Let there be Zombies

IMDb

• Drew is a nerdy teacher that can't even control the students in her classroom. When threatened by the classroom bully, Drew does what she knows best... back down. Not even words of wisdom from the principal can muster a show of strength from a wimp who seems destined for a second-rate life. And this is before the zombie apocalypse. With populations being overrun by the rapidly spreading plague of zombies, Drew flees to the sanctuary of the country where she is quickly overcome by a lack of survival skills, the relentless Texas heat and, of course, zombies. But Drew must learn that that running from her problems is much like running from zombies. They find you. They always find you. Along her odyssey, Drew encounters a cast of characters that both help and hamper her path to finding the strength within herself that will make or break her ability to survive these terrible new times of unending death... and her annoying new companions. Let There Be Zombies is a horror adventure comedy that takes place deep in the heart of Texas. Made on a small budget by a cast and crew of volunteers, this is a film that starts with humble beginnings and rises to the challenge of accomplishing the dreams of a dedicated team of friends with a relentless passion for film.
  - Written by Andrew Patterson

BricksoftheDead

Let There Be Zombies is a new independent horror-comedy directed and written by Texan Andrew Patterson, and stars an entirely local cast featuring Sydney Daly as Drew, Doug Lowe as Jeff, Manuel Monsante as Red, and Enrique Arellano as José.

The film follows Drew, a schoolteacher, who could not even control her own classroom, and must learn how to control the situation of surviving in a zombie-ridden world. Along the way, she meets Jeff, a misanthropic computer programmer who accompanies Drew after she is stranded in the countryside, and takes out his anger on the undead masses with a fencepost. Red is a redneck farmhand who lives off of the land and has dealt with loss ever since the mysterious disappearance of his Pappy in a tragic hunting accident, and he brandishes an air-powered pellet gun. José is a pizza delivery boy who works for his cousin’s pizza parlor, at least until it was overran. Now he has to survive the apocalypse, and he still has one more pizza to deliver.

Now, the film leaves a little bit to be desired in ways of plot and character development: the story was largely predictable and is as textbook as it could be. The character development was not as also very obvious, as you could easily see where Drew started out as a timid teacher and is told by the principal of the school “if she does not control the situation, the situation will control her.” This line is referred back to time and time again, in an almost cliché amount. However, I must compliment the larger references later in the film to formerly insignificant lines from earlier on.

However, what the film lacks in plot and development it makes up for in humor, satire, references, and good, old-fashioned fun. I found myself cracking up throughout the film; Jeff provides the main comic relief, delivering in a snarky, deadpan type of voice, parodying the stereotype of IT workers (think of Jimmy Fallon’s “Nick Burns” SNL bit). Red provides humor by mocking the media’s perception of rural Americans as a whole: referring to his “Pappy,” driving a rusty, junked-up pickup truck, brewing his own beer, wearing overalls over a dingy shirt, and speaking in a very obvious forced accent. José has a funny quip here and there and is probably the edgiest of all humor in the movie, and has a particularly interesting bite to it for those living in the Southwest United States. The satire in the film revolves mainly around trope deconstruction.

There are the aforementioned main characters, but an elderly female character that averts the “Granny Classic” trope also plays it and constantly talks about her sex life and things you would not picture a grandmother type talking about. It’s not perfect, but as far as cheap laughs go, it does its job. On a more serious note, the actual cause of the zombie virus I found most interesting. I’ll try my best not to spoil it, but it addresses some particular dietary concerns that people today are often complaining about, and in the film we see it reach its zenith.

Thankfully, the filmmakers don’t overplay their hand and drone on and on about the subject, they explain enough to keep us thinking while not giving away too much. Throughout the film, I also saw a number of welcome references. Jeff bears a resemblance to a bespectacled, brown-haired Shaun, and even uses a similar looking weapon. Red’s farm and a stray RV, among another location, hint at a certain zombie-themed TV show, and the influence of directors like Romero and Edgar Wright are present throughout.

My favorite thing of all, however, was just the whole feel of the project. Yes, the zombies and special effects may have been cheesy, and some of the weapons impractical (look to Red later in the film), but you can tell the amount of passion that went into the film. A lot of the movie was actually funded through Kickstarter, and still only had a $10,000 budget. It’s another one of those low-budget projects that prove you don’t need a huge budget to make something great. Kevin Smith proved it with Clerks and Robert Rodriguez proved it with El Mariachi, and Let There Be Zombies just proved it again. It reminded me of Bricks of the Dead in that regard, as it shows that one passionate person can make something awesome.

This movie is going to be making the film festival circuit this year, and will be touring the US as a result, but will not be in theaters everywhere. However, if you want to see it in your local theater, services like Tugg can help you bring the movies you want to your nearest cinema. If you’re interested in that, check out www.tugg.com to get started, or take a look at the film’s official site.

Full Movie on Xmovie8