Bloody Sand

A stripper-mom fleeing a zombie apocalypse finds herself alone and stranded in the desert as one of the creatures stalks her ...

Good concept with an interesting twist and energetic climax. Plenty of style, with fine cinematography and a few big-bucks effects. This is from the writer/director/producer team behind Grave Encounters, so you might expect a bleak and harrowing story, but it's surprisingly big hearted if not quite optimistic.

But surprise surprise - this experienced team allow a lot of niggles to interrupt the story, with constant lapses in plausibility and logic. For example, in the opening scene the getaway car digs its rear wheel into the sand and won't budge - instantly I thought of a way to dislodge it, but the characters didn't even begin to think - even for the comedy effect. Later, there are plenty opportunities to exploit the creature's weakness, but the heroine doesn't have the wit to even try. A safe-haven house appears and disappears for no reason. The story is peppered with these problems, which kept dragging me out but are easily fixable. It undermined the humour and pathos the story was aiming for, so that's frustrating.

The final act has a serious change of tack, which kinda works. It does deliver on character and emotion, but its awkwardness might have been less if the earlier story had flowed more smoothly. So there's plenty to enjoy in this movie, but the script was just a bit off.

The landscapes are gorgeous, and there's a good car-shot with a face in the wing mirror, plus a fire-lit reveal of the monster creeping up from behind. Also plenty of gore and skin.

Lead actress does well, with a great squeal & scarper when trying to confront the zombie. And the zombie's movements are well done, and he even generated sympathy. Was the chemistry believable? Would have helped to have better dialogue.

Enjoyed the music. And the title comes from a gross-out snack.

Overall: Quality, but sloppy.

I just stumbled across this on one of the premium networks, and frankly expected more of the same - just another zombie retelling, which is kind of old, at this point. Boy, was I wrong. This story is so clever, and at times hilarious. The two main actors - Brittany Allen, as a coke-addicted stripper stranded in the desert, and Juan Riedinger a zombie in not-so-hot pursuit - are absolutely dead on. So to speak. I could see where zombie purists might not like it, simply because it's so unconventional, but I think it's a hidden gem.

I understand that some people will not like this at all. It is annoying, you have a main character who's morally bankrupt, annoying and does not really seem to have any redemption value. Add to that decision making of the questionable kind and you have a dangerous mix. Dangerous because the interest of the viewer may wane to put it mildly.

Having said that and in stark contrast to all that, there are quite a few funny and really good moments. They may feel like skits and sometimes out of touch with the rest of the movie. And still they are able to elevate it, be it because of the humor, the tension or some sort short violence outburst. Sometimes a combination, which makes you wonder if underneath it all there was a way better movie, with a bit more time spent on the script, the characters and just in general. The main actress does her best to carry the movie (no pun intended), don't confuse despicable behavior with bad acting ... I hope this helped you decide if it is worth giving this a chance or not ...

Brittany (Jigsaw, What keeps you alive) Allen, manages yet another, brutal performance here, as a coke-addled newly single hoe on the run, who decides to befriend a zombie, and, ultimately re-mother her child in the wake of a zombie-takeover invasion. This is equal parts 'Fido', meets 'Single White Female', lost in a haze of bright, contrasty colors of the desert that will have you wondering if this is more 'Tank Girl', or 'I Spit On Your Grave'. It has the momentum of a 90s movie, until the logic of the plot wears thin. Then out of nowhere there is the ending, which is kind of becoming a modern cliche. Just don't accidentally burn the popcorn.

If you're looking for your standard mainstream blood and gore zombie feature, this will not be your cup of tea. It DEFINITELY is a different approach to the zombie genre. There's minimal gore, essentially no nudity and some sexual content. Compared to what's out there now, this film is tame.

It's basically a one and a half person show. She and the zombie. She's a party girl when the apocalypse happens and ends up with a "pet" zombie. Along her journey with the undead, she comes to terms with her past and herself and starts making changes. Having the zombie around was probably the best thing to happen to her.

Overall I found this to be a very good movie.