In the sub-genre of zombies, the possibilities of new storylines become increasingly more difficult, and with the variations involving comedies and even twisted romances, the causes for it increase more so, reducing the pandemic to a virus breakout, and therefore, with first time directors of a feature Benjamin Roberds and Jordan Reyes take an aggressive new path in the lore. Using Benjamin’s script, the storyline shows great promise and with a distribution from WildEye Releasing that clocks in at a mere 76-minutes, trying to give everything the independent market craves.

The story picks up from the last outbreak of the zombie revolt and apocalypse that resulted in 2 billion deaths and ended in strangest truce ever encounter for the human race, involving the punishable crime of shooting a zombie. The zombies now occupy vast territories once reserved for cemeteries, reasonable harmless, and a place for the living to visit the walking dead, as feeding comes from a special design oats. Everyone has accepted them and while a few might escape from the preserve, no threat comes from them, and adjustment to them takes the two central characters to a weird and strange standpoint, Clay Marshall (David Chandler) and Todd (Maxwell Moody). Clay appears as more of a slacker, and Todd a refined middle management individual who is interested in dating Clay’s sister Mia (Eva Boehnke), just one problem with Mia, she’s involved another man, her boyfriend. This charming boyfriend, one might guess, is a zombie, who she visits quite often and knits him clothing, Mia, truly lost in the zombie post world, and never coming to grips with death. The opening first act is shown in black and white with an odd acting still of narration, and yet welcoming, explaining everything in a matter-of-fact position for the backstory, a delivery of the information to the audience that raises many questions. Soon enough, Clay decides to erase Mia’s boyfriend and reestablish her to the land of the living, what could go wrong? His act of violence against the dead launches the film into color and the zombie horde attacking in defense of the brutal and selfish actions of one man.  The zombies lash out in a complete attack on society all while many chase after Clay, the focus of the assault, with him facing down a gooey blind zombie that hunts by sound.

Much of the movie takes place in Athens, Georgia, and the town that Clay flees to is Terminus, an obvious reference to the television series The Walking Dead, although not the only one, the others from a plague infects various people not necessary a bite, as is the case in the show too. The colorful homes add to the scenic backdrop, but not much less lends to the movie, random attacks, and clearly showing the tightening of the budget and special effects limitations. The black humor only tracks so far into the movie with more action sequences of Clay trying out for a cross-country team, of him running and running. There’s one series of events of him diving out through window on the first floor, with zombies flooding into a room and then none following, except the longest passage of time of him examining his wounds, and no zombies. What the zombies scared of a window, their target a few feet away and nothing, until one realizes no fences and a vast open back yard, this way to the meal. The zombie sub-genre, while popular as ever, struggles moreover today with the viewers for the conceptual design for the movies harder to design, to enthrall the audience with sickening disgusts and social paralyzing fears. However, the concept used in this movie, actually expands from two views raised in Shaun of the Dead [2004], the first with Edgar playing video games with Shaun, as a zombie and still friends, and another woman on a television program crying about keep relations with her dead husband.

An extremely low budget shows the boundaries for the filmmakers, estimating the cost of $3000, and with special effects used on a few zombies, the masses have a smattering of blood splattering. This duo team should take notes of the past mentors, George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead [1968] and also Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho [1960] in both, the small funded projects use the B&W concepts to hide the flaws. The screenplay lacks understanding and intention, with regard to the arc of the story and to the characters including further exploration of Mia, all exposed in a skim horror movie, almost 15-minutes under the standard benchmark for the horror fans.

A Plague So Pleasant might not be the award stellar design story that horror fans hunger for, but the zombie horde of dedicated fans, will thrive and munch on the tale, while hunting the landscape for a finer dinning pleasure. This movie makes the attempt and puts the effort into the film, lack of past talents clearly shows the issues, and yet fans will have a fun movie with a Twilight Zone finishing spin.

TAGLINE:

• The Dead Are The Endangered Species.

http://www.wildeyereleasing.com

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2107644/

IMDb Rating: 5.4/10

Baron’s Rating: 5.0/10

This film was originally reviewed on the now defunct Rogue Cinema website in January 2016.