Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection [DVD]

This doom-laden cheap and nasty production comes from Andrew Jones, who produced and co-wrote it. Jones is a prolific film-maker who has made a name for himself producing micro-budget horrors through North Bank Entertainment; his most successful projects involve demonic doll ‘Robert’, who has starred in three films so far, with more to come. His productions polarise opinions – on the whole, I’ve enjoyed them, with only ‘Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming’ and ‘The Amityville Asylum’ (both 2013) disappointing. ‘Resurrection’ is one of his first productions, and as such, has mixed results – and it IS nasty.In common with low-budget projects, the sound levels are erratic. Loud moments are followed with very softly spoken dialogue that is occasionally incoherent. Lee Bane, who stars in many Jones productions, is sadly guiltier of this than anyone, although his indecipherable ruminations are hardly the fault of the actor. He plays Kevin, a member of a fairly dysfunctional family, even without the influence of the current apocalypse.He’s married to pregnant Jenny (Rose Granger), but seemingly having an affair with her young sister. There’s Mum and Dad too, and a teenage son. The influx of living dead only add to the complications.One thing that annoyed me about this is that the characters seemingly know that once you are bitten, you become a zombie. This ruling is either forgotten or disregarded adding to the jeopardy, but making the characters inconsistent and seemingly stupid.Interestingly, however, the ‘normals’ outside pose an even bigger threat. Dad Terry travels alone at night to get help (always inadvisable) and meets a group of these thugs, who have taken the law into their own hands. Rather than run them down, he stops, something that doesn’t him any favours.This is a mixed bag, really. There are scenes of gore that turn the stomach, and Director James Plumb makes the most of his lack of budget to produce a raw, grainy, unglamorous horror show.In a a vague homage to the Romero original, the character of Ben (Sule Rimi) seems destined to be the hero of the piece with a knowledge and resolve that would appear to earmark him as a main player. Like the Ben featured in ‘Night of the Living Dead (1968)’, played by Duane Jones, he is also unexpectedly shot and killed when the others mistake him for a zombie.

Horror has always had a home in Wales. 1941's The Wolf Man is set in Wales. 1983's House of the Long Shadows too was set in Wales and marked the last time Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee shared screen time and also the only time they both starred with Vincent Price; and more recently, there has been a glut of Welsh horror with The Reverend, Elfie Hopkins, Panic Button, and the soon to be seen Dead of the Nite. Not bad for a country with a population lower than that of Iowa and occupying less space than the state of New Jersey.I had been aware of Welsh-based offering Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection for quite some time and was keen to see it, having met some of the team behind this production in April 2012. Now, just over a year later and a swift delivery from Amazon, I finally got the opportunity to see it...As eager as I was to see this film, I did have some reservations. Chiefly among these being was it going to be a rip off of Romero's classic from which it derives its name? The cover certainly hinted towards that and the introduction of Ben (Sule Rimi- Elfie Hopkins, Panic Button) gave me cause for concern. However, my fears were assuaged in shocking fashion at around 20 minutes into the film and I can assure you that this isn't a low budget remake...On that note, with a reported estimated budget of less than £15,000, the team behind NOTLDR have certainly spent wisely. The first real use of make-up and effects being mere minutes into the opening of the film wouldn't have looked out of place on the set of AMC's The Walking Dead.Although NOTLDR is praiseworthy, it is not without its flaws. There were instances when I felt shots were unnecessary or lingered for far too long. Also, at times there were glaring continuity errors and although the initial use of effects was striking, the remainder of the film's make-up/gore wasn't quite on the same level. That is not to say it was sub-standard. The use of contact lenses etc brought to mind the effects used in Charlie Brooker's excellent Dead Set, which isn't a bad thing!Regarding the plot of NOTLDR, writer and director James Plumb has taken a leaf out of Romero's book and played to an extent on societal fears and the more base elements of humanity to create a more horrifying villain than the undead menace in NOTLDR; resulting in a death scene that actually made me wince. Additionally, Plumb has taken what could be a storyline from a TV soap or drama and dropped it right into the middle of a zombie outbreak, resulting in increased tensions within the isolated farmhouse as the lengths people will go to in order to protect their loved ones is explored.At just shy of 90 minutes long, NOTLDR is a solid, effective British horror that is more evocative of Romero's original rather than a remake; with tense, synth-heavy soundtrack from James Morrissey which was reminiscent of early John Carpenter films. Keep paying attention to the end, fiends. The last line of dialogue in the film is definitely the clincher...