We are constantly looking for new and different films when it comes to bringing you the best in genre entertainment. Short films are often where you find the most exciting new filmmakers taking chances, yet most audiences don’t seek them out. With that in mind, we will be showcasing a short film each week in an effort to give a signal boost to shorts we enjoy. This week’s short is ZOMBIE MUSICAL.
Given today’s Horror Advent Calendar piece on ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE by John Reents, it seemed a good time to share 2011’s ZOMBIE MUSICAL, the short film written and directed by Ryan McHenry that served as the jumping off point for the festival favorite.
I’m going to be honest; I don’t get musicals, but the fact that so many people have so much love for ANNA and ZOMBIE MUSICAL does warm my heart. The horror genre is a big playground and that there is room for the late McHenry’s traditional musical take on the zombie genre within the horror community is rather sweet. That said, while he indulges in the expected syrupy musical numbers, he does satisfy the gory conventions of the zombie genre with aplomb.
It is interesting to me to see how a filmmaker from Scotland (which has had an influential film scene for the last couple of decades, but is not what is considered a “hotbed” of the industry) made a clever short that served as inspiration for a feature making waves seven years later around the world as an alternative Christmas horror flick. If you enjoyed ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE, you will find a lot to love in ZOMBIE MUSICAL. And that is as it should be.
–Matt Wedge (@MovieNerdMatt)
Tags: Anna and the Apocalypse, Musicals, Ryan McHenry, Short Film of the Week, Zombie Musical, Zombies
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