A Zombie Invasion
A Zombie Invasion
- Director : Matt Green
- Guest Director : Kely McClung (Autopsy)
- Screenplay : Brendan Vogel
- Producers : Robert Pralgo, Zeke Flatten, Mark Harris
- Release Date : December 2012
- Running Time : 1hour 34 minutes
SUMMARY
A seemingly quiet morning in rural small town America unravels when Sheriff Long and his military buddy Chuck find themselves in the midst of a full on Zombie Invasion. With the assistance of family and friends, the Sheriff has to figure a way to fight off the onslaught and escape the surrounded diner the survivors are trapped in.
Starring:
- Robert Pralgo |
- Ted Huckabee |
- Stephen Caudill |
- Geoff McKnight |
- Vince Canlas |
- Lynn Talley |
- Fadi Malouf |
- Courtney Hogan |
- Samantha Worthen |
- Quint von Canon |
- Jason Hall |
- Steve Kouvelas
A Zombie Invasion Violence Rating
Episodes of violence and gore are frequent and include shooting, stabbing, decapitation, zombies eating human flesh, zombie bites, an explosion and an alien abduction. The level of violence is typical of a zombie movie and as such is not intended for younger viewers.
A Zombie Invasion movie Synopsis
Frank Sutton is missing, Thaddeus has been the victim of a pack of purple poodles, Crazy Earl is claiming to have seen alien spaceships again and the electricity in the whole town is on the blink. Clearly, none of these are so critical as to make Sheriff Long and his army buddy Chuck cancel their fishing trip. However, when Chuck reels in something unexpected at the lake and the Sheriff receives a panicked call from Deputy Harlan, it becomes clear that there are sinister goings on in town.
Head to the Diner
Things start to deteriorate with a series of seemingly disconnected disasters all over town. Crazy Earl has disappeared, the Sheriff finds himself barricaded out of his own home and there are stories circulating about corpses walking around. With the increasing threat of the flesh-craving undead, the diner becomes the obvious place for everyone to take refuge.
Escape the Apocalypse
From the diner, their only communication to the outside world is the radio. Intermittent broadcasts bring news of a safe haven one mile north of Bakersville. As the horde of zombies outside the diner swells, Sheriff Long comes up with a plan for everyone to escape. But which of his ragtag group of survivors will get out of town alive?
Characters:
- Sheriff Long |
- Tucker |
- Thadeus |
- Earl |
- Ed |
- Vickie |
- Chuck |
- Sarah Long |
- Wanda |
- Rob |
- Deputy Harlan |
- Snake
Sheriff Long
Portrayed by Robert Pralgo, Sheriff Norman Long is the authority figure in town to whom the residents look for leadership and guidance. Proud of his town and protective of its inhabitants, Sheriff Long has invited an ex-army colleague for a visit, hoping to recruit him as a Deputy. Ever since the loss of his wife, the Sheriff has single-handedly raised their daughter, Sarah.
Tucker
Tucker, portrayed by Ted Huckabee, runs the diner. The jury is out on whether his chilli is as good as he believes. Furthermore, his romantic involvement with one of the waitresses, Sarah, has earned the disapproval of her father, who just so happens to be the Sheriff. When the chips are down, Tucker does emerge as a formidable zombie slayer armed with his “Peacemaker” bat.
Thadeus
Portrayed by Stephen Caudill, Thadeus is the town handyman who specialises in electronics. A gentle soul, his slight stammer and slow delivery of speech might give the illusion that Thadeus is not so quick on the uptake. However, his choice of literature shows an intellectual maturity and when put to the test, Thaddeus shows true bravery and resolve in his willingness to stand up and be counted.
Earl
Earl is portrayed by Geoff McKnight. He has earned himself the title ‘Crazy Earl’ due to his unconventional lifestyle, his erratic behaviour and his claim to see aliens on a regular basis. However, there is more to this town local than meets the eye, Along with his antisocial behaviour, Earl has also disgraced his profession and been divorced by his wife. On the plus side, he has an enquiring scientific mind and is an expert in human anatomy. Surprisingly, he comes up with a plausible theory on how to solve the zombie invasion problem. The more we see of Earl, the more endearing he becomes.
Ed
Portrayed by Vince Canlas, Ed is first seen entering the diner carrying an unconscious victim of an attack whom he had found lying next to her car. He is honest, brave and dependable. As a result, Ed plays a pivotal role in the Sheriff’s plan to evacuate the town’s survivors to a military safe haven north of Bakersville.
Vickie
Vickie, portrayed by Lynn Talley, is the most likeable of the waitresses at the diner. She always exudes a cheerful disposition and maintains a professional manner towards her customers. Though her medical knowledge is limited, the first aid badge she earned as a girl scout makes her the expert of the group when dealing with the wounded. Practical, brave, and ever eager to lend a helping hand, Vickie volunteers to accompany Sarah Long in their bid to leave the diner and search for help.
Chuck
Chuck is a military man. Portrayed by Fadi Malouf, he is a seasoned war veteran and former army colleague of Sheriff Long. Proficient in combat skills and handy with a gun, Chuck is the ideal choice to have around during A Zombie Invasion. Able to keep his head in a crisis, it is no wonder that the Sheriff is trying to recruit him as a Deputy for the town and make his visit permanent.
Sarah Long
Sarah, portrayed by Courtney Hogan, is the daughter of Sheriff Long. She works at the diner as a waitress and is romantically involved with Tucker, the diner’s owner. This relationship does not meet her father’s approval who had higher hopes for his daughter’s future. However, her stubbornness does come in useful when volunteers are needed to leave the diner and go to fetch help.
Wanda
Wanda works as a waitress at the diner. Portrayed by Samantha Worthen, Wanda is a determined individual who knows what she wants and has no qualms about getting it. Her resolve weakens when faced with a horde of marauding zombies but she finds renewed energy when the escape plan is set into play.
Rob
Portrayed by Quint von Canon, Rob makes a dramatic impact early in the movie demonstrating his survival instincts, police training combat skills and military precision for dispatching zombies. Armed with a machete and a gun, he is resourceful in creating a safe haven/fortress which will keep out scavenging zombies. Recently married, Rob will stop at nothing to protect his new wife.
Deputy Harlan
Dutifully dependable Deputy Harlan is put in charge of law and order while Sheriff Long is out of town on a fishing trip. Portrayed by Jason Hall, Deputy Harlan is sufficiently capable of handling the day to day law enforcement demands of a small town. However, when the town becomes overrun with zombies, he soon finds that he is out of his depth.
Snake
Hanging out at the diner and playing video games is Snake’s usual way of passing time. Portrayed by Steve Kouvelas, Snake gets his chance to shine and elevate himself above his nickname when Sheriff Long asks him to play a pivotal role in their escape plan.
A Zombie Invasion Movie Verdict
A Zombie Invasion is a welcome diversion from the typical zombie movie formula we have come to expect. It has a style that is reminiscent of the George A Romero’s living dead movie saga, Night of the Living Dead, and it is worthy of a cult status of its own.
Disaster at the Diner
Night of the Living Dead focused on a small group of people trapped in a house with only a radio for communication. In a similar way, A Zombie Invasion depicts the perils and pitfalls of an impending zombie apocalypse through a small group of townsfolk taking refuge in a diner. Their only communication with the outside world is a radio that broadcasts spasmodically.
Unlikely Heroes
By focusing on the experiences and reactions of an ordinary group of people in this way, the events that unfold seem plausible. We become invested in the characters, developing a strong need for our favourite townsfolk to make it to safety in one piece.
Twisting the Torque
With a number of seemingly independent misadventures taking place all over town, a level of tension is introduced early on in the film. As the misadventures become more sinister, the tension builds, slowly and steadily. When the full horror of what is happening becomes apparent, the tension heightens, twisting the torque and building to a chilling crescendo every time one of the townsfolk is placed in danger.
Zombies vs Aliens
The concept of a zombie invasion with dead humans playing host to alien parasites is an intriguing, foreboding and plausible story arc. There have been a number of alien movies that have convincingly portrayed humans being abducted, infected and controlled by aliens. Based on this premise, the threat of a zombie apocalypse engineered by a more intelligent and hostile adversary is credibly revealed. The involvement of aliens serves to create a heightened sense of fear over the scale of the adversity that our intrepid band of diner patrons must face.
Thrills and Blood Spills
There are a few shocks in store throughout A Zombie Invasion that come accompanied with the type of gore that is to be expected from any thrilling living dead feature film. The brief interludes of levity serve all the more to remind us that these are just a bunch of ordinary folk trying to overcome a situation into which they have been thrust, ill-equipped and unaware.
The ending to this gripping, at times light-hearted, post-apocalyptic tale is just as surprising as it is refreshingly honest. It prompts this reviewer to ask, “When will there be a sequel?”
A Zombie Invasion Music
A ‘Zombie Invasion’ includes three tracks from the Southern Gothic Revival Album: Wicked, Drag the River and Ghost Train.
Southern Gothic Revival formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 2010. The band consists of: Geoff Efaw (Vocals), Beau Eadon (lead guitar), Ehren Gleckler, (rhythm guitar), Michael Appel (drums), JP Stout (bass guitar) and James Gleckler (keyboards). Check out a sample of each track below.
Drag the River | |
Wicked | |
Devil | |
Rabbit | |
Slave Song | |
Otherside | |
Ghost of the Tutweiler | |
Love grows cold | |
40 Duece | |
Ghost Train |
Check out More great Zombie Movies