I've seen my share of zombie movies, independent films, and short movies. I've had to endure some really shoddy film-making, sound quality, and bad production along the way.
"The Hell Patrol" has none of that.
The ONLY reason I gave it a 9 out of 10, and not a 10, is because it's, well, too short. LOL And yes, I knew it was a short film. But it leaves you wanting more. In a movie, that is always a good thing.
"The Hell Patrol" begins in an already desolate scenario and takes you through experiences that are gritty in their realism. You can feel what the characters are experiencing. And yet, somehow, it doesn't make the mistake of taking itself too seriously. Nor do the comedic moments take away from this snippet of post-apocalyptic life after Zombies.
The creators of this movie seem to have a better-than-average grasp of how true human nature reacts under extreme duress and fear; small moments become everything; people crack jokes at inappropriate times and at stupid things; but it doesn't feel stupid or inappropriate.
I don't normally watch commentaries, but as soon as the movie ended I went straight to the commentary and watched it again with the commentary on. I wanted to hear what the creators of the movie had to say about it. I was glad to hear in the commentary that they hope to expand this into a full-length feature at some point in the future.
For atmosphere alone, this movie sits proudly with other classics of Zombie and apocalyptic lore. I frankly think the only other Zombie movie that truly made me feel that bleak sense of "everything we knew is gone" was "The Last Man On Earth." Happy to own it, and can't wait till the full-length feature is available!
