Follow the dead

Having the chance to sit down and watch the 2020 horror comedy "Follow the Dead" here in 2025, as I stumbled upon it by sheer chance. And seeing it was a horror comedy with zombies, of course I opted to watch the movie.

Writer and director Adam William Cahill put together a script that was pretty sluggish. It was a very, very slow narrative, and that made it quite a struggle to sit through. And to insult to injury, then there wasn't a whole lot of anything interesting happening in the story either.

I believed that I was in for a zombie movie, lo and behold my surprise when I was introduced to 95 minutes of a group of Irish people sitting around in a flat doing nothing more than talking.

Now, "Follow the Dead" is labeled as a horror comedy, but it failed in both aspects.

Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with the actors or actresses on the cast list, as Irish cinema isn't what I've been seeing the most of. Usually I enjoy watching unfamiliar talents on the screen, but found it somewhat the opposite here. The acting performances were, for the majority, somewhat wooden and rigid. A lot of the performances felt stiff and unnatural, as if the actors or actresses were just reading the dialogue from held-up cue cards.

"Follow the Dead" was a dumpster fire of a movie. And if you enjoy horror movies, and have a fondness for zombie movies, do yourself a massive favor and stay well clear of this stinker. This is not a zombie movie!

My rating of writer and director Adam William Cahill's 2020 movie "Follow the Dead" lands on a generous two out of ten stars.

I should've known better than to trust the reviews. I didn't check to see whether they were fakes so that was on me. Irish films such as this one tend to really lack all the characteristics of an exciting film we are used to. This is in no way horror, only mildly funny, more drama than anything. My husband fell asleep during the movie and I nearly did too. It was mostly about this guy who left his wife to take care of his siblings and cousins. Most of the movie dosent make sense, it goes back and forth between terrorists and zombies. The characters weren't very interesting. The good part was the dialogue though. It was odd how it was full of wisdom and though provoking tidbits. This whole movie was just a big mixed bag of confusion and mess. If you want a horror movie this isn't it. I would in no way call this horror. If you don't mind the super slow burn drama with a zombie element you might like it though.

What did you do here? Why change genres four times in the duration of the film?

When it started as a comedy, fine - low budget, genuinely funny moments, but then it took a left turn it couldn't come back from. It's fine if you want to have the standard boy/girl reuniting, but why so serious? Then it became a family melodrama, then attempt at a thriller?

No climax, no character reference outside of the main four, so trying to tie in the story just doesn't work.

Also - the description has nearly nothing to do with the movie. This is very much not about Millennials and fake news from real. That's not even subplot. It's more like, a passing comment.

Before reading the description I thought to myself it's like one person started the movie, went into a coma, then his sad family tried to finish it for him - turns out, you did take two people's entirely different concepts and mash them together. It's rather unfortunate really, I was enjoying it for a bit there.

I don't know if this is your first go or not, but give it another. Just, maybe not as much of a team effort when it comes to the script, plot, genre, etc. If you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one.

I think it's safe to say that since 2004, if you were to give the plot summary of a film as 'a bunch of losers try to comically survive a zombie apocalypse' then you'd automatically think of 'Shaun of the Dead.' It was a classic and well deserving of its iconic status. Of course if something is successful then others will try to copy. Over the years we've got plenty more 'comedy horror zombie' movies featuring lovable losers. Some were good, some were bad, but most were pretty forgettable.

Here we have Ireland's entry into the genre. Yes, it's another 'SotD' rip-off, so I won't bore you with a detailed plot synopsis, as there's not much you haven't seen before. I knew what I was getting into when I sat down, so I can hardly complain about its lack of originality.

And, as it began, I was pleasantly surprised. For a start, the characters were nice. And they were funny and therefore likable. Yes, there are more than a few Irish stereotypes thrown in there to keep reminding the international viewers that this is definitely set in the Emerald Isle, but, overall, all characters do a good job. My hopes were high.

So, I waited for the zombies to show. And I waited. The film began to drag about a quarter of the way through its runtime, but I continued to wait. The beginning was so strong and well-written I wanted to give it every possible chance.

Eventually, it ended. And, my overall summary would be that this is a zombie movie without any zombies. Okay, I'm exaggerating. There were some, but - seriously - in a film about the undead, chucking them in there for a handful of scenes barely counts in my opinion.

What you have for the main part is relationship drama. Just like the zombies never really show, the jokes slowly dwindle in favour of relationship issues. There's not much gore and I swear they stole a prominent mask from another horror film (I think 'Nightbreed' but I could be wrong). Anyway, what could have been a memorable entry ended up being pretty run-of-the-mill and an example of what could have been.

I, like many, am a connoisseur of indies, so there are films out there that...make you want to scream. But every now and again you come across a film that showcases a new director, writer, or actor in their best light. "Follow the Dead" is one of those films. And while basic premise has become a perennial horror trope - zombies are taking over - now film makers are exploring other ways to show the undead apocalypse. In this case, it's a bunch of twenty-somethings in Ireland who cannot discern the truth of their situation because of their distrust of the media, after having been bombarded with "fake news" for most of their adult lives. That initial skepticism gradually gives way to their new reality, and focuses on the relationships of the characters. From the opening senes, it's apparent that "Follow the Dead" was crafted with the eye of a talented film maker and writer, Adam Cahill. The writing delivers a different take on the genre, with solid acting that organically follows the tale in a believable way. There is a gentle slacker vibe from the man-children, and the women in the story seem to have their acts together far more than the boys, which is a real-life truism. Some may feel that the action gets a little slow when it gets too talky toward the third act. There are some twists that don't conform to the genre either, which may be a good or bad thing, depending on the viewer and their expectations. Overall, this is a fine effort from a new film maker who has a bright road ahead. I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would, and give this film 3.5/5 stars.