A Night of the Undead - Movie Review

 

A Night of the Undead

Movie Review

 

Director Kenny Scott Guffey co-directed with Jake C. Young film A Night of the Undead, written by Tyler Aucoin starring Brandon Ludwig, Nancy Anne Ridder, Shane Thompson, Kenny Scott Guffey, and Jack C. Young. 

In 'A Night of the Undead', featured short clips of radio personalities and YouTubers debating whether or not the dead had actually returned from 1968. Adam played by Mason Johnson, Piper played by Brianna Phipps, and Brady played by Denny Kidd a group of podcasters decides to broadcast from the farmhouse where the events allegedly took place. Along with Brady's ex Judy, played by Mackenzie Clay, they set out to find the truth.

Here the viewer is asked to do a great deal of suspension of disbelief. The farmhouse is still in good condition and, among other things, Tiffany Gaffe's Diary of Barbara Cooper still exists. After a while, the first zombie returns to the door. Trapped in a house after one of them is bitten, the four must put aside their differences if they want to survive.

The writer and directors use footage of people in covid-hazmat-suits to create initial confusion about whether A Night of the Undead is about the living dead or virus-infected zombies. They solve the problem with a hilarious airing of the President of the United States, played by Brandon Ludwig. Before that, there's another funny scene where a character is told to stand six feet away from a zombie and wear a mask.

Because the movie was shot on a budget of about $1,500, there are few presidential warnings or actual zombies. A Night of the Undead has some interesting ideas and tries to pay more attention to the characters than usual. Unfortunately, it's not going to do much for those unfamiliar with small budget horror.

One area where the film leaves no one satisfied is its final moments. A Night of the Undead goes through several false endings before settling on the least satisfying resolution possible. It would have been nice if they had ended it after the hour mark, it would have still qualified as feature-length and allowed for a stronger and more logical endpoint.

A Night of the Undead is well made from a technical standpoint. The camera and sound are odd but solid. Some scenes look weird like they were shot through some kind of filter, but that's about as fancy as cinematography gets. The effects are pretty limited, but the zombie makeup and infected bites are good.

Despite its flaws, including pacing and stuffiness issues common to a small-budget film, A Night of the Undead is definitely worth a watch. However, those with more mainstream tastes may find it too rough and lacking in production values.

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