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I found Wasting Away on the shelves of Fopp recently after its Region 2 release here in the UK. I didn't buy it the first time I saw it because I find myself in a permanent state of skintness and therefore have difficulty justifying buying DVDs. However, packaging can be a powerful thing and the DVD cover for 'Wasting Away' looked great, had an intriguing synopsis and some positive reviews, so finally after watching the trailer (and, admittedly, after checking to see if the film was available online, which it wasn't) I bought it on DVD for a very reasonable £10, which is still the most I've spent on a DVD for about 2 years.

To cut to the chase it was worth every penny, and probably more. This is an independent film from California, with a fairly low budget of $1m, but it's nearly impossibly to tell this from the finished product, which is bright, ballsy and polished. Presumably the filmmakers must have had to cut corners to keep within their meagre budget but it's hard to see where they did so and this look of the film easily competes with higher-budget studio fare.

'Wasting Away' fits neatly into the "romzomcom" genre pioneered by 'Shaun of the Dead', but I hasten to add that 'Wasting Away' is not 'Shaun of the Dead', and is not trying to be. Four twenty-somethings spending time in the bowling alley where Tim (Michael Terry) works are unfortunate enough to eat soft-serve ice-cream composed of beer and the toxic waste from a military experiment gone wrong, subsequently die, and wake up as zombies. Except they don't know it. Their confusion is quickly compounded by an encounter with Nick Steele (Colby French), who has also been zombified but insists that they have all been transformed into 'supersoldiers' whilst everyone else in the city has been infected by an inferior brand of the same chemical (in fact, no one else has been affected).

Director Matthew Kohnen bravely tackles the zombie perspective and all the problems that come along with it (sample problem: if living human beings see zombies, as slow, lurching and groaning, how do zombies see us?) and clearly has a lot of fun doing so. The plot races along fast enough that the audience is never bored, but well-paced enough that we have time to get to know the characters and meditate on the ridiculous situation they are in. The dialogue is rife with humour and the actors sell it perfectly. Honourable mentions should go to Colby French, whose hard-nosed, sincere performance as "black ops" soldier Nick Steele is played straight rather than camped up and wouldn't be out of place in any Romero zombie film, and Matthew Davis, who delivers every line handled too him perfectly and never fails to bring the humour out of it.

Before I get too carried away I should point out that this film isn't perfect. At times it is laugh-out loud funny but at others the humour falls flat, or is just a little bit lame. Also, while the acting is mainly strong, particularly in French and Davis' performances, in other places it is weak or wooden. Some of the plot points feel a little contrived and the humour is occasionally too juvenile to be genuinely funny. But at the end of the day, these flaws are not only eclipsed by the positives, they even add to the film somewhat, making it more likable because of its imperfections.

This is a strong directorial debut from Matthew Kohnen, a filmmaker whose other credits seem to mainly consist of clerical or technical jobs, and I will certainly be looking out for more of his work. 'Wasting Away' stands out amidst the boggy mire that is modern horror cinema, a diamond in the mud of tired remakes and boring sequels that is all Hollywood seems capable of producing. It's refreshing, original, gleefully gross and most of all, it's fun. It's fun to watch and it looks like it was fun to make. The only thing that particularly disappoints me is the marketing failure. As far as I'm aware, 'Wasting Away' did not get a theatrical release over here and were it not for Fopp and their avid promotion of smaller independent films I would probably ever have heard of it. So watch it, enjoy it, and pass it on to ensure it gets the recognition it deserves.

I leave you with a quote from the film's theme song, which pretty much says it all: "You know your day will suck when the dead start walking the streets, And their only source of nourishment is Human meat."

But leave your moral values at the door for this one, this film is definitely not for everyone and many will be unable to see past the depravity (which is plentiful). Let me put it this way; if you're one of those people who read 'Paradise Lost' and fell in love with the character of Satan, then this film runs along similar lines.

The film opens with the 'Devil's Rejects' holed up in their house, surrounded by the police and with no obvious way out. A shoot-out quickly follows with casualties on both sides, and those that escape hit the road in search of refuge and slaughter, not necessarily in that order. Hot on their trail is Sheriff Wydell (an excellent performance by William Forsythe) who has a personal stake in the capture of this cheery family of serial killers.

Despite what this might imply, this film has no good guys, a fact that forces the viewer to sympathise with the most likable characters around: the Rejects themselves. At total twist of perspective near the end of the film may leave even the most outraged viewers reeling and unsure of which direction they want the film to go.

To lighten up the whole grisly affair, Zombie throws in a fair amount of humour, some of it dark and some of it surprisingly innocent, all of it hilarious.

An outstanding horror film that looks the devil in the eye and smiles.

A faithful and effective adaptation of the original Stephen King novel that also works well in its own right, portraying the original themes and tone superbly. In contrast to a lot of its fellow eighties horror flicks, Pet Sematary does not rely on gore to frighten its audience but instead juxtaposes different emotional extremes that have a far more sustained effect on the viewer. It may sound strange, but what makes this film different is that it does not simply include death, it is truly about death, and about the powerful and awful nature of grief.

The film has a difficult premise - the resurrection of the dead - which if handled without care could have become a farce or just another zombie film. A strong cast ensure make the fantastical story seem believable. Particularly worthy of mention is Dale Midkiff, who plays the father, Louis Creed, who plays a difficult role convincingly and effectively. Also Miko Hughes, who for a 3 year-old was already almost unnaturally talented and who won the hearts of many Stephen King fans. The score for this film also goes a long way to make it what it is, the chilling discordance is reminiscent of earlier classics like Psycho.

Of course, the film is by no means perfect. The dialogue is a little weak in places and is strongest when almost directly quoting the novel. Some people may find the whole thing too much and will laugh instead of cry, which is often expected when a film takes itself this seriously. And horror fans who were expecting a nonstop bloodbath may be disappointed or bored by a film that builds suspense slowly before snowballing to its final, terrible climax.

In summary, this is a chiller rather than a slasher, but works because the horror is so very real and close to our own lives. The truly terrifying parts of this film are not the "zombie" scenes but the portrayals of human fallacies such as sickness, madness and ultimately death. A truly memorable classic that stands up to multiple viewings and stays with you long after the end credits.

"What you buy is what you own, and what you own ... always comes home to you."