Zombie indie combo pack!

It’s so hard to resist these cheapo DVD collections. 4 zombie films for 5 bux? I’m so in! Sometimes these collections suck, but I got my money’s worth from The Midnight Horror Flesh Eating Zombies Collection. I think the only problem with these four films is that they are all victims of “trash it because it’s indie” syndrome online….

For my look at the film Awaken the Dead, checkout this blog.

LAST OF THE LIVING (2009)

Just like American filmmakers have spent decades trying to recapture the magic of Night of the Living Dead, it appears British filmmakers have spent the last decade trying to live up to the standard set by the zombedy Shaun of the Dead.

Last of the Living features three burnouts who feel like doing nothing but hanging on the couch after the zombie apocalypse. Each guy is cute in his own way; one looks like a geekier Prince Harry!

These three slackers run about town gathering groceries and one of them even gets the urge to stop at a record store for the new album by his favorite artist (that would so be me). They never expect to meet a girl who gives each of them a reason to live. Not only because she’s cute, but because she might have a cure that needs to be delivered to the right hands. Suddenly, they have a purpose in life!

The meat (and flesh) of the humor is dependent on the slapstick situations involving the three guys battling zombies. Naturally, it wears thin after a while, but we do get to like each of these guys as they try to hit on the girl. And we feel sad when something happens to any of the characters. And it has all the deadbeat buddy movie elements, like fart and video game humor, plus poignant moments (just like Shaun of the Dead).

You won’t feel the need to make all your friends watch Last of the Living, but it’s a good option when you’re looking for a zombedy you haven’t seen yet.

I AM OMEGA (2007)

Dang. This movie gets crapped all over on the message boards. I don’t know why. It’s zombie action horror fun from start to finish with some excellent performances by the very small cast. And NO CGI zombies! I say that because I Am Omega is yet another adaptation of the Richard Matheson classic I Am Legend. Personally, I find this low-budget indie much more exciting and gritty than the big Hollywood film. And combining the titles I Am Legend and The Omega Man? They should have gone one step further and called it “I Am the Last Omega On Earth.”

The incredibly sexy Mark Dacascos, who has done plenty of martial arts movies as well as The Crow TV series, brings his skills to this film to up the action and hand-to-hand combat sequences. He’s a great loner hero. But this isn’t a straight-up action film. The zombies totally rock. They’re gruesome, relentless, and provide plenty of jump scares and creepy scenarios.

The story is pretty much the same…but in I Am Legend, don’t the creatures only come out at night? In this one, they seem to hide out in dark places during the day, but they will still run right out into sunlight and eat your ass!

There are three distinct segments of the film. First half hour, Mark is alone. Second half hour, he joins up with two dudes. Final half hour, it’s Mark and this chick who may have an anti-virus. This and the well-spaced zombie scenes keep the film moving at a quick pace. There’s even an amazing chase scene in a parking garage with a musical score that I swear is mimicking the rumble scene music from West Side Story.

I’ve read that I Am Omega has been on the SyFy Network. I would have been pleasantly surprised to catch it on TV and totally would have gone out and picked up the DVD once I had. Some people have said they couldn’t even get past the first five minutes which is ridiculous because the opening zombie scene RULES…and immediately after, Mark Dacascos gets out of bed in only his tight black boxer briefs. Yeah. This is definitely a Dan movie.

GRAVE MISTAKE (2008)

Grave Mistake is one of those homebrewed horror comedies loaded with spirit regardless of limitations of budget and acting experience. Its rough edges give it major charm, and the cast puts their all into it taking us on a wacky zombie-fighting ride.

A young boy who is abused by his stepdad hangs out at the local auto shop in his small town with the dudes who work there. When the zombie apocalypse hits, they’re prepared because one guy is a zombie expert who even wrote a book on the subject.

Before long, they are on the road, fending off zombies. You can’t help but giggle at the dry humor (the abusive stepdad actually steals the show). The zombies look old school cool (almost like the kiddies from Village of the Damned) and the gore is awesome! Plus, you can never predict who is going to become zombie food—it’s never who you’d expect. The film even turns rather dark and sad at the end.

Grave Mistake is how you make a cheapo horror movie. I kind of love this film.

The Midnight Horror Flesh Eating Zombies Collection is totally worth the 2 bux you’ll pay for it. Yep, you can get it for as low as 2 bux online. It’s one of the best budget combo packs I’ve picked up and exposed me to four zombie-tastic indie flicks I would never have seen otherwise.