Silent Night, Zombie Night

Another movie where the acting, SFX and story add up to drek.

Three people trapped in a house by a barely explained (hey that's original) zombie epidemic rages outside. The usual bad acting, bad sfx and poor storytelling and editing takes place. What makes this really bad is the CGI gunshots and blood splatter which looks like it was done on an old Mac computer. Just a really terrible movie and a waste of time.

Sean Cain, know as actor from "Someone's Knocking At The Door as Officer O'Malley" wrote and directed this gory flick. But there is more to see than only gore. When it started I thought, well, this is going to be splatter all around the clock but after a while we start to know the characters and you really get into them because they all acted really well.

The fact that it isn't really all about zombies is shown when we see that the two friends (Frank and Nash) are in love with the same woman, sadly it's the wife of Frank. We really go very deep into that part but we are relieved sometimes by another gory zombie attack. And just when you think, hell, I don't give a sh*t about the two friends things go wrong between the two when they are out to kill some zombies.

The zombies looked believable and when they are killed it's all done in a gory way, the red stuff do flows frequently and it never bored me because the story has some developments, something we don't see often in zombie flicks. Yes, you get it, I'm not a zombie buff but this flick I liked a lot. And let me finish with the score, it is excellent done by Mario Salvucci but the best part is the use of score and editing with Edward Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No 1, a must see.

Gore 4/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 4/5 Story 4/5 Comedy 0/5

Just when you thought you had seen everything, along comes a zombie Christmas movie. And why not? After all, the setting is Los Angeles and it's not like the climate or the topography is really conducive to a winter holiday anyway. So why not throw in some zombies and see where it leads? And essentially that's exactly what this movie does. Now, for those who enjoy a good zombie film this one pretty much has all of the basics. However, it does throw in a few variables which are somewhat intriguing. For example, it has the typical slow, lumbering zombies. It also has the fast type that have become more fashionable in the last 5 to 10 years. In this case, the difference between them is that the fast ones have a reptilian organism wrapped around their brain-stems which allow the zombies greater use of their reflexes. They're the ones with the red eyes. The slow ones, on the other hand, are simply mindless drones which can only kill and infect others. Their eyes are void of any intelligence. At any rate, this isn't a bad zombie movie all things considered. It's certainly better than some of the low-budget productions that require viewers to make allowances for any number of things. But, to be quite fair, it isn't that great of a film either. It has no humor and no real sense of teamwork that one might expect when the human population is fighting for its existence. As a result it seemed a little shallow. In spite of this, while it may not be a great Christmas offering, it's not exactly a lump of coal either. Like most zombie fans I've definitely seen a lot worse. So all things considered, it's a decent enough addition for any zombie enthusiast to add to their collection.

"Silent Night, Zombie Night" surprised my low expectations. It does tread in some of the "same ole" category with the basic zombie outbreak, but at its core is really a character study of a love triangle, with real adult feelings and all of that. It stands out from the crowd as far as Indie zombie movies go and could appeal to a broader audience than most.

On the acting front, Jack Forcinito as the tough as nails jerk of a hero runs this rodeo. He seems born for the role in a "give that man a B movie trophy!" sort of way. Middle aged ladies and perhaps younger ladies with daddy issues may throw their panties at the screen for the bad boy, man about business character Jack brings to life. Sizzle.

Andy Hopper is an actor I could see on a "Law & Order" type show and Nadine Stenovich as the leading lady brings a real beauty of a woman to the mix, which may not please the fake boobs in a bikini crowd.

Felissa Rose, Vernon Wells, and Lew Temple as known B movie names all come in with parts that are more than cameos. I would say extended cameos, but considering the amount of dialog and Lew Temple's going for the Oscar sob antics: they are real bona fide parts.

The low budget nature of the beast is going to have some FX groaned at (some are pulled off gory and great), but overall it does not feel like a case of someone trying to junk something out for nothing, but rather filmmakers really trying to make something good with very little.

Is the Christmas spirit there? Well, it was shot in Los Angeles and around Christmas time I am led to believe, so: no snow. Some may want more tinsel and miss the snow, but I guess I can't fault it for playing to reality. Maybe you're stuck in the snowed-up Midwest and want to spend Christmas in warm L.A.? Here you go, and with zombies!

"Silent Night, Zombie Night" is a step above many Indie low-to-no budget zombie movies and I think it earns a spot on a horror collector's shelf. Actually, I would recommend it to people who do not like zombie movies per-say, but dig adult relationship dramas. It is worth a rent at least and could be an odd date night movie.

I first heard about this movie from listening to Gruesome Hertzogg's Zombie Movie reviews. He seems to have his finger on the pulse of movies I like, so I tune in and get his feeling and recommendations. I'm glad I did because I would have missed out on this little gem!

Imagine being trapped during the holidays with people who are at each others throats... then throw in a zombie outbreak on top of it all. REALLY being trapped. This movie is for zombie genre lovers, as well as fans of the often awkward yet entertaining holiday movies.

I thought it was a fun, original and cool movie. Low budget, yes, but over all a really surprising and cool addition to my growing zombie movie collection! I give it 7 stars!