It Stains the Sands Red (2016)

Directed by: Colin Minihan | 92 minutes | drama, horror, thriller | Actors: Brittany Allen, Juan Riedinger, Merwin Mondesir, Kristopher Higgins, Andrew Supanz, Nico David, Michael Filipowich, Dylan Playfair, Warren E. Thomas, Steve Judkinds, Max Christensen, Kyle McCachen, Shawn O’Brion, Drew Marvick

You would think that the zombie genre is now on the brink of death, but every now and then a movie appears that gives things a big boost. ‘The Girl with All the Gifts’ was one such movie. ‘It Stains the Sands Red’ too.

The movie starts as standard: stripper Molly (Brittany Allen) and her gangster boyfriend Nick (Merwin Mondesir) flee Las Vegas when a zombie plague breaks out. They are on their way to an airport in the desert, where an acquaintance is waiting with a sports plane to give them a lift to Mexico. Along the way, their car gets stuck in the sand and to make matters worse, a zombie also shows up. A headshot from a distance turns out to be more difficult than it seems. Nick dies and leaves his girlfriend with a wounded, but not yet knocked out zombie.

Molly decides to continue the journey on her own. Dressed in polyester, in hopelessly impractical shoes and with the zombie (Juan Riedinger) in her wake, she makes her way through the desert. As a stripper, she knows what to do with guys chasing her, but then thirst, hunger and fatigue set in. Slowly, the zombie, whom she has called ‘Small Dick’ or ‘Smalls’, becomes a real threat. To survive, Molly must battle her unwanted companion, the elements and demons of her past.

Just to get straight to the point: ‘It Stains the Sands Red’ isn’t the scariest, not the grossest, nor the funniest zombie movie you’ll ever see. He is one of the most moving, thanks to the great rendition of Brittany Allen. At first, Molly seems like a character you wouldn’t give a dime for. During the journey, however, she develops from an egocentric, vulgar troela into a strong woman with a clear goal. Dying is not an option for Molly.

Director/screenwriter Colin Minihan makes striking choices in ‘It Stains the Sands Red’ that often turn out well. For example, the fact that Molly is on her period plays an important role in the film. The scene where she uses a used tampon as a diversion is admittedly rather flat, but it’s refreshing that menstruation is finally seen as a normal part of a woman’s life.

The relationship between humans and zombies also gets a surprising twist in ‘It Stains the Sands Red’. Molly initially sees Smalls as a personification of everything that is wrong with the male sex, but gradually a bond develops between the two. Smalls is her only claim to a grueling journey. He’s predictable, responds to all her outpourings with growls, and occasionally comes in handy in emergency situations. Ironically, Molly comes to see him as one of the most reliable men in her life.

The middle part of the film, where we get to know Molly through her conversations with Smalls and moving flashbacks to the life she once had, is by far the strongest. Towards the end, the action scenes take over and the denouement can be guessed at. It is an ending that you grant this main character. Recommended!