Review: Zombie Honeymoon (2004)

Directed by David Gebroe 85 minutes | drama, comedy, romance, horror | Cast: Tracy Coogan, Graham Sibley, Tonya Cornelisse, David M. Wallace, Neal Jones, Phil Catalano, Maria Bermudez, Garcy Cerborino, Chris Chan, Joe Cicalese, Sue Cicalese, Barry Colicelli, Kevin Connell, Louis Fattell, Mitch Goldberg, Maria Iadonisi, John Kirby, Nate Meyer, Rachel Nord, Dustin Smither, John Sobestanovich, Steve Szymanski

Anyone who embarks on a film entitled ‘Zombie Honeymoon’ knows what to expect. A light film with gore and a lot of humor. The fact that reasonably working romance and drama in the form of moral dilemmas appear to occur is only a bonus. The film has modest doses of all elements, but it is enough to keep the viewer’s attention and generate the right reactions.

With eighty-five minutes, the film is a short ride, and also one with a good pace. No time is spent on pre-marriage, or on exploring the parents or the characters themselves. No, we’re kicking off to say goodbye to Denise’s parents and follow the darling pair as they get into their tin-covered car and head for the coast. Kissing and laughing they drive towards their destination, and it is clear that they are very fond of each other. Soon they are on the beach enjoying their holiday, but then things go wrong: a zombie walks out of the water and infects Danny through black vomit. In the hospital, where we see a nice harbinger of things to come by a waking patient rising from his bed (like a zombie), Danny is soon pronounced dead. Denise’s world collapses, but her worries prove (for a moment) unfounded when Danny suddenly comes back to life and is wide awake.

They go home because nothing seems to be wrong, but Danny feels more and more sick and when Denise suddenly finds her husband in the bathroom with a ripped open jogger who is living nearby, whose intestines he is eating, she turns, quite understandable, somewhat through. She seems determined to leave her husband because of his somewhat troubling new diet and has almost closed the door behind her when Danny’s pleas begin to affect her feelings. He really didn’t want to do it, he doesn’t know what’s going on, and if she wants to stay with him please. It’s because of the script that really treats Danny’s zombie transformation like a disease, but mostly because of Tracy Coogan’s credible acting as Denise, that this scene works dramatically and that we actually begin to empathize with their situation. These factors probably make it possible for a filmmaker to make a deeply tragic and deeply romantic film about the zombie phenomenon. Kathryn Bigalows has done this quite successfully with regard to vampires, in her movie ‘Near Dark’, but it should be possible with its shuffling undead counterpart. In ‘Zombie Honeymoon’, Tracy Coogan knows how to sell the drama well, although she herself turns a bit towards the end of the film. And, although the more serious side works well, it is not yet high drama, and besides, Graham Sibley unfortunately falls short in this area. He tries, but is unable to form a bond with the spectator. But, admittedly,

This immediately hides the humor of the film. The funniest element is that, after some shocks and reflections, Denise decides to make the best of it and, together with Danny, pretends that nothing is wrong. For example, after a recent massacre, Danny has to quickly wash his face and put on clean clothes, because their friends are coming to visit. Every dialogue or small act takes on a double meaning, because as viewers we know what’s going on, whether it’s about Danny’s sudden craving for a big steak, or the remark that he’s feeling fine, all accompanied by volumes of mimicry of Denise, it all causes the spectator to sneak along. Also funny is the way Denise Danny, after visiting a travel agency,

‘Zombie Honeymoon’ may not be as tragic, romantic, gory, or humorous as it could have been, but it still offers an appealing mix of these aspects, making the film just a tasty snack for those who want something different. than a standard rom-com or zombie movie.