Let’s face it, the zombie genre is oversaturated with crap. It’s the go to film for the aspiring horror movie director. Pick up a camera, make a zombie movie. And usually they are uninspired copypastas of each other. But not always. Here are five indie zombie flicks you need to add to your must watch list NOW!
1. The Battery (2012)
The Battery is a 2012 zombie movie that was released to festivals and VOD but is still awaiting a home media release, so it’s no wonder not a lot of people know about this gem. It’s set in a zombie apocalypse, but it’s not about a zombie apocalypse. The zombies are just the backdrop to the very compelling character driven story of two at-odds personalities banding together to survive. It’s a drama/horror of magnificent simplicity and focus. It was just recently announced that a DVD release is on the horizon.
2. Chrysalis (2014)
Similar to The Battery, Chrysalis is a zombie movie that focuses on the people, rather than the zombies. Reviews have been mixed and I almost didn’t watch it, but I’m glad I did. It’s actually a very emotional story of a man and a woman just trying to live day-to-day in a zombie ravaged world. Don’t expect big, over-the-top gunfights or martial arts, this is a character driven story of a high caliber.
3. Rammbock (2010)
This German zombie movie is about a man who goes to Berlin, looking to try find his ex-girlfriend, just in time for a zombie outbreak to ravage the world. Again, a lot of people interaction here but there’s a considerable bit of zombie action too. It’s a nice balance. The man hides in an apartment building with a teenage boy and together they try to survive and avoid the zombies noticing them, all while supplies run thin. Only downside of this film is the running time. At a scant 63 minutes in length, it isn’t even a full length movie by most standards (which is odd, because foreign films tend to be longer, not shorter, than our stateside average of 90 minutes).
4. Feeding the Masses (2004)
You know a movie is good when it has obviously low production values and hit-or-miss actors the whole run, but it doesn’t bother you a bit. This movie is very obviously low budget, from the effects to the camera quality, all of it is sub-par but for one thing: the story. This movie is social-satire on the media, using a zombie apocalypse setting as a podium. I saw the DVD at a used movie store and saw on the title a review blurb proclaiming “We hold Feeding the Masses on a higher level than any of the three “of the Dead” films by George A. Romero”. That caught my attention and, while I don’t necessarily think that highly of it, it may well be one of the top 5 examples of me spending $2.97 + tax in my life.
5. Contracted (2013)
If there is one film on this list you probably have seen already, it’s likely this one. It’s the only one on this list on Netflix. It’s a film about a woman who has a one-night stand and then finds her body is starting to rot. It’s a very good film that, again, focuses on people rather than zombies. The acting is excellent, as is the direction. You can actually read my interview with director Eric England HERE and my associate’s interview with actress Najarra Townsend HERE.
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