The Curse of the Undead: Part 1
| Title: | The Curse of the Undead Part 1 |
| Director: | Emir Skalonja |
| Writer(s): | Emir Skalonja |
| Cast: | Nicole Skalonja, Richard Ruiz, Claudia Rochon, Frank Nicosia, Sheri Fairchild, Joe Mancini, Paula KeisterMancini... |
| Genre(s): | Zombie |
| Release Date: | 2016 |
Not so long ago I reviewed Emir Skalonja masked killer in the woods flick Fester for EHC Reviews & Interviews. Enjoying my experience Emir offered me a chance to check out his farther adventures in horror cinema once they came along.
Emir has been a busy filmmaker and not so long ago he presented me with his latest, a zombie film with a marked difference. Zombies in the vein of Lucio Fulci’s City of the Living Dead, The Beyond and House by the Cemetery.
Naturally I jumped at this offer in partaking in…
The Curse of the Undead: Part 1
Siblings, and the brother’s girlfriend, enter their parent’s rundown house to clean it up.
Little do they know that the house has had an earlier visitor who found out to their own dismay that the house already has occupants!
The Undead!
Will our three house cleaners have what it takes to survive an onslaught or will they become further numbers in the ranks of a growing horde?
This reviewer LOVES zombie films to death!
Zombie films, and in particular the ones from out of the Italian Zombie Cycle, have been a part of my life since I was a child. I would drive my foster parents up the wall with hiring out Zombie films. While my friends were enjoying the latest slasher adventures of Jason Vorhees I was watching the gut munching exploits of the undead. So a big part of my excitement for catching Emir’s latest is to see what he will bring to this sub genre.
I mention in the above the influence I got. Or, maybe not an influence, but of a spiritual idea. Not of the insane gore and explicit gut munching or internal organs vomiting out but of the more supernatural aspect.
Emir’s zombies have the ability to control their victims psychically. Make them freeze, or control them and draw them onto this buzz saw. Maybe in a way these zombie undead are more demonic influenced. Some laugh maniacally and some talk at a basic level. At first I was like wtf but then I got into the tale and started thinking on why. In the end I thought the idea was cool. Just maybe the undead were insane due to their rotting brains? Maybe it is more of a demonic thing as they take another soul into their horde?
Dug the story.
Beginning with who I assume is the father going out to a cemetery to get rid of a corpse we assume. A mishap and we find the said corpse up and away then snacking on the father. Here we find this undead is different with the laughter. Then we find ourselves travelling with a homeless man with mental issues to his demise at the house. All of this is a build-up to when our three house cleaners come onto the scene. Emir can tell a tale that builds on each segment of the story in a linear manner that is logical. Though I love films that are non-linear and insane as all fuck just sometimes you want to sit down and just enjoy. Thought process does erupt with the confines of this story naturally with how the undead are.
Loved the setting!
Both at the beginning in the cemetery then later in the rundown family home.
This house is a big two story with plenty of rooms and a basement. With the use of whatever filters / editing Emir uses it creates a certain atmosphere for the unfolding events.
The Curse of the Undead: Part 1 is a low budget event thus special effects wise they did the best with what the budget could offer up. There is blood and guts but not a huge amount. Effort was put in and with the low budget it looks good. Maybe more blood could of been used perhaps, but then perhaps there was reasons on why it was applied sparingly. Our zombie undead are off colour but not totally rotting as in other films such as Brian Paulin’s Bone Sickness or Blood Pigs. They are pretty fresh still.
The Curse of the Undead: Part 1 is a growing exploration within the realms of horror for up and coming filmmaker Emir Skalonja. He has this passion that comes across on screen that I dig. I got the feeling Emir really puts some effort into each shot with how it is portrayed. As an amateur filmmaker myself I could appreciate this as it is what I try and do myself. For me The Curse of the Undead: Part 1 brings something a bit different to the modern zombie scene with it’s supernatural element. At first the more anal zombie fan kicked in but I quickly slapped that away to try and gain a clearer experience of what unfolded in front of me. I appreciated my experience much more by doing so. Look forwards to Part 2 Emir!
