Review: Zombie Town (2007)

Directed by: Damon Lemay | 95 minutes | horror, science fiction | Actors: Adam Hose, Brynn Lucas, Dennis Lemoine, Phil Burke, Jayson Argento, James Aspoden, Keith Boylan Baudreau, Carol Benson II, Keith Boylan, Jen Brace, Peg Dombro, Dan Drew, Toby Fitch, Tim Frederick, Bernard Gavin, Daniel Hall Kuhn, Hunter Hard, Jason Hutto, Kerrin Jeromin, Vivian Jordan, Travis Kehoe

2007’s Zombie Town opens with a scene in which a zombie-turned redneck takes out his aggressive zombie behavior on his redneck friends. It seems like a smooth start with which we immediately fall in the butter. Only the opening scene is not too convincing and also makes a somewhat cheap impression. It immediately begs the question of what the sequel to this film has to offer.

First of all, it is striking that the pace that director Lemay maintains is slowing down compared to the speed with which the opening scene presented itself. Lemay introduces us to young mechanic Jake, his brother Denton, and Alex, Jake’s ex-girlfriend, who has returned to the village. Admittedly, it is conducive to good identification with the main characters, but Lemay’s approach is very gradual and a slightly faster pace would have been welcome in the first part of his film. All the more so as there are several everyday worries and peripheral characters that do not make a very relevant impression. In between, the first zombies appear to make their victims. Although it was done quite well, this too could have been done more frequently.

But things are gradually starting to get going. And when over time more and more parasites appear and more and more zombies appear, it also starts to get more fun. The scenes are repeatedly clearly not intended to be too chilling. The old lady who triumphantly holds up her winning bingo card and then gets bit in the arm by the zombie sitting next to her, the fights that take place between the zombie-turned bingo grannies, the zombie dog that passes by … these are situations and events in which a light-hearted humorous approach is clearly present. The same goes for the humor that is present in various dialogues and statements. It does make sure that ‘Zombie Town’ cannot be too chilling in advance,

This does not mean that the horror scenes have nothing to offer. On the contrary, the people we follow must do everything in their power to flee and fight against the zombies. Not zombies in the traditional sense of the word, but villagers infested with parasites – where do they actually come from? – turn into gluttonous monsters, a premise that may remind connoisseurs of ‘Night of the Creeps’ from 1986. But traditional zombies or not, there are plenty of gory scenes when the rapidly multiplying zombies show up. dedicate the appeasement of their eternal appetite. Some examples of the (un) fresh scenes that pass by: parasites bursting from bodies, some flesh that is torn from limbs, additional zombie biting, ripped hulls, bullets hitting zombie bodies and zombie’s heads, resulting in some exploding zombie heads, a chainsaw wielded with amputating consequences… these and other images come by to a great extent, although not always convincingly. Both the effects and the zombies look a bit cheap from time to time, possibly partly due to the low budget available to Lemay. But nevertheless Lemay knows how to get the most out of it and most of the time it is therefore zombie-oriented images and developments that the enthusiast will appreciate. Both the effects and the zombies look a bit cheap from time to time, perhaps partly due to the low budget available to Lemay. But nevertheless Lemay knows how to get the most out of it and most of the time it is therefore zombie-oriented images and developments that the enthusiast will appreciate. Both the effects and the zombies look a bit cheap from time to time, perhaps partly due to the low budget available to Lemay. But nevertheless Lemay knows how to get the most out of it and most of the time it is therefore zombie-oriented images and developments that the enthusiast will appreciate.

Not that ‘Zombie Town’ has much to offer in terms of story. It takes place in a small and isolated village that is overrun by zombies and where an ever smaller group has to fight against the zombies without outside help. It will look all too familiar to the average zombie movie connoisseur. There are also some holes in the story and the habitual behavior of this and that does not always occur. But these are points that are not too important or that should be taken too seriously in a film with this approach. What is paramount in B productions like this one is that there are numerous scenes that offer a successful mix of action, tension and horror with a dash of humor here and there.

Nice acting by the cast. Not always convincing and sometimes a bit wooden, but the actors clearly go for it. A meritorious job by Adam Hose as the young mechanic Jake who, together with his ex-girlfriend Alex, also deservedly designed by Brynn Lucas, are the center of events and are attacked by zombies from all sides. A star role by Dennis Lemoine as the initially irritating Randy in his progressively humorous one-liners spitting and quasi casual macho behavior. Adequate enough work from the other cast members as well. They clearly enjoy it, something that always helps to add to the entertainment value of the whole thing.

It makes ‘Zombie Town’ a mostly successful B-zombie movie. A film in which the makers’ appreciation and respect for the zombie genre is clearly recognizable. With a slow start and plagued by low budget restrictions, admittedly not the best zombie movie ever made, but all in all fun and meritorious enough to sit down for it.

[imdb]tt0496444[/imdb]