Peninsula (2020)

Director: Yeon Sang-ho

Notable Cast: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Re, Kwon Hae-hyo, Kim Min-jae, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Do-yoon, Lee Ye-won, Jang So-yeon, Moon Woo-jin

 

In 2016, South Korea fired one hell of a shot into the arm of zombie cinema. That shot was Yeon Sang-ho’s horror with heart film, Train to Busan. A loose sequel to his animated zombie flick, Seoul Station, Train to Busan came out with a bang. Immediately it was making lists for best zombie films, best modern horror films, and best films PERIOD for the year and the decade. I was a big fan myself and its international success only laid the groundwork to spawn a sequel. Fast forward to four years later and the follow-up, also directed by Yeon Sang-ho, has now been unleashed in theaters. Peninsula, or as it has been stylized for the US release Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula which I refuse to use as its title, is quite the fascinating next chapter of this series. It’s a high-octane shotgun blast of an action flick with a loose heist narrative based in the world of Train to Busan and, while mileage may vary for audiences going in, it never, ever, ever ceases to entertain.  

 

Yummy (2020)

Director: Lars Damoiseaux

Notable Cast: Maaike Neuville, Bart Hollanders, Benjamin Ramon, Clara Cleymans, Annick Christiaens, Eric Godon, Joshua Rubin

When it comes to the (shiver) zom com, I’m a rather unforgiving critic of the genre. Comedies are rarely my thing and the zombie sub-genre is so played out at this time that, as I mentioned in my review for Blood Quantum, it’s something of a chore for me to jump into again and again. Yet, Shudder has been something of a wonderful well for finding exclusive material that is, even at its worst, intriguing. It’s the latter that eventually lead me into pressing play to stream the Belgian zom com Yummy to begin with. While the film certainly features some decent pieces to it that will appease fans of gore gags, goofy side characters, and insane setups, it’s also a film that rarely hits the heart of its narrative in a way that lifts it above the gags.

When a couple decides to go to a cheap clinic for a breast reduction surgery (with the wife’s mother tagging along for support,) they accidentally stumble into a facility that also happens to be testing drugs that reanimate the dead. When an accident unleashes a zombie into the facility, everything quickly dissolves into chaos and the couple, along with a handful of other survivors is tasked with escaping the complex.

Blood Quantum (2020)

Director: Jeff Barnaby

Notable Cast: Michael Greyeyes, Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, Forrest Goodluck, Kiowa Gordon, Olivia Scriven, Stonehorse Lone Goeman, Brandon Oakes, William Belleau, Devery Jacobs, Gary Farmer, Felicia Shulman

Although the entirety of the zombie subgenre of horror has become, for lack of a more sincere analogy, like a horde of thoughtless and all-consuming undead. It’s overwhelming if you try to take them on all at once and repetitively tiring if you try to peg them one by one. It’s to the point that I often don’t watch them unless there is some kind of angle that really intrigues me. It’s a far cry from my zombie hungry youth powered on childhood memories of Romero’s Dead films and the wild inhibitions of the Return of the Living Dead franchise. Fortunately, there are some films that not only have taken a unique lens to the zombie genre but ones that are succeeding at it too. Enter in Blood Quantum, the latest Shudder exclusive to hit the illustrious horror streaming service. Taking a few pages from the book on ‘how to make a successful Walking Dead plotline,’ Blood Quantum is a far more intriguing film because of its foundational angle and execution than it is once it starts hitting the more traditional genre beats.

One Cut of the Dead (2018)

Director: Shinichiro Ueda

Starring: Takayuki Hamatsu, Mao, Harumi Shuhama, Yuzuki Akiyama, Kazuaki Nagaya

Struggling to get one of his main actresses in character during a film shoot, director Higurashi (Takayuki Hamatsu) snaps and storms off stage after an abundant amount of takes. We follow the crew during an unplanned break as the director trys to cool down and the actress tries to focus on her performance. In the midst of this behind the scenes meltdown, one of the extras in their zombie movie get up seems to be a little more than well made up and what ensues is a chaotic bloodbath of zombie action that unfolds in real time in one long unbroken 45 minute or so take, immediately stunning the audience from frame one.

One Cut of the Dead is easily the most exciting genre film of the year and an indie film rock star in its native Japan, raking in over 2000 times it's roughly micro $27,000 budget, opening on a mere two screens and with no money spent on an advertisement campaign. I am never one to even bring up box office, especially in a review, but it's an extremely impressive feat, regardless on your stance with the film. That said, I think One Cut is the unexpected cult film of 2018. The one that quickly snuck up and leapt to the top of the throne, standing firmly amongst the best midnight classics. The Shaun of the Dead of the 2010s if you will.

Action!!!

Characters are one of the many highlights of this zombie laugh fest. The angry director who keeps cropping up and yelling "Action!" as he shoves his camera into the fearful faces of his performers who have stopped acting and started attempting to survive. He keeps the chaos alive and well. Another fun character is the make-up artist, played to perfection by Harumi Shuhama, who is the one in these types of movie who practices self-defense as a hobby which conveniently and hilariously plays into the oncoming zombie attack. Pom!

The way the story unfolds and how the narrative is a play on structure, is surprising, and very refreshing. From an impressive technical and gory one-take that will impress every type of movie goer, to a shift towards a more conventional form of storytelling and overall tonal shift that completely works, One Cut manages to surprise at almost every turn. Little things that raise questions or seem accidental upon initial reveal are all handled and accounted for as things play out. On multiple occasions, I found myself envious with the choices being made, wishing I had come up with something similar myself.

Pom!

I could go on extensively with praise and covering every angle of this movie, but there  is a simple way to pump the breaks and wrap things up here. One Cut of the Dead is a hilarious, bloody romp with enough heart to make any genre fan blush. It's easy to see why it's been such a huge success. Very hard not to fall in love with a little film as charming as this one. Wherever Shinichiro Ueda decides to head next, I hope it has even just a fraction of the passion on display here. The most fun I've had with a movie all year!

Written by Josh Parmer

The Night Eats the World (2018)

Director: Dominique Rocher

Notable Cast: Anders Danielsen Lie, Golshifteh Farahani, Denis Lavant, Sigrid Bouaziz, David Kammenos

Going into the film, I had expectations that perhaps The Night Eats the World would be more like the French Extremism movement that dominated the 00s and gave us some fantastic and experiential films. Maybe it might be a bit more artful, knowing that the film was essentially carried by one actor, but that it would still carry the impact of the violence and nihilism of that movement. The French Extremism powered a lot of fantastic zombie and zombie-esque films (see The Horde, Mutants) so those expectations didn’t seem nearly out of the line going into the film as they did by the time the credits began to roll.

Day of the Dead: Bloodline (2018)

Director: Hector Hernandez Vicens

Notable Cast: Sophie Skelton, Johnathon Schaech, Jeff Gum, Marcus Vanco, Mark Rhino Smith, Cristina Serafini, Lillian Blankenship

Another day, another remake of a classic and beloved horror film. Yes, despite the title having a colon and a pointless subtitle, Day of the Dead: Bloodline is not a sequel but a second remake attempt of George A. Romero’s flawed masterpiece. Second remake you ask? Perhaps everyone has put it out of their mind, but the horrid first remake attempt was released in 2008, sans a colon and subtitle. Being a fan of the original, I felt personally assaulted by the 2008 remake and was not keen on revisiting another attempt to cash in on past glories. However, when Lionsgate unleashed the trailer, I became more interested as, like trailers are supposed to do, it made the film look at least decent. Also, what grabbed me is that this version also attempted to follow the basic plot of the original film (military and scientists in a bunker) unlike the 2008 remake which basically takes the Day of the Dead title and makes an unrelated zombie film. However, like I should have expected, my hopes are dashed as even though it follows the plot of the original better, it somehow eclipses even the abyss of disappointment left by the 2008 version.

Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight (2018)

Director: Alan Lo

Notable Cast: Michael Ning, Louis Cheung, Alex Man, Carrie Ng, Cherry Ngan, Venus Wong, Chu Pak-Him, Chu Pak-Houg, Rosa Maria Velasco, Eco Tang, J. Arie, Terry Zou, Angie Shum, Anita Chui

To give this review a bit of context, I certainly went into Zombiology with tempered expectations. Most of the people I had previously spoken to about the film thought the film was just rehash of other zombie movie tropes and, outside of the truly insane horror films of decades past, Hong Kong isn’t a place known for producing great horror films – even if it’s mixed with comedy. What makes Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight such a strange and somewhat refreshing experience is that it has no qualms with using its tropes in abrasive parallels with one another. This film is an energetic shotgun blast of zombie cinema. It’s scattered, perplexing, and forceful with some of its heavy-handed themes. Yet, like its subtitle weirdly promised, I thoroughly enjoyed myself while watching it. It’s definitely a film that I can see rubbing its audience the wrong way in how it approaches some of its subject matter, but for those perhaps more versed in Asian and zombie cinema it might just be one of those overlooked gems worth digging.

Seoul Station (2016)

Director: Yeon Sang-ho

Notable Cast: Sim Eun-kyeong, Ryoo Seung-ryeong, Lee Joon, Kim Jae-rok

Yeon Sang-ho made an animated zombie feature, alongside his live-action Train to Busan, whose only real connecting factors are the walking dead and a brief return of a character from this animated piece. I really didn't want to spend a lot of time comparing Seoul Station to its speeding train infested companion piece, but alas, it is practically impossible to.

Girl with All the Gifts, The (2017)

Director: Colm McCarthy

Notable Cast: Sennia Nanua, Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine, Glenn Close, Fisayo Akinade, Anamaria Marinca, Dominique Tipper, Anthony Welsh

For a while there, thanks to shows like The Walking Dead, zombies came back as all the rage. Sure, that trend perhaps started with Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake, but it finally started to die out a few years ago as the casual horror viewer moved onto other trends like vampires, werewolves, or the current demonic ghost/witch that is haunted up the cineplexes. Thank God. It was getting to the point that I just didn’t give a shit about zombies anymore and being raised on the genre, it felt a bit like betrayal. Still, there are a handful of zombie films that pop up now and again, but they are usually of a higher quality and a bit more effective. Last year we got the South Korean melting pot Train to Busan which was excellent and effective at its use of modern zombies. This year, we already have a runner to be the zombie flick to beat, The Girl with All the Gifts. Unlike Train to Busan, The Girl with All the Gifts attempts to use its zombie tropes and superb execution to take the genre into some familiar, but fresh feeling territory. At its heart, it might still be a Day of the Dead kind of zombie film, but its attempts at crafting a social commentary and very impressive characters makes it a heartfelt and emotional film worthy of the praise it has already been receiving.

The Blood Splatter: 2016 Horror Vol. 4 [The Invitation, What We Become, Martyrs]

THE INVITATION (2016)

Director: Karyn Kusama

Notable Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Michiel Huisman, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Lindsay Burdge, Jordi Vilasuso, Mike Doyle, Jay Larson, John Carroll Lynch, Karl Yune, Toby Huss, Michelle Krusiec, Marieh Delfino

This review will seem irrelevant to the experience that The Invitation gives its audience. While there is a love it or hate it kind of approach to this film, which I have been so graciously made aware of, this is a film that is meant to be experienced and its slow burn abilities ensure that. There is an overpowering sense of unease that bleeds into a paranoia which impeccably drives the narrative, punctuated by phenomenal performances and an atmosphere of complete engagement with the audience. The setting, the lighting, the score, the pacing - they are all lavishly simple and viciously effective in their execution from director Karyn Kusama and I was engrossed from the opening scene until the hollowing climax with one of the best final visuals I have seen in horror all year. The Invitation is one of those films that simply takes its simple idea and layers it so densely with subtle details that I was easily drawn into its melodramatic tones and huge credit has to be given to the film for that.

Train to Busan (2016)

Director: Yeon Sang-ho

Notable Cast: Gong Yoo, Kim Su-an, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Choi Woo-shik, Sohee, Kim Eui-sung, Kim Chang-hwan, Jang Hyeok-jin, Kim Yool-ho

Earlier this year I was having a discussion with a fellow writer about the state of South Korean cinema with a focus on genre film making. I criticized the industry for its lacking attempts at crafting and supporting talent in genres other than thrillers and dramas. At this point though, I’m starting to think I may have spoken too soon. While South Korea still seemingly focuses on thrillers and dramas as the main staple of its entertainment industry (and it does them well, might I add,) they also released two of the best horror films of the year including The Wailing and the focus of this review, Train to Busan. Sure, horror has never been a huge staple for the industry outside of the serial killer focused thriller styled ones (see Bedevilled or I Saw the Devil), but their backing of a zombie film has me impressed. Even more impressive, Train to Busan is successful at crafting a riveting and emotionally charged film that also features hordes of the undead. Train to Busan is a non-stop ride of thrills, kills, and chemical spills that hits all the right horror themed aspects while executing a film that features a strong human element. Zombie films might be a dime a dozen at this time, but Train to Busan is worth a whole lot more than that.

Zombie (1979)

ZOMBIE

Aka "Zombi 2", "Zombie 2: The Dead Are Among Us", "Zombie Flesh Eaters", "The Island of the Living Dead", "Zombies 2"

Zombie hold's a special place in this horror fanatic's heart as it was one of the first Italian horror films to get this particular reviewer hooked on spaghetti horror. Lucio Fulci's Zombie, along with Dario Argento's Phenomena, gave me my first taste of spaghetti horror cinema and as a young man I was shocked to see how these films were no-holds-barred when it came to on-screen violence. This shocking violence mixed with stylistic directing and unique music made this reviewer an all-time Italian horror fanatic. I actually first heard of Zombie as I was, and still am, a huge fan of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead and I had read that Zombie was made in Italy as an unofficial sequel to Romero's classic (despite that film itself being a sequel to Night of the Living Dead). Dawn of the Dead was released in Italy with the title "Zombi" and became a huge success. In comes Italian director Lucio Fulci and he made a little shocker titled "Zombi 2", a film that would be confusingly re-titled "Zombie" for American release. Despite this film having no plot connection to Dawn of the Dead I really wanted to see the picture that was it's unofficial sequel. I fist purchased a crap VHS release from Edde Entertainment with the title "Zombie 2: The Dead are Among Us." The tape was of such low quality I couldn't even watch the damn thing. This then young reviewer then saved up his money to purchase the restored Anchor Bay VHS release with under the title Zombie. Finally I could see the film in actual widescreen quality. All the patience and waiting paid off and Zombie did not fail to entertain and shock this horror fan that had previously only been force-fed American horror fodder.

The film opens with an out-of-focus person who holds up a gun and blasts a bloody hole in the head of what is assumed to be a rising zombie covered in cloth bag. I knew I was going to be in for a bloody good time even before the title sequence featuring Fabio Frizzi's kick ass score popped up. After the title sequence we are then transported to New York harbor where there seems to be a boat adrift. The police board the boat only to find corpses and one big ass zombie which in turns takes a bloody bite out of a cops throat. This bite is so graphic and bloody that it shocked the hell out of this reviewer when he was younger. The other cop blasts the zombie into the water. We are now introduced to a news reporter (Ian McCulloch) assigned to write a story on the cop killing. He sneaks aboard the vessel only to run into the daughter of the ship's owner (played by Tisa Farrow, sister of Mia). Wanting to know what happened to her father, her and the reporter decide to travel to the Caribbean to investigate only to come across an island where the dead have risen and hungry for human flesh.

Director Lucio Fulci loads this film with memorable sequences and stylistic camera shots. Even the way his zombies look and walk are completely unique from Romero's approach. There are three extremely memorable sequences that Fulci shot that have been burned in my memory. The first is an amazing underwater fight sequence between a zombie and a shark (!?!?!). The film really does come to a standstill for this scene and it really has no relevance to the plot, but it's so amazingly shot and so damn memorable. The second sequence has a zombie (complete with worms in it's eye socket) slowly rise in a conquistador cemetery only to graphically bite the neck of one of our protagonists in glorious slow motion. This is an EXTREMELY graphic bite and again made this young reviewer's jaw hit the floor. The zombie in this sequence has become an iconic figure and even became the poster boy for the American poster artwork. The third sequence is probably the most memorable which has a zombie punch through a door, grab a beautiful woman's hair and slowly drag her head slowly to a larger splinter in the door where Fulci graphically shows the splinter enter her eyeball. This scene is the one scene everybody seems to talk about even years after they watch the film.

The downfalls of the film are that it does move at a slow pace and the climax is nothing more than a variation of Night of the Living Dead, but Lucio Fulci loads the film up with so much atmosphere and stylistic shots that it's easy to forgive the film for it's shortcomings. Some people say this film is nothing more than shocking gore sequences but I beg to differ. Sure it has many shocking sequences but Fulci is also able to craft scares and suspense around the gore making this a crowd pleasing bloody zombie romp.

Zombie is hands down one of the best zombie films ever made. It lacks the intelligence and underlying meanings of Romero's grand outings but for a straight forward, no bullshit zombie film you can't find one that is much more entertaining. Fulci's stylistic directing mixed with great atmosphere and shocking gore sequences makes this a must own for any horror fanatic. This film made me fan of Euro horror cinema as well as a follower of cult director Lucio Fulci. Fulci himself would make a sequel entitled Zombi 3 in 1988 but that film is a completely different story...

Written By Eric Reifschneider

BLUE UNDERGROUND 3-DISC BLU RAY UPDATE:

Zombie is a film that is near and dear to us here at Blood Brothers: Film Reviews. Eric’s original review for the film was posted over 8 years ago at this time, but our experiences with the film go well beyond that. This is the kind of film that we watched on repeat via a dingy VHS when we were young teens. There are visceral memories that I associate with this film. The pulsating score. The blasting opening scene. The long tension of a woman being stalked by a zombie only to have it result in one of the most iconic eye pokes in cinema. Zombie is a classic for a variety of reasons as the review describes above. Fulci has a fantastic eye for key visual stings and the film is pummeling with its dense (and still strangely bright) atmosphere. Sure, as Eric mentions, the film is not perfect as it spends an odd amount of time showcasing a zombie fighting a shark, which, to be honest, is still totally worth the time, and it loves to dwell on moments of exploitation that can play a stark contrast to efficient narrative, but there is this brilliant balance in the artistry of those pieces that made the perfect grindhouse VHS watch.

It’s because of these memories of adjusting the tracking or rewinding some of the iconic moments that made me slightly hesitant to dive into this latest Blue Underground release of Zombie. It’s a brand new, pristine restoration of the film and there was a part of me that perhaps didn’t fully understand why someone would want to completely eradicate that grindhouse tonality of the film with this kind of new release. Well, those worries were all for naught. This latest release of Zombie should be the only release that fans watch from this point on. Not only is the new restoration of the film phenomenal, but it showcases that it wasn’t the VHS flaws that made the tone of the film so great – but the film itself. If anything, the crisp visuals and effective Italian score are made even more impressive. One can truly appreciate the detailing that Fulci embeds into the style of the film with his use of focus and space and there is a subtlety of the sound design that is brought out to balance out the use of the score in ways that I did not expect. Zombie was a great film before, but the new Blue Underground release further explores all of the nuances that proves why this film has lasted decades to remain one of the cornerstones of cult cinema.

As if that wasn’t enough, this Zombie release is just brimming with features that will have any self-respecting horror/cult cinephile in a damn tizzy.  As if to indicate that, when I first pulled out the film the damn thing weighed like five times the weight of a normal Blu Ray. It helps that the set is 3 discs (including a CD of the film’s soundtrack) and if there was actual weight to the special features included, it would be close to a metric ton. For convenience for those who perhaps have not looked into the release yet, we’ve added a list of the features below. Needless to say, it’s one of the most packed releases one is likely to have sitting on their self.

If you couldn’t discern by now, Blue Underground has truly gone above and beyond for this latest Zombie release. This is the definitive release of the film on both fronts, the restoration and the features included. Most fans have probably already ordered their copies by now, but if you were sitting on the fence then just know that this set will blow your ass off that fence so perfectly, your pants might still be hanging on the picket. 

BLUE UNDERGROUND FEATURES:

• WORLD PREMIERE! New 4K Restoration from uncensored original camera negative!
• 3-Disc Set includes High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray Widescreen 2.40:1 feature presentation + a Blu-ray PACKED with bonus material + Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD with score by Fabio Frizzi
• Audio: 7.1 DTS-HD (English, Italian); 2.0 DTS-HD (English, Italian)
• Subtitles: English SDH, Français, Español, Português, Deutsch, Italiano, Dansk, Suomi, Nederlands, Svenska, Russian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, English for Italian Audio
• NEW! Audio Commentary #1 with Troy Howarth, Author of Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and His Films
• Audio Commentary #2 with Star Ian McCulloch and Diabolik Magazine Editor Jason J. Slater
• NEW! When The Earth Spits Out The Dead - Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci
• Introduction by Academy Award® Winner Guillermo del Toro
• Zombie Wasteland Interviews with Stars Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson & Al Cliver, and Actor/Stuntman Ottaviano Dell'Acqua
• Flesh Eaters on Film Interview with Co-Producer Fabrizio De Angelis
• Deadtime Stories Interviews with Co-Writers Elisa Briganti and (Uncredited) Dardano Sacchetti
• World of the Dead Interviews with Cinematographer Sergio Salvati and Production & Costume Designer Walter Patriarca
• Zombi Italiano Interviews with Special Make-Up Effects Artists Gianetto De Rossi & Maurizio Trani and Special Effects Artist Gino De Rossi
• Notes on a Headstone Interview with Composer Fabio Frizzi
• All in the Family Interview with Antonella Fulci
• Zombie Lover Academy Award ® Winning Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro talks about one of his favorite films
• BONUS! Collectable Booklet with new essay by author Stephen Thrower
• Poster and Still Gallery
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots
• Radio Spots

BLU RAY SET SCORE:

Written By Matt Reifschneider