Rise of the Undead DVD Review

The city is engulfed in flames; catastrophic explosions fill the skyline, raining fire and debris onto the doomed populace. Seven survivors make it to the shelter of a government building, taking refuge from the devastation raging outside. The group of strangers that are thrown together by the cataclysm soon realise that they are not alone, they have to fight off the hoards of undead who stalk them through the labyrinthine corridors. Something deadlier than the zombies lurks in the building, preying on the fragmented group who have to come up with a plan before it’s too late.

Quality opening credits are often neglected in independent movies. Louisiana filmmakers Jason Horton and Shannon Hubbell, with their inaugural movie, Rise of the Undead, have made a real effort in this department and it gives a professional look to the film from the outset. The computer generated effects look impressive and set the scene nicely for the apocalyptic chaos raging outside, whilst inside the building where the story is set we're introduced to the cast who, on the whole, give decent performances. I liked the ambiguity of the storyline and the characters, the audience are told all they need to know and the rest is left open to conjecture. Also, there's some welcome humour included which I thought worked well. This film doesn’t rely on gore and sex (although gore and sex is always very welcome) to cover cracks in the story. You could go over this film with a fine tooth comb and pick faults, but I think the positives far out way the negatives here. There was one section in the middle which I thought was weak, but luckily things get back on track after that. Some nice camera work, creative lighting and a well crafted story set Rise of the Undead apart from a plethora of derivative zombie movies. On the whole, this is a fine first movie and I'm looking forward to these chaps’ next work. I believe there's some real talent lurking down in the bayous. S.J.T.

Rise of the Undead. 2005

Directed by Jason Horton and Shannon Hubbell

Shannon Hubbell and Jason Horton discuss the making of their apocalyptic horror HERE