Zombieland (13 Days Of Hallowe'en)

Imagine Quentin Tarantino went and made a zombie film. It'd be pure self referential manna wouldn't it. The rules of the zombie film would get deconstructed and the violence would be right cool. That or it would last three hours and the characters would bore the tits off you with endless gabber about what great music they used to listen to before the apocalypse. Given his recent output sadly it'd probably veer more toward the latter. Be thankful then for Ruben Fleischer, with writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick who have went ahead and done the former. And they even get away with one of those music conversations!

Zombieland could be viewed as the zombie film version of Scream, as it too is obsessed with rules. Columbus (we don't learn any of the characters names, saves them from getting attached to one another. Instead they're identified by where they're headed) is a loner nerd who knows how to survive zombie oblivion because he's a geek who has obviously watched enough zombie flicks to know the rules. We are reminded of the rules throughout the film thanks to an inventive use of graphics that sees them incorporated into a scene where one is either observed or broken. This device is also gleefully used at certain intervals to bring us things like "Zombie Kill Of The Week", it involves a wee old woman and a piano. It's a cool touch that doesn't feel superfluous thanks to the overall tone of the movie. That tone is one of humour as dark as the insides of a creepy old crypt. This is made clear from the off, as we see fat guys being chased down and devoured, guys cannabalised for taking a shit in a public bathroom and an opening credits sequence that sees zombie brides ruining weddings and zombie strippers tormenting their customers.

The cast are great too. Jesse Eisenberg follows up Adventureland with another awkward, nervous performance as Colombus. He's Hollywood's geek of choice at this time. Emma Stone, of Superbad, and Abigail Breslin, growed up a bit since Little Miss Sunshine, are equally great as sisters who have managed to survive by not trusting anyone. To them men are just things to con so they can make their way in the world. Best of all though is Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee, for lack of a better word a maniac who seems to enjoy nothing more than killing the undead. Well maybe he loves Twinkies more. Instead of the horror staple of a bunch of characters you'd happily see chewed to bits Zombieland delivers a group that you actually care about. Hats off to the cast and the writing. There's also a celebrity cameo which is so bloody amazing it would be a travesty to ruin, but fair to say you won't see a better one this year. Hell, you probably won't see a better one for at least a decade.

It's not all laughs though. There is some pretty decent gore and frights. There are a few scenes that are downright tense, something that many comic horrors forget. And yet pacing wise it's actually quite slow. The movie is happy to linger as the characters get to know one another whilst driving across America. But it never feels slow. The dialogue is good enough and the action scenes timed so well that it feels like it's zipping by in a way that it just isn't. It's testament to the assured direction of first-timer Fleischer that this is the case.

In all honesty it's very difficult to find many faults with Zombieland. It straddles the genres of horror and comedy at least as successfully as Peter Jackson's Braindead, Evil Dead 2 and Shaun Of The Dead. It's an original take and a weary tale and creative as hell to boot. It's the knowledgeable geek survival guide to the zombie holocaust. For that reason alone you owe yourself a viewing.