The October Zombie-Thon - Day 21: Zombies Anonymous

Posted by Trevor Snyder on 10.21.2008

You probably don't even want to know what their twelve steps are.

ZA: ZOMBIES ANONYMOUS (2006)



Written & Directed by: Marc Fratto
Country: USA

I've seen more than one review for Zombies Anonymous take issue with its opening scene, an unpleasant depiction of domestic abuse and murder. This is a criticism I just don't understand. I never thought the horror genre was under some sort of moral obligation to shy away from horrible, real-life horrors – the kind that put most anything in your typical supernatural scare film to shame. I suppose, perhaps, that the critics of this scene might feel it's unnecessary and exploitative, but I wouldn't agree with that, either. If anything, I'd say it's an appropriate kick-off to a film that uses the typical clichés of the living dead genre to offer a sobering examination of prejudice, isolation, and the evil depths of human cruelty.

The world is in turmoil, as a strange pandemic is causing anyone who dies to immediately rise. But these are no blood-thirsty ghouls – these "zombies" retain their memories, their personalities, and their emotions. In most cases they want nothing more than to return to their lives (so to speak), go back to their families and jobs, and to enjoy the same rights they enjoyed when they were alive…even as a scared and nervous living populace can't help but treat them like second-class citizens.

This is not a new concept to the genre. It's been done before, sometimes effectively (the brilliant French zombie art-film They Came Back), and sometimes poorly (Scooter McCrae's boring, repulsive Shatter Dead). Where this film differs from those two, however, is in its eventual revelation that the zombies do, in fact, desire human flesh – even if they hide and/or deny it from both the general public and, in many cases, themselves.

This is certainly the case with the movie's heroine, Angela (Gina Ramsden). The victim of the aforementioned abuse, Angela is shot and killed by her jealous boyfriend, Josh (Joshua Nelson). Not even realizing she has died, Angela calls 911 and, in the first of the film's genuinely unnerving scenes, is essentially left in shock in a pool of her own blood by the unsympathetic paramedics, who are under orders not to offer aid to anyone already dead.

Angela eventually recovers enough to try and resume her previous life, but finds it impossible to ignore the stares and open disgust she encounters both at her job and out on the street. She tries to cope by joining a "zombie support group," but finds little comfort there. Instead, she turns to another group of zombies who have apparently found the key to adjusting to this new "life," but she is dismayed to discover their answer is the devouring of human flesh, which they have discovered actually slows their decomposition and makes them feel as healthy as they did when they were alive. Angela's problems are further exacerbated by the return of Josh, who has recently been recruited into an army of illegal zombie-hunters, led by the crazed Commandant (Christa McNamee). Josh still seems to hold a candle for Angela, but his feelings are complicated by his loyalty to the group and his own guilty knowledge of what he has done. Eventually, it all comes together in a bloody battle between the two groups – and if it's a little disappointing to see the film's last act devolve into a generic action piece, we at least get a pretty fun zombie vs. zombie knife-fight out of it.

There are a lot of ideas at play here and, as it often happens whenever that is the case, not all of them work. A series of commercials for various zombie products might be a clever jab at corporate America's inclination to make money off any problem, but they also feel a little too goofy and don't seem to fit with the rest of the film (although, to be fair, a special cream designed to make zombies look alive again does play into the story eventually). Likewise, a few other misguided attempts at humor (including the old "fat guy hiding behind a tiny tree" gag) stick out like a sore thumb. It's understandable to go into this thing expecting a comedy, given the too-cute title (the original title was Last Rites of the Dead, which might not be as catchy but was probably a little more appropriate), but the majority of the movie is played dead-straight (no pun intended). There's nothing wrong with a little comic relief here and there, but I would have preferred for writer/director Marc Fratto to have stayed away from the occasional out-of-place wackiness, given the grim tone and subject matter of the rest of the piece.

I also question if the revelation that some of the zombies are indulging in cannibalism didn't end up hurting the movie's overall message. It's obvious the Commandant's squad of zombie-killers is meant to invoke the intolerance of Neo-Nazis and other hate groups, and the film seems pretty clear on wanting us to come down on the side of the oppressed zombies. But that's a little tough to do when some of the dead turn out to be just as murderous at the humans they are hiding from (then again, that the film deals in shades of grey rather than black & white could arguably be considered one of its greatest strengths).

Still, even if I'm not convinced Fratto nailed down the point he was trying to make with this film, he does give us a lot to think about, and that's admirable. At times, Zombies Anonymous is as haunting as a number of more-established "classics" of the genre. A scene depicting the horrifying inner-workings of a "termination center," where zombies can go for voluntary euthanasia, is genuinely chilling. The violent relationship between Angela and Josh, while apparently a little too objectionable for some viewers, is nevertheless a complex and thought-provoking look at the horrors of abuse and the bittersweet nature of revenge. And, of course, the overall story – even if a little jumbled and confused – is still a poignant examination of both racism and class warfare, and the very worst both can bring out in human nature. The very best zombie movies have often been the ones that reveal humanity as the true monsters. Here, then, is a film primarily concerned with the monstrosity of human intolerance, even if its main characters are flesh-eating dead people.

And if it seems like I'm reading a little too deeply into what, on the surface, appears to be just another low-budget zombie indie, keep in mind the general quality of what I have to compare it to. When almost every cheapie zombie flick is just another blood-drenched take on the standard "humans forced to fend off a horde of the living dead" story, it's always nice to see a filmmaker instead try to push the genre for all its got and attempt something a little more meaningful (as the masters like Romero, Fulci, and Boyle have done in the past). Truthfully, many of these filmmakers end up failing miserably, but when they actually succeed – as I believe is the case here – it's definitely worth celebrating.

FINAL SCORE: 3 out of 4 Bubs (Recommended)