Penis sock puppet! need I say more....... Zombie Dearest

I always love it when digging through the "needs to be reviewed titles" on my desk and I uncover a little gem like Zombie Dearest! Films of this caliber define why I do what I do; it is clever, low budget, well-written black humor, which never fails to be entertaining. Never dull or clichéd it manages to tread new ground in a sub-genre that has become rather stale of late. Yes, it is about a loser trying to get his girlfriend back, and yes the featured zombie is very reminiscent of 'Ed' from Shaun of the Dead, mixed liberally with a touch of Fido, however, zombie physical characteristics, and minor plot points aside, Zombie Dearest is a distinctly unique take on the sub-genre.

Treading comfortably between horror and comedy Zombie Dearest has meat on its bones in the performances of its two leads as well as the entire supporting cast, whom uniformly turn in effective character studies. The core of the story lies in the relationship between David Kemker as 'Gus Lawton' a failing stand up comedian who just isn't funny, and Shauna Black as 'Deborah' his long suffering girlfriend who has reached her breaking point with Gus and his continued failure. The final straw in their strained relationship arrives in the form of a penis sock puppet hilariously not aimed at Deborah! Kemker possesses an Alan Rickman-esque charm as Gus, which makes his character both accessible and likable despite his flaws, while Black provides a strong sexy presence making her easy on the eyes while remaining firmly in command of every scene.

Fed up with Gus and all that is wrong with her life, Deborah packs up and drives cross-country to the now abandoned family farmhouse in which she grew up. Her intent is to make a completely new life in this small town and put the past behind her. This lasts just about five minutes before Gus shows up with promises to make a new start by doing exactly what she wants. Reluctantly, Deborah agrees to let him stay, on the condition that he buckles down and fixes up the house while she is at work. All is well until Gus digs up a zombie buried in the leech field.

This is where Zombie Dearest sets itself apart from the sea of zombie releases every year. Instead of an army of the undead, quickly spreading and a siege environment occurring, the only real zombie activity remains centered on the one zombie, 'Quinto' (David Sparrow). Gus discovers that Quinto will do whatever he says and he quickly puts Quinto to work doing all of his chores while he works on his latest standup routine regarding cave men. All is well until Deborah discovers that Quinto is not a retarded day laborer and Gus is up to his old tricks screwing off while the dead guy works!

What makes this odd little story effective aside from the excellent cinematography provided by Michel Bisson is the fact that the film never devolves into slapstick in any way. The core of the story revolves instead upon the all too real relationship between Gus and Deborah. The charm lies in the verbal interaction between the leads as they attempt to work through their dysfunction as a couple. The solid script by Kemker and Cavanagh drives the film while the zombie action is secondary and used as the lynchpin that moves the story from one development to the next.

If you stand in the hard-core blood and guts camp this film probably will not satisfy your cravings, however if you like a good humorous story laced with flesheating undead antics, this is for you! Filled with excellent dialogue and two very enjoyable leads, the film highlights both Kemker's abilities as a director and Black's ability to carry a film with both her talent as an actor and her looks. I for one, intend to keep an eye on the careers of both, as you will no doubt be hearing their names again!