Sigam os Mortos

I think it's safe to say that since 2004, if you were to give the plot summary of a film as 'a bunch of losers try to comically survive a zombie apocalypse' then you'd automatically think of 'Shaun of the Dead.' It was a classic and well deserving of its iconic status. Of course if something is successful then others will try to copy. Over the years we've got plenty more 'comedy horror zombie' movies featuring lovable losers. Some were good, some were bad, but most were pretty forgettable.

Here we have Ireland's entry into the genre. Yes, it's another 'SotD' rip-off, so I won't bore you with a detailed plot synopsis, as there's not much you haven't seen before. I knew what I was getting into when I sat down, so I can hardly complain about its lack of originality.

And, as it began, I was pleasantly surprised. For a start, the characters were nice. And they were funny and therefore likable. Yes, there are more than a few Irish stereotypes thrown in there to keep reminding the international viewers that this is definitely set in the Emerald Isle, but, overall, all characters do a good job. My hopes were high.

So, I waited for the zombies to show. And I waited. The film began to drag about a quarter of the way through its runtime, but I continued to wait. The beginning was so strong and well-written I wanted to give it every possible chance.

Eventually, it ended. And, my overall summary would be that this is a zombie movie without any zombies. Okay, I'm exaggerating. There were some, but - seriously - in a film about the undead, chucking them in there for a handful of scenes barely counts in my opinion.

What you have for the main part is relationship drama. Just like the zombies never really show, the jokes slowly dwindle in favour of relationship issues. There's not much gore and I swear they stole a prominent mask from another horror film (I think 'Nightbreed' but I could be wrong). Anyway, what could have been a memorable entry ended up being pretty run-of-the-mill and an example of what could have been.

I'll make this short, but felt compelled to leave a note so that folks at least understand what they're getting in to with this one.

Typically, when one thinks about a "zombie flick," there are thoughts of decomposing dead people walking around trying to eat regular people. While "Follow The Dead" is technically about zombies, it is only from a peripheral basis that zombies are involved. To be more concise, THIS IS NOT A ZOMBIE FLICK, rather a dramatic comedy that uses zombies as the foil.

Thematically, the film is about human relationships and values. There are angles that reach in to climate change, political control, and social morality as well, but those are breached within the confines of the script and not major studies. Many conversations of the previously mentioned themes run through the film, but one thing you will NOT see is zombies attacking people. Well, that is not entirely true. I think there are two or three examples of zombie bites, but there is almost no blood and there is certainly NO GORE. If that's what you're looking for, look elsewhere.

I mention all of the above not because the film is bad, but because it looked like a good zombie flick and turned out to be an ok dramedy. In that context, the film was fine.

So...to reiterate, THIS IS NOT A STANDARD ZOMBIE MOVIE. There is almost no blood, there is no gore, and only a couple instances of violence. In retrospect, the film was rather enjoyable. I just kept waiting for the blood to flow and it never did. That said, the characters were all likable, so watching their transition and growth was appreciated.

Overall, the film was well made. It looks and sounds professional, the script was adequate, the actors were fine for the most part...no big complaints.

Guide:

• some profanity but not overbearing. Would probably fall in the PG-13 range.

• no nudity or sexual situations
• no drugs other than 3 seconds of a guy smoking what is inferred as being a joint.

• no gore and very little violence. Blood is seen two or three times but it looks like not much more than scraped knee kind of things.

There is nothing that reasons why someone around 11 or 12 years old couldn't watch this.

Plot

As viral videos seem to evidence the fall of Dublin at the hands of the undead, four Millennials in rural Ireland can't discern fake news from real. Has a dependent lifestyle left them too naive to weather their fate?

Cast

A competent bunch I'm unfamiliar with, but Tadhg Devery absolutely knocks it out ofthe park.

Verdict

Surprisingly not the first Irish zombie movies I've seen after the likes of Dead Meat (2004) Boy Eats Girl (2005) and The Curing (2017) but perhaps the best of the bunch.

It sees a group of misfits unprepared for what's ahead, and for the most part it works and is a genuinely funny film. Alas where it doesn't slumps the movie into sheer unadulterated mediocrity and that just broke my heart as when it's good it's really quite good.

Rants

Am I suffering zombie fatigue? Zombies are my favorite sub-genre of the my favorite genre and I can't even begin to tell you how many I've watched over the last few decades. But is that damaging future ones? Has it created an expectation? Has it caused me to have higher standards? I hate to say it, but there's a distinct possibility it has. I've become a zombie snob.

Breakdown

Very endearing Genuinely funny in places Tadhg Devery Falls very flat in places.

Having the chance to sit down and watch the 2020 horror comedy "Follow the Dead" here in 2025, as I stumbled upon it by sheer chance. And seeing it was a horror comedy with zombies, of course I opted to watch the movie.

Writer and director Adam William Cahill put together a script that was pretty sluggish. It was a very, very slow narrative, and that made it quite a struggle to sit through. And to insult to injury, then there wasn't a whole lot of anything interesting happening in the story either.

I believed that I was in for a zombie movie, lo and behold my surprise when I was introduced to 95 minutes of a group of Irish people sitting around in a flat doing nothing more than talking.

Now, "Follow the Dead" is labeled as a horror comedy, but it failed in both aspects.

Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with the actors or actresses on the cast list, as Irish cinema isn't what I've been seeing the most of. Usually I enjoy watching unfamiliar talents on the screen, but found it somewhat the opposite here. The acting performances were, for the majority, somewhat wooden and rigid. A lot of the performances felt stiff and unnatural, as if the actors or actresses were just reading the dialogue from held-up cue cards.

"Follow the Dead" was a dumpster fire of a movie. And if you enjoy horror movies, and have a fondness for zombie movies, do yourself a massive favor and stay well clear of this stinker. This is not a zombie movie!

My rating of writer and director Adam William Cahill's 2020 movie "Follow the Dead" lands on a generous two out of ten stars.

What did you do here? Why change genres four times in the duration of the film?

When it started as a comedy, fine - low budget, genuinely funny moments, but then it took a left turn it couldn't come back from. It's fine if you want to have the standard boy/girl reuniting, but why so serious? Then it became a family melodrama, then attempt at a thriller?

No climax, no character reference outside of the main four, so trying to tie in the story just doesn't work.

Also - the description has nearly nothing to do with the movie. This is very much not about Millennials and fake news from real. That's not even subplot. It's more like, a passing comment.

Before reading the description I thought to myself it's like one person started the movie, went into a coma, then his sad family tried to finish it for him - turns out, you did take two people's entirely different concepts and mash them together. It's rather unfortunate really, I was enjoying it for a bit there.

I don't know if this is your first go or not, but give it another. Just, maybe not as much of a team effort when it comes to the script, plot, genre, etc. If you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one.