Harold's Going Stiff

Harold (Stan Rowe) is an old age pensioner, suffering from O.R.D. or the onset of rigor disease. He can't get out and about as much and gets forgetful. Then there's the stiffness. He can't even touch his nose. What is the ultimate effects of O.R.D.? Well, it turns you... into a zombie. And it's affecting more and more UK males. Enter Penny, (Sarah Spencer) a cheerful, dedicated but lonely nurse, as his care helper. She'll engage in therapy with him, to delay the disease's effects. However, during the onset of the disease's later stages, loss of mental faculties and violent behaviour is inevitable. Already there have been reports of attacks, which prompts a trio of baseball bat wielding vigilantes to patrol the area, taking down any errant zombie they happen to find. Meanwhile, Harold is still getting by, and starting a tentative friendship with Penny. Will a cure be found? Or will Harold have to be taken out like so many before him?

I just caught this at the Edinburgh Dead By Dawn festival, and all I can say is... wow. Harold's Going Stiff is the most original zombie film I've personally seen, and I've seen quite a few. Shot in a realistic mockumentary style and not precisely a horror per se, it's a character driven cross section of genres, from horror, to (very funny) comedy, to sad bittersweet drama. It also highlights the very real horror of growing old, lonely and with a loss of dignity, with some poignant scenes.

I have always thought that having a very very low budget is no excuse to make a bad film. Harold's Going Stiff simply confirms this opinion for me.

A highly, highly recommended film, with some great performances, laugh- out-loud scenes, as well as some astutely observed poignancy, it should be sought out by anyone.

I really hope this film gets a DVD release as it thoroughly deserves one and director Keith Wright should hold his head up proud, as this is one of the best British "horrors" in the past three years, and a very welcome return to form for the UK.

9/10, brilliant film.

Great to watch a British film which has been filmed entirely in Yorkshire. Makes a change from the usual Zombie gore fest and actually has a bit of a touching side to it. Watched it with some great laughs and saw the serious side towards the end. Found myself laughing at the main character to start with and felt immersed into the plot quite quickly. If you want Murder, Blood, Guts and complete gore, this probably isn't the film you're looking for. If you want something a little different, you should definitely give it a try. It's appealed to my Wife as well as I've always had difficulty in managing to get her to watch more than 20 minutes of a film without getting up or talking, she managed to sit quietly for the whole film.

I enjoyed this film. It's quirky, different and whilst it is a bit amateurish in a way; I prefer to see it as quaint.

I've watched it twice. It reminds me of "I, Zombie: The Chronicles of Pain" with a bit of a "Series 7: The Contenders" slant.

Hollywood glitz is all well and good but sometimes it's great to watch something different and appreciate it for what it is, not berate it for what it isn't.

There are a few plot holes but this clearly isn't supposed to be a "solid" narrative, the endearing characters more than make up for any inconsistencies for me.

I can't wait to see what's next from Keith and the star of the show Sarah Spencer!

I'm afraid I'm one of those old misery guts types who rarely feels compelled to write good reviews on this website but, when confronted with a stinker, am happy to bash out a 1-star slating!

Let me redress this for once by joining the other fans on here in recommending this film wholeheartedly - not just to horror fans but to film fans of all stripes.

What kills film after film for me is lousy writing - you can chuck all the money in the world at a film but a rotten script will sink it (yes, I'm looking at you Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter!).

Harold's Going Stuff is a terrific story made on a budget that probably wouldn't cover half a days catering on the aforementioned turkey (Yes, I know - time to let it go!).

The acting here is tremendous too- keep an eye out in particular for Sarah Spencer who has charm in spades and is a star in the making.

Highly recommended.

...and so might some of us out here watching it too!

"Harold's Going Stiff" is not your average zombie movie, but as it blatantly brandishes on the DVD cover "joins the ranks of Shaun of the Dead and 28 Days Later", well that hardly is the case.

That being said, then don't get me wrong, because "Harold's Going Stiff" is not a bad or boring movie, far from it. It was actually a rather enjoyable movie and a nice change of pace for a change to see this approach to the zombie genre.

The story in "Harold's Going Stiff" is about the elderly Harold who is stricken with a strange new neurological disease that causes stiffness in the limbs and the deterioration of the mind and body, eventually turning the afflicted into 'zombies', so to speak. Nurse Penny Rudge is sent to help Harold with his ailment and it ends up becoming the start of a beautiful friendship. But in the seemingly quiet rural countryside, vigilantes are hunting down the 'zombies'.

This story is actually quite nice and is told from a pseudo-documentary style, which just adds to its enjoyment. But most importantly is the acting performances put on here, they really helped the movie along nicely and made the movie stand out all the more. Especially the performances of Stan Rowe (playing Harold) and Sarah Spencer (playing Penny Rudge) should be noticed here.

If you enjoy zombie movies and want to see something that differs from most other zombie movies, as in the gore, mayhem and apocalyptic setting, then "Harold's Going Stiff" is definitely a good choice. It is a good story and good entertainment.