Having just experienced the horrifyingly lovely Michelle Tomlinson in Dave Reda's horror short
My Undeadly, it was my great delight to pick up the latest DVD release from Vicious Circle Films, the horror arm from Breaking Glass Pictures, called
George: A Zombie Intervention.
In the world of
George: A Zombie Intervention, being a zombie isn't a particularly bad thing. An elementary school slide presentation explains that inhaled alien spores brought to earth by some grand celestial happening causes people to come back from the dead.
Ain't no big thang, really. Zombies happen.
In this world where zombies have become a part of everyday life, they are fully capable of functioning as relatively normal members of society. They work, get married and have families. There's just that one little "issue," if you will, of their not quite normal appetite. As long as they can keep their appetite in check, everything is fine.
George (Carlos Larkin) has a problem. Best friend Ben (Peter Stickles), ex-girlfriend Sarah (Michelle Tomlinson), Sarah's new boyfriend Steve (Eric Dean) and sister Francine (Shannon) have gathered at George's house and, along with professional interventionist Barbra (Lynn Lowry) they intend to help George overcome his addiction to, well, you know.
The greatest strength of
George: A Zombie Intervention lies in its terrifically witty script by director J.T. Seaton and Brad Hodson that gives the film slight touches of, dare I say it, heart (in a zombie flick?) and an abundance of laugh out loud humor. Of course, it helps to have a terrific cast and
George definitely has a great one.
As George, relative newcomer Carlos Larkin displays tremendous promise with perfect coming timing and the ability to stretch a laugh for just a bit more humor by dryly using his body and his facial expressions. Larkin is matched in the humor department by the delightful Lynn Lowry (
The Crazies), easily the film's comic highlight as interventionist Barbra. Michelle Tomlinson, who proved her comic timing in
My Undeadly, again adds just the perfect touch of sweetness to both the humor and the horror. Cameos from from horror icons such as Brinke Stevens and Lloyd Kaufman are tossed in, and the DVD includes a rather delightful bonus featuring Kaufman himself.
Despite the film's obviously low production budget, its inventive script and excellent ensemble cast transcend its limitations with marvelous success. While not all the humor hits the mark (Does it ever?), a good portion of it is a bullseye and even when it fails these performers have built enough good will to keep you going.
Original music by Joel J. Richard adds a certain lightness to the proceedings, while D.P. Jason Raswant's camera work is rock solid. The film's make-up and special effects lean towards the B-movie quality, but in a film with so much humor they work quite nicely.
Fans of horror comedy, especially fans of indie zombie flicks, will find much to enjoy in
George: A Zombie Intervention being released on home video by Vicious Circle Films on October 4, 2011. For more information on the film, visit its page on the
Breaking Glass Pictures website.
© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic