There’s A Zombie Outside: Popcorn Frights Film Festival Review

The saying goes that life can often imitate art…and ‘There’s A Zombie Outside’ has taken that phrase to heart!

‘There’s A Zombie Outside’ follows a filmmaker as he starts to think a zombie is stalking him, but is this all in his head?

This is the type of film where it’s better watched without having any prior knowledge of the synopsis and, going into this, I thought I was in for a blood-splattered run-of-the-mill zombie film. But it further escalates into something so much more and does so mostly successfully.

The cast is small, but fantastic; the majority of scenes only had 2 people, which means that the acting and writing had to be able to carry the scenes, and they really do. Ben Baur (Hunting Season) plays Ben, a filmmaker who’s always mentally beating himself up about his constant failures and flops within his work to the point of feeling burnt out. Right from the opening scene, he effortlessly carries the film on his shoulders as it journeys through his obscure experience and his performance is both wonderful and strangely heartbreaking. ‘There’s A Zombie Outside’ touches on the subject of feeling burnt out and unmotivated when faced with failures, a subject that is very relevant, especially in a post-COVID world.

After lockdown, we’ve come to recognize the feeling of being pushed to the limit in terms of work and mental health and the situation revolving around this has quickly become a socially acceptable topic to discuss. It’s one of the first horror films I’ve seen, post-COVID, to touch on this topic, and that’s an aspect that I not only respect but one that made me feel sympathetic towards Ben. And, while it is a small cast, the other actors are fantastic too. The majority of the film focuses on Ben and his friend Taryn (Phylicia Wissa – Anonymously Nominated: The Anthology Series), someone who becomes estranged from him through his actions, but is supportive. Her performance was great as she starts as a friend who’s confused by her friend’s actions to supportive and caring. Her character was not only likable, but their onscreen chemistry was perfect; it really felt like they hadn’t seen each other in a long time but had known each other for even longer. Through their performances together, it’s evident that they have history, and it was enjoyable to watch.

But, surprisingly and delightfully, ‘There’s A Zombie Outside’ also carries its LGBT+ representation on its sleeve. Not only is Ben gay but even the characters in his films identify as queer too; through this, it’s clear that he wants to make it as a queer filmmaker, making horror films within the queer subgenre. But, with this, comes its unfortunate issues and this is where the commentary on the film industry comes in, as it highlights the struggles that queer filmmakers and tv creators have when trying to get their projects off the ground. It’s frustrating to watch, as it’s implied that the gateway to mainstream moviemaking will never happen for Ben if he continues with the path he’s taking in terms of his filmography. However, it’s an important commentary to have as this is an ongoing issue in the industry and one that should be focused on and talked about. 

Due to the overall premise, most of the dialogue keeps you guessing right up until the third act. Unfortunately, this third act is where the film decides to ‘tell rather than show’ what was going on; there’s a couple of scenes where Ben directly tells a character what’s going on, which is a shame. My main criticism with recent films has always been that its runtime is too long, but ‘There’s A Zombie Outside’ would’ve benefited from being 10-15 minutes longer, bringing it up to the 90-minute mark. It could have then used that extra time to demonstrate more visual examples of what was going on around Ben instead of using exposition and flashbacks of the same scenes on multiple occasions. 

Overall, ‘There’s A Zombie Outside’ is best watched without any prior knowledge of the synopsis. It is a fantastic film into the journey of a filmmaker’s break with reality, and has some enjoyable and, at times heartbreaking, performances. Plus, it has something to say regarding the LGBT+ filmmaking industry and to great effect. And, while the third act’s dialogue does execute its exposition rather directly, it’s still a really interesting concept, making this a film that I would be happy to re-experience.

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