M.L. Miller here! As I go into the tenth year of reviewing horror films, I wanted to go back to the beginning and repost some of the films I loved. Moving on to Year Five of my year-long Retro-Best in Horror I’m recapping the Countdown beginning officially on October 1, 2014 and going through September 30, 2015. I have posted compilation lists in the past, but a lot of those old reviews haven’t seen the light of day since they were first posted many moons ago. Being the OCD person that I am, I have also worked and reworked the list, looking back at my own choices and shifting them around, and even adding a few that I might have missed or looked over from the year in question. So, if you think you know how these lists are going to turn out, you don’t! Don’t forget to like and share my picks with your pals across the web on your own personal social media. Chime in after the review and let me know what you think of the film, how on the nose or mind-numbingly wrong I am, or most importantly, come up with your own darn list…let’s go!
Released on February 13, 2015. Available On Demand, digital download, and Blu-ray/DVD! Also streaming on IFC Films Unlimited!
WYRMWOOD: ROAD OF THE DEAD (2014)
Directed by Kiah Roache-Turner
Written by Kiah Roache-Turner & Tristan Roache-Turner
Starring Jay Gallagher, Bianca Bradey, Leon Burchill, Luke McKenzie, Yure Covich, Catherine Terracini, Keith Agius, Meganne West, Berryn Schwerdt, Cain Thompson, Beth Aubrey, Sheridan Harbridge, Damian Dyke
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Rarely do I see a movie which is entertaining from the very beginning up until the very end, but I saw just that with WYRMWOOD, a new zombie film from Australia. But before you scroll past thinking this is just another run of the mill zombie film, give me a minute to convince you that if you think you’ve seen it all in terms of zombie films, this film is bound and determined to prove you wrong.
There is not a second of WYRMWOOD that isn’t in your face and running on all cylinders. Jutting from one catastrophic incident to another, the film follows a handful of survivors that haven’t fallen victim to a sudden outbreak of zombie fever after a meteor shower. The how’s and why’s explaining the cause of this outbreak are left vague. All we know is that there are zombies and there are only a few survivors fighting their asses off to survive.
Unlike most zombie films, which either follow the slower Romero Way or the newer Zack Snyder fast zombies way, WYRMWOOD feels more like the Sperig Brothers’ UNDEAD which offered up an unpredictable and boldly different take on zombies. Minor details are added to the mythos. The zombies’ blood is combustible and can be used as fuel, but this only occurs by day as they shamble slowly at night. One of the characters develops the power to control zombies’ actions telepathically. These details make this film feel bold and new, making it more likely to surprise and less likely to become another tedious zombie yarn.
But the true highlight of WYRMWOOD is that it hits the ground running and never, ever stops for a breath until the end. Filmmakers Kiah Roache-Turner & Tristan Roache-Turner keep the action fresh and creative with one imaginative scene after another that you’ve never seen in any film before, let alone any zombie film.
WYRMWOOD is the type of film that could inject new life into the zombie genre. It’s bold and ballsy. The film tears down the road like a runaway truck off of the ROAD WARRIOR set without brakes or respect for road signs. And while zombie purists might flinch at the embellishments the Roache-Turners made to the zombie mythos, this film may prove those who rip on the zombie genre for being stuck on repeat for the last ten years that there’s some blood in the old genre still. For a while there were rumblings of a streaming series continuing what started in WYRMWOOD. I’m still waiting and looking forward to that. Full of action that’ll make your heart flip and gore that’ll do the same to your stomach, WYRMWOOD is the next great thing in zombies.
THE 2014-2015 COUNTDOWN!
#24 – WYRMWOOD: ROAD OF THE DEAD
#25 – THE EDITOR
#26 – DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD
#27 – PARA ELISA
#28 – THE HOUSES OCTOBER BUILT
#29 – FROM THE DARK
#30 – EXISTS
#31 – A PLAGUE SO PLEASANT
M. L. Miller is a wordslinger/writer of wrongs/reviewer/interviewer/editor of MLMILLERWRITES.COM. Follow @Mark_L_Miller.
Interested in advertising on MLMILLERWRITES? Feel free to contact me here and we can talk turkey!
Don’t forget to share, like, and come back tomorrow for more reviews!
MLMILLERWRITES / MLMillerFrights 