31 Days of Halloween: The Sadness

2021, Rob Jabbaz (Clearwater) -- download

This season wouldn't be complete without a proper zombie flick. I just wish it hadn't been this unfortunate attempt at a Garth Ennis over-the-top approach to zombies (his comic Crossed) to the genre. Let me correct that; it's not the concept that bothers me (an infected style of 'zombie' that is fueled by violence and sadism) but more the Ennis level of embracing the ick-factor. Ennis has always made his name by going past the line where most creators would stop. Sometimes, as in Preacher, its fun as he is held back by his publisher. But in the case of Crossed they pretty much let him do whatever the fuck he wanted, and at some point the comic became stomach churning. This movie decides to go that way. And my stomach was not churned by the gore, as that was to be expected, but by the "sadistic" choices the director chose to depict. Less would have been more in my opinion.

Jim (Berant Zhu, How to Train Our Dragon) and Kat (Regina Lei) wake up lovingly, no morning breath, perfect hair, perfectly in love with each other till Jim admits he forgot they were going to take a week's vacation together, and he needs to take advantage of a work opportunity. Meanwhile, "it's just a flu" pandemic is stirring outside. Kat has a very very VERY uncomfortable encounter with an older incel-ish man ("can't a man just compliment a woman these days?!?!") on the subway just before all fountains-of-blood Hell breaks loose. They lose contact, but Jim gets a "meet me at the hospital" txt msg, and begins to fight his way to her, as the world collapses around him.

This is the zombie apocalypse, as the infected lose all sense of decorum and attack others. Initially we get the violence, introduced by the attacks on the subway with Kat. The infected rip throats out, stab people repeatably and murder others with visceral glee. But as the movie escalates, we begin to see the unfettered nature of those infected, and eventually it leads to sadistic rape and torture scenes. Too many rape and torture scenes. Give me the fountains of blood, but humans giving in all too human behaviours? No thanks.

All in all the movie was shot, acted and directed well, I was just not interested in the direction it chose to depict. The idea was fine, and could have been  handled off screen, or even by just having others as horrified (not classic horror movie terrified) by the "zombie" actions as we were.

As for "the sadness", there was a brief nod as the infected shed tears, just before they lost all control, a brief moment of grief at what they were about to do. TBH, I also had this idea for a zombie fiction of my own, but instead of infected, the tears were shed by the last vestiges of the human trapped inside the walking dead body, a fading identity that moans and cries as it dies off as slowly as the body is.