The Horror Show
The ReZort
by Steve Barker
In an effort to set apart from the plethora of zombie flicks, The ReZort aims at taking a different spin on things by promoting a witty new version of luxurious lifestyle in a post-apocalyptic world. Steve Barker, whose big-screen career began in 2008 with the Nazi-zombie movie Outpost, gives another take on the living-dead genre with the polished yet flawed The ReZort.
The story is set in a near-future European land, 10 years after a deadly zombie outbreak that perished nearly two billion human lives. Stability has now been restored and people are seemingly living in peace, but still millions live in refugee camps. Living in a post-apocalyptic world isn’t all about struggling and suffering, as a sly leisure corporation has created a heavily guarded complex on a private island, called the ReZort, where rich survivors have the opportunity to go zombie-hunting.
This living-dead safari allows its visitors to take their rage out on the last remaining flesh-eating ghouls with sadistic relish, but of course for a fee. And so we are introduced to the starring group of wanna-be zombie killers, with the main focus being on Melanie (Jessica De Gouw), a troubled young woman struggling to cope with a tragic family history and her war-vet boyfriend Lewis (Martin McCann).
What you’d be surprised to see is an anti-conventional clique, a group of protesters who support the rights of the living-dead. For the story’s sake, the Living Too activist team hacks the resort’s security system and immediately all hell breaks loose. As the zombies are freed from captivity, the game rules change and every human left there is thrown into a savage battle for survival.
Barker goes down familiar paths within the zombie-outbreak genre, but with certain flair. However, the most damage is done by the core characters, who despite their secret agendas and dramatic backstories are not only flawed, but weak as well.
Even though the story progresses in a predictable and rather formulaic manner, it contains enough smart touches to remain as engaging as possible, but generally suffers from basic flaws. It might be doomed to have a limited shelf life, but it’s worth a watch by those who love the genre.
Maria Kriva, HMS
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