Lee Mn-Jae's 2019 film, "The Odd Family, Zombie on Sale" seems to be maybe South Korea 's first entry to the Zombie comedy genre. There's a lot of references to Millennial "Zom-Com" films such as "Shaun of the Dead", "Warm Bodies" and "Zombieland" but also straightforward Zombie films, like George E. Romero's 2005 "Land of the Dead".
It's story centers around the "Park" family owning a gas station that take a young man, Hyon-woo" (nicknamed later as "Jongbie, the Pet") who develops "zombie" characteristic behavior. The family consists of a married couple (with wife expecting), their father plus a young girl, "Hae-Gul" in which "Jongbie" develops a crush on. The obvious enemy here is an illegal pharmaceutical company called "Human Bio", doing experiments on humans... does this plot sound familiar to you?
Again, if you like these referenced films, Min-Jae's film is for you. Otherwise, he does not offer anything new or original here. But the quality of acting, set production and special effects are very good. In its Midwest premiere, Min-Jae stated that his wife co-wrote the script and that the fact "zombies" belong to Haitian Vodou. He further said that in fact, the idea of the "living dead" can be also found in Korean lore.
When asked if there will be a sequel, he said (in a joking manner) maybe when the baby character grows up to be 20 years old... he will pursue a sequel! If you are interested on an international perspective on how filmmakers have taken on the "zombie" genre, then "The Odd Family, Zombie on Sale" is for you!
