slashedopen

It’s not often a movie makes me feel angry, but I must offer a warning to anyone thinking of renting, watching on TV or, god forbid, buying “Day of the Dead 2: Contagium”. There isn’t a single redeeming feature about this movie, a complete waste of 103 minutes that could be better spent having a poo or watching Lincoln vs Grimsby in League Two.

Lets start with the budget. There are rumours this movie cost £9million to make although more conservative estimates put it at £2million. One can only assume that the film-makers tried to double this by putting it on a horse that finished second because none of that money is on screen. The acting, effects, story, directing and set design are as blank as a sheet of A4 and half as interesting.

The premise sets itself as a sequel and prequel to Romero’s vision, where a virus is accidentally released in 1968 (when “Night of the Living Dead” is set), turning the inmates of a hospital into rampaging zombies. The Army arrives and blows up the hospital (subtle!), leaving behind one canister of the virus by accident. Fast forward 20 years or so (in one of the most bizarre and confusing captions that actually says “Five days previously"!) the hospital has incredibly re-materialised brick for brick but is now a mental hospital. Conveniently forgetting that Romero’s original trilogy pretty much brought an end to humanity, this little detail doesn’t seem to have filtered through to the staff and inmates at the hospital. Of course the canister is found, unleashed and the “horror” continues.

The zombies become the living dead through one of the worst CGI effects ever committed to celuloid where a luminescent light resembling Tinkerbell enters a person’s body. They also have a telepathic ability, presumably through this experience, that means they share each others pain…you’ll know how they feel. With dialogue like “Even the fastest deer will get knocked down if it crosses the road too many times”, it’s a wonder it wasn’t nominated for a Worst Original Screenplay Razzy.

The effects are some of the worst you are ever likely to see, exemplified by the gunshot effects. There’s no flash effect from the gun barrel to signify a shot’s been fired, instead the actor unconvincingly jerks the gun back whilst a strange popping sound is added to the soundtrack. The bullet is then seen to have hit someone by the simple method of someone off screen throwing some red liquid in their general direction (in the funniest moments they miss!). Either that or the actor (a term used in the broadest possible sense) clasps a clear bag full of the aforementioned liquid that bursts on impact.

The fact that this is a crap film is one thing but the biggest failing is that it has the bare faced cheek to call itself “Day of the Dead 2: Contagium”. The first problem is that Contagium isn’t even a word, the second is it’s comparing itself to the third part of what’s now one of the greatest Quadrilogies ever committed to celluloid by calling itself a sequel. Of course it has nothing to do with the Romero classic, instead trying to cash in on the name, even using the same style font for the lettering on the poster art. The third problem is it isn’t even a zombie film, having more in common with “28 Days Later” as the living dead are infected with a virus.

And the final hurrah for the DVD release is that it does actually look very good. Anchor Bay has even given it a making of documentary and commentary track which is the DVD equivalent of building a lavish music hall and then getting The Tweenies to perform. Don’t get me wrong I like bad movies as much as the next person, but there’s bad and there’s BAD. Definitely avoid!!!!!


“Beware the moon and stay on the path…"