DVD Review: BLOODLUST ZOMBIES (2011)

 

BLOODLUST ZOMBIES
Written and Directed by:  Dan Lantz
Distributed by Breaking Glass Pictures/Vicious Circle Films

Wow!  Have you ever written a film off just from the DVD cover only to be blown away by the film once you actually get to see it?  That is exactly what happened with me when I watched BLOODLUST ZOMBIES.  Here is the basic plot from the Breaking Glass Pictures website:

Like typical 9-to-5 cubicle dwellers, the workers at Zlantoff Industries are just counting down the minutes and seconds by the end of the day. And just like any office, mishaps are bound to happen: split coffee, jammed fax machines..mutant viral outbreaks. When a chemical spill in the lab on an otherwise uneventful weekday puts the entire office on emergency lock down, the entire staff unwittingly becomes the first test subjects for an experimental mutant virus. Now, if the biological weapon doesn't spur cannibalistic murder, the passive aggressive office banter surely will.  Featuring adult film superstar Alexis
Texas in a breakout role, Bloodlust Zombies is a a roller coaster ride of sex, gore and action. Part office satire, part apocalyptic catastrophe, director Dan Lantz's debut feature keeps the laughs - and heads - rolling.

Wait a minute...did I read that right?  This is a Dan Lantz's debut feature?  Wow, way to hit a home run your first time up to bat there Dan!!  If this is his debut feature, I expect great things of of Mr. Lantz if he continues in the horror genre.

Let me start by saying this is not your typical zombie film....the "monsters" in this movie aren't really zombies at all...they are just people infected by some kind of experimental virus being concocted in the lab at the office building.  Once infected, they do take on zombie like qualities, though, sorta like the "zombies" in the film 28 DAYS LATER.   The virus in question was being created to infect our enemies whom we are at war with.  The virus causes people to become highly aggressive and attack each other with cannibalistic tendencies, so they are similar to zombies in that regard.

The acting in this film is actually very good.  I'm always very concerned when an "adult superstar" makes their debut in a mainstream  (i.e. non porn) film.   I mean, lets be frank, I wouldn't think adult films would take much acting skills to be in.  Your acting skills don't have to be huge as long as other parts of you are!  BUT...saying this, adult superstar Alexis Texas did a great job.  She is actually a very good actress and  since I have never seen any of her films, if they wouldn't have mentioned anything about her being an adult superstar, I would have just thought that she was a regular up and coming actress making her start in a cheesy horror flick!  Well done Alexis!!
My only issue I had with an actor was with the character of Darren, played by Adam Danoff.  At first his lines didn't seem to flow too well, but towards the end he really grew on me and he actually had some of the funniest lines in the film.  He actually seemed to get better as the film went on.

Speaking of funny lines, did I mention this film is almost as much a comedy as it is a horror?  Well, maybe not as much, but it was a very funny film for a horror flick.  This was not your typical funny when it comes to horror/comedies...that is usually pretty juvenile and is usually more of spoof type comedy.  This film actually had some great and funny scenes and dialog.  Not just one liners, but conversations that were actually very funny.  The elevator scene still makes me laugh just thinking about it. 

Ok...so we covered the acting and the comedic aspect of the film, now on to my favorite part....the gore!!  These were some of the best gore effects I have seen in a long time.  Rarely do I go look to see who did the effects of a film, but this one made me do just that.  I wasn't surprised when I saw that the production company was actually called Impulse-FX.  That all makes perfect sense!  Michael Harvey is listed as the man behind the special Make-up effects, so Kuddos to Mr. Harvey and his team of workers.   The blood is this film is very plentiful so all you gore hounds take notice.   There is once scene when a security guard gets attacked and is bitten on the neck where the blood literally squirts out of his neck.  It was a very disgusting, and I mean that as a complete compliment!

Finally, let me end this review by saying the the ending of this film is one of the most enjoyable endings I have seen in some time.   We end with Alexis Texas' character, who after having a slight breakdown from being chased and seeing people attacked, pulls herself together and actually goes on the offensive to take care of the "zombies".   I will try not to give too much away, but her final stand-off against an infected man was a thing of sheer beauty.  It also results in one of the greatest decapitation scenes ever put on film, at least in this reviewers opinion.  I am not kidding, I hit rewind on the remote at least three times to watch it again.   Not only was it done so well in terms of special effects, it was done in such a stylistic manner that it deserved a repeat viewing.    If Quentin Tarantino ever did a zombie movie featuring a hot chick in a full hazmat gear be-heading a zombie with an axe, I have a felling this is exactly what it would look like. 




CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD


CLICK HERE to visit the official website of Breaking Glass Pictures