Starring: Kris Holden-Ried, Emily Hampshire, Shawn Doyle, Claudia Bassols, Melina Matthews, Barry Flatman
Directed By: Manuel Carbello
Netflix is largely populated by indie horror movies that no one cares about. It’s hard to differentiate between the crap shlockfests, and movies with a substantial plot. The Returned definitely has a substantial plot to it, and really wouldn’t even be classified as a horror movie… despite having a poster of a rotting corpse on the front. It also has a great twist ending, followed by a second twist ending, and the set up for a possible sequel.
There are a few brief gory moments, but honestly… nothing you haven’t seen on The Walking Dead. This film is definitely not overly violent. A few zombie moments highlight the urgency for a cure. The acting, for a B-list cast, is actually pretty good. Bassols is just a pretty face with absolutely no depth or range, but Holden-Ried, Hampshire, and Doyle are all substantial actors. Especially Holden-Ried, who carries the film as one of The Returned, constantly aware of the struggle within.
Supposedly this film was released theatrically on February 14th of this year, though no grosses are available through Box Office Mojo. Which is odd. but if you’re a film purist, and refuse to watch straight-to-video films, you can at least use this loophole to allow yourself to enjoy a fairly decent take on the zombie genre. A promising start for director Manuel Carbello.
You’ll like this film if you enjoy the slower episodes of The Walking Dead.
FINAL GRADE: B-
