What to do on Hiatus Week Six: Fast Zombies!

REC

Kicking off our week of films that feature “fast zombies” is REC, a Spanish language horror film about a television news crew following a firefighter unit. The crew head to an old apartment building, were the residents are becoming infected by an unknown virus.

The government quarantines the building, leading the survivors to attempt a risky escape amongst the rapidly growing ranks of infected.

REC is filmed in a first person “shaky cam” style, but manages to avoid many of the pitfalls of other films of this style. The perspective adds an element of claustrophobia to the narrow halls and winding staircases of the setting, and the film benefits from it.

Dawn of the Dead 04’

Zack Snyder’s remake of the George Romero classic keeps the basic premise of survivors trapped in a shopping mall during the zombie apocalypse, but ups the ante by speeding up the zombies, increasing the amount of characters and adding a rock soundtrack.

The remake impresses many longtime fans by paying tribute to the original via cameos and references, while also being original enough to not draw unfair comparisons. The action scenes are expertly crafted, lifting this remake well beyond its early dismissals.

28 Days Later

Though not a traditional zombie film, 28 Days Later has enough in common with its undead cousins to earn it a spot here. The film tells the story of Jim, the lone survivor who awakens from a hospital bed to find England has been decimated by a virus.

As he searches, Jim discovers that people have become infected with a “rage virus” that makes them violent towards those un-infected. Meeting others along the way, Jim eventually learns of a safe haven military outpost, and the group travel across the ruins of Britain to find it.

28 Days Later delivers powerful performances, excellent cinematography and the same social commentary you would find in any Romero film. It’s an instant classic.

Versus

Versus is a Japanese film that deals with “the forest of resurrection”, a magical place where the lines between the living and the dead are blurred. Two mysterious men enter the forest to do battle over the fate of a young girl, dealing with various zombies along the way.

Versus may be one of the strangest movies I’ve ever seen, but the concepts are very intriguing. The fight scenes are well done and the moments of humor interspersed throughout offer a nice break from the otherwise dark story. All in all, Versus is worth taking a look at, just don’t expect to fully understand the goings on.

Next week we’ll have a go at some more great comedic zombie films.

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