Dollar Bin Film - "Shadows of the Dead"

A couple's weekend getaway turns into a nightmare after they are stranded in the woods and discover what they assume to be a dead body. The assumption is wrong and John and his girlfriend Jennifer are infected with a deadly disease that will soon ravage their bodies. With no place to go, and no one to turn to, they are forced to find shelter in a deserted cabin. This is where they'll find safety, but this is also where they'll experience a slow and torturous death. They must come to terms with their inevitable deaths, the temptation to kill others to sustain their own lives, and the consequences of murder. They will cling to one another's love and support, but in the end.... all great love stories end tragically.

When I first got this film to watch, I assumed it was a scary zombie film with cheap gore and all the usual bells and whistles that come with it...but what I got was probably the most unique take on the zombie mythos that I've ever seen in a film. It wasn't really a horror film at all though; it was more of a mellow drama. The way the plot played out reminded me more of a film dealing with a drug addict coping with his urges to get high, only with zombies coping with the fact that they are no longer living and now crave human flesh (like a watered down Sid and Nancy). The plot is easy to follow and you really start to feel for the characters by then middle of the film. While over all I liked the film, I think I would have enjoyed it even more if the poster image, tagline, and promotion for the film didn't give off a scary zombie movie feel and gave me some sort of hint that the film wasn't actually a horror film. Also, the acting could have been a hell of a lot stronger (if I see a dead body lying in the road, I'm not going to chat about it, I'm going to fucking lose it). Overall though, it was an enjoyable indie film and I think that as long as you go into it knowing it's more of an emotional film than a horror flick, then you will too. This film can be found in the Blood Bath movie collection from http://www.crazyape.com/mv52019.html