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.

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.

Angela is a young woman who has just been killed by her angry ex,but Angela isn't dead,she's one of the undead.You see,the recently deceased have come back to life and these are not your typical zombies either. They are organized,intelligent and crave the flesh of the living.A crazed cult of undead terrorists and a militia of brutal zombie-hunting humans fight for dominance.I'm a fan of old-school zombie flicks,where walking dead devours the living and that's why I highly disliked "Last Rites of the Dead".Undead can talk,shoot,search for a job or drive a car.Zombies roam the street,hold jobs-even have their own dating services online.Is this a joke?Admittedly the script has some originality and fresh ideas,but I prefer zombie flicks with an constant aura of apocalypse and tons of gory mayhem.The concept of intelligent zombie is beyond retarded.Still the acting is pretty good,some of the gore is excellent,unfortunately "Last Rites of the Dead" plays more like an unfunny joke.4 out of 10.

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

I watch a lot of bad horror movies. This is not a cinematic masterpiece. But it is better than a lot of low budget indie horror flicks. I mean, it is what it is and you know that going in - a low budget zombie movie. But it took what it had and did it well.

The acting by the female lead - Gina Ramsden - was actually good. I think that is the first time I have EVER said that about any low budget horror movie I've ever watched. She's cute too, so that helps.

There was an actual plot and characters - granted it was about zombies, but it took the zombie idea and did something new and interesting. Basically the zombie outbreak has happened - when people die, no matter the cause, they turn into zombies. These zombies now are trying to integrate themselves into society at large, and many people don't like that. They can talk and think, but they are dead and their bodies show this. These are not the zombies of the Romero cannon, which will probably anger the fan-boys - but who cares, where talking about zombies here, and until the Zombie apocalypse actually does occur in the real world, it will only help to speculate on the nature of all possible types of zombies. That is what the fan of Romero Zombies must keep in mind when watching this film (or 28 Days/Weeks later for that matter you morons).

Now the ending did drag out, a lot, and got a little confusing. But the various groups (Humans who hate zombies, zombies who just want to "live" and be left alone, zombies who discover their hunger for human flesh) provide some interesting dynamics as the plot develops and our intrepid heroine, Angela, feels conflicted about the various groups especially because her ex-boyfriend is part of the living who wants to kill the zombies.

Note to other low-budget horror film makers: Tight shots of your actors and sets when you have a low budget (and lighting) really is a good idea. So is having an actual plot arc.