A neurological pandemic has consumed the population. April, a secretive young girl, and Daniel, a man desperate and bereaved, come together on an isolated farm. When a mysterious stranger tu... Read allA neurological pandemic has consumed the population. April, a secretive young girl, and Daniel, a man desperate and bereaved, come together on an isolated farm. When a mysterious stranger turns up, they are confronted with a new enemy even deadlier than the one beyond the perimet... Read allA neurological pandemic has consumed the population. April, a secretive young girl, and Daniel, a man desperate and bereaved, come together on an isolated farm. When a mysterious stranger turns up, they are confronted with a new enemy even deadlier than the one beyond the perimeter.
- Awards
- 1 win & 3 nominations total
Featured reviews
The premise is dirt simple: Danielle, a man who recently lost his wife and child in this national zombie epidemic, finds an empty house on his travels. He stops in for a bit and is discovered by a teenage girl named April, who has survived their on her own for many years.
The film mostly follows them in their time living together. It's a typical dynamic on paper, with Danielle being more humane and not wanting to kill the zombies, while April has no hesitation in killing them. While Danielle is fairly calm and collected, April is volatile and paranoid. Their dialogue and interaction are realistic and nuanced. Nothing feels cliché or forced here, and even the revelation of April's back story, which could've easily been over the top, is well done.
The pacing is slow and methodical. Many smaller moments, such as Danielle taking a shower when the lights go out, or April chopping wood, adds to the feeling that we're watching life unfold rather than a traditional movie. It's helped by the camera work, almost always close in, adding to the intimacy and intensity. Combined with the beautiful but foggy and desolate setting, creates a gripping atmosphere.
The film builds into one of the most intense climaxes in a zombie film since "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie", and when it was over, I wished that the film would go on longer. Not for any kind of loose ends left, but simply to see it continue.
Highly recommended, especially if you're looking for something a bit different.
This film was made in 2 weeks on a £4,000 budget. Those 2 snippets of info should have been a bit of a hint at what kind of production this was gonna be. Yeah the story runs along the lines of 28 Days Later, so what? It's not as if 28 Days Later was the first film to use the virus/living dead scenario, and I doubt this will be the last.
The story is a simple one. Virus on the loose, survivors hiding in an attempt to stay alive. If you're looking for a blood soaked zombie flick then pass on this and pick up Dawn Of The Dead. If you're looking for an indie flick that focuses more on the psychological horror of the survivor's situation then you'll enjoy this. OK it's not gonna win any Oscars, but hey, neither did The Shawshank Redemption!
The script has serious problems: it moves too slowly, and ultimately goes nowhere. We have the troubled guy, and the troubled girl. Both have issues. They have to depend on each other to survive, while overcoming their ghosts. All this is established early on, but dragged through ineffective flashbacks and poor dialogue, for far too long.
The infected are too few and far between, and never seem like a real menace. Two people with a crappy rifle and some barbed wire manage to fend them off easily. The doors and windows aren't even reinforced. Most of the time, they could as easily be there on (a very very boring) vacation, rather than in the middle of a world apocalypse.
The characters are not interesting. The guy is dull and clueless. The girl is always annoyed AND annoying. The other girl is just as dull as the guy, and doesn't bring anything new. Their past stories should give us new insights about them, but don't. The (possible) immunity subplot is never properly explored, or settled. Its just thrown in for the sake of it, like too many things in the movie.
Overall, "The Dead Outside" does have some upsides (for a post-apocalyptic movie) - a sense of isolation and lack of hope, a few (very few) mild scares, and the cinematography isn't great, but its watchable. But by the end, you're wondering which is worse: being infected, or being a part of this sad, boring bunch.
Did you know
- TriviaShot in a mere two weeks.
- SoundtracksEvacuate
Written and Performed by The Boxer Rebellion
Used Courtesy of The Boxer Rebellion & Embargo Management
(c) The Boxer Rebellion
Details
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- Country of origin
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- Also known as
- Antes de Morir
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 1h 26m(86 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1