Undead (2005)

Synopsis: Australian brothers Michael and Peter Spierig directed this entry in the flesh-eating zombie genre, a full-on gore and gag fest, outback style. The plot finds local beauty contest winner Rene (Felicity Mason), about to head out of her isolated lakeside hometown to the big city when a meteor... Australian brothers Michael and Peter Spierig directed this entry in the flesh-eating zombie genre, a full-on gore and gag fest, outback style. The plot finds local beauty contest winner Rene (Felicity Mason), about to head out of her isolated lakeside hometown to the big city when a meteor shower animates some corpses, with the usual grisly results. She and some other survivors hole up in an old farmhouse owned by the taciturn antihero, Marion (Mungo McKay), who likes performing slow motion back flips while blasting the heads of zombies with his endless supply of .45 automatics. When everyone tires of shouting at each other they try and escape the endless zombie onslaught in Marion's van, only to run into a giant, spike-covered wall blocking the road out of town. If that's not enough, there's the problem of acid rain (resulting in the need for the foxy Rene to remove her over garments) and random alien abductions of insects, livestock, and supporting actors. Shot on digital video with an array of surprisingly convincing (for its obvious low budget) special effects, the film plants its forked tongue firmly in cheek as it references other Aussie gross-out hits like Peter Jackson's BAD TASTE and DEAD ALIVE, as well as midnight favorites like NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. Highlights include a fight scene involving some undead fish, and a hair-raising twist ending. While it's more satiric and self-mocking than genuinely scary, there are still some major shocks and youngsters might blanche at the plethora of gore and severed body parts. [More]