ZA: Zombies Anonymous (DVD Review)

4 May, 2008 By: Matt Miller

Street 5/6/08
Well Go USA
Horror
$19.98 DVD
Not rated.
Stars Gina Ramsden, Joshua Nelson, Christa McNamee.

The great thing about zombie films is that, for the most part, they thrive on having underfunded budgets and over-the-top acting. Zombies Anonymous falls right into this category as a highly entertaining film filled with cheesy makeup and effects — giving it a very 1970s look and feel — and a new, friendlier breed of zombies.

The film opens with a series of TV newscasts that sets the scene for an unknown, widespread virus that is turning people into zombies when they die. But this isn't your typical “Living Dead” scenario. These zombies are just “mortally challenged” people trying to carry on everyday lives by holding jobs and using special products, such as “Look Alive” makeup, to cover up any signs of rigor mortis.

The focus of Zombies Anonymous is a young woman named Angela (Ramsden) who is thrown into the world of the undead when she is shot in the head by her jealous boyfriend, Josh (Nelson).

Viewers might recognize Nelson for his TV and film acting career, which included playing opposite Al Pacino in Sea of Love, or for his stint in the heavy metal band New York's Finest.

Feeling alone and confused, Angela finds a “Zombies Anonymous” group to help her cope with her new afterlife and, more importantly, stay safe from the growing population of the living who are out to eradicate the zombies before they take over the world.

One of the leading anti-zombie groups is led by a gung-ho woman known only as the Commandant (McNamee), who is determined to use her band of thugs, which includes Josh, to save the world by terminating the entire zombie population. But Josh is still in love with Angela, which makes for a great conflict throughout the film.

Zombies Anonymous is an entertaining romp that offers its own unique twist on the zombie genre: the living out to kill the dead. With a good balance of blood and humor, what really brings the film to life is its strong character development and a solid storyline that easily lends itself to a sequel.

Add in a handful of deleted scenes, and this DVD deserves a place on the shelf next to better-known zombie flicks.