Zombies Wicked Little Things (2006)

Directed by: JS Cardone | 94 minutes | horror | Actors: Lori Heuring, Scout Taylor-Compton, Chloe Moretz, Geoffrey Lewis, Ben Cross, Craig Vye, Chris Jamba, Julie Rogers, Martin McDougall, Micheal McCoy, Velizar Binev, Helia Grekova, George Zlatarev, Atanas Srebev, Vladimir Mihailov

Zombies and other undead scum have been the source of inspiration for countless horror films of widely varying quality. In ‘Zombies’ – also known as ‘Wicked Little Things’ – they are undead children who indulge their diabolical and cannibalistic lusts on various animal and human victims. The children died in a mine explosion at the beginning of the twentieth century and are now around in the vast forests that surround the now closed mine shaft. After the death of her husband, a woman inherits a house in this area and decides to move into this house with her two daughters. However, they soon discover that something is amiss after sunset in the dark and mysterious forests that surround their new home.

This film is certainly not too original. This is of course mainly due to the by now largely exhausted theme, but this shortcoming is also partly due to the elaboration. The somewhat slow run-up isn’t that bad and creates room for some deepening of the character and the necessary modest build-up of tension. The last part, in which the zombies come into the spotlight for the first time, on the other hand, has a more gruesome and action-packed character. The problem with ‘Zombies’ is that the film seems to be in two minds. The first part seems to suggest that we are dealing with a psychological thriller/horror film, while the second part, on the other hand, seems more in the direction of a classic slasher film. The bad thing is that both parts don’t come out completely satisfactorily. Many of the scares from the first part are rather obligatory and predictable. In the second part, the undead children do hack away with pickaxes, axes and other unconventional weapons, but the direct consequences of these actions play out largely out of the viewer’s field of view. As a result, the ‘gorehounds’ among us will not get their money’s worth when watching this film. The logic of the story can also be noted here and there, but fortunately the illogicalities hardly ever become really poignant. The lead actresses generally do their job quite well and ensure that the acting for a horror film is certainly acceptable.

‘Zombies’ is certainly not a very bad film. The film has quite a few nice moments and is certainly digestible for fans of the genre. However, the predictability of the story, the lack of originality and the somewhat hesitating character of this work ensure that this film hardly rises above the level of the average horror film.