meeting "Night of the Living Dead" or "Shaun of the Dead". The result is hilarious and this enjoyable movie is highly recommended to make the viewer forget, for example, the defeat of his soccer team (my case today), since it is impossible not laughing along the 89 minutes running time. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Noite dos Mortos-Bobos" ("The Night of the Dead-Fools")