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More Thai chaos at the university as the zombies run amok. We have too many characters still and now we learn more about the evil Patron and his evil son Joe. Shall we call them Donald and Don Jnr?

Lots of lying from the central family, we learn all the mom in a coma's back story and we also have the most unique element of a zombie story I have seen in a long, long ass time - zombie factions and a hierarchy. Just brilliant really.

I went into this show on Netflix thinking I would hate it, but I didn't. I actually really liked it. Although none of the characters really appealed to me other than Lily and actually Aunty Jit, poor lass, I was engrossed. Netflix is full of hits and misses, but this was a hit for sure.

Check it out now. Not as good as All of Us Are Dead, but not far off.

7/10

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I am loving this show. It may not be at the height of some zombie cinema, it isn't better than All of Us Are Dead, but it ain't far from it. I was skeptical after seeing over 30 pretty Thai boys and girls on the poster. And there a lot of characters. A lot of red shirts. A lot of extras to be eaten. Although, that being said, the deaths are getting more and more from the main cast now.

I have to contradict the IMDB reviewer who said there was nothing new here. There actually is. Alphas. We have seen a lead zombie in many many movies, 28 Years Later, House of the Dead, Army of the Dead, Land of the Dead to name but a few. But in all those cases the Alpha is the biggest brute of the horde, the huge monster from 28 Years Later, the original soldier in Army of the Dead, the Mechanic in Land. The Alpha here is very intriguing. And the use of emotion too, zombies fearful of the Alpha without the Alpha being a physically dominant specimen. Great stuff all around, I am loving it.

The whole storyline of the menial staff being used is sad. But it is a harsh reality of life. Zombies now self repairing. And getting stoned. This show is better than Happiness, better than Newtopia. It isn't far off All of Us are Dead. And that is saying something.

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There are over 30 characters on the poster for this Thai Netflix effort, and none of them are zombies. That's right, it is a Bangkok university based zombie outbreak story with effectively half a dozen boy bands all vying for the attention of 3 girls - the bright top of the class Ning, the arrogant actress Lily and the morbid goth Prau. The guys all have slightly different outfits and haircuts, a la battle of the Asian boy bands however, that being said, it's alright.

After one episode it is clear this is not ALL OF US ARE DEAD. Nowhere near. Not even close, Bud. Is is better than BLOCK Z? I think so. Ning and her group meet up with her brother Noon and her boyfriend?? Zan's group, making 16 of them escaping the zombies across campus to hold out at the under construction library. They put out a message on the PA system forwarding a military signal on the radio about chopper rescue, before water and power go down. And her message is heard, by the armed boy band in the rain, and the scaredy boy band in the hallways. So I will have another 8 boys to learn the names of in the next episode. As the power going out means the zombie will no longer have bright lights to stare at in a docile manner, so now head towards the living meat at the library.

It's ok. I have seen far worse. Onto Episode 2...

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A twofer from 2011 this time around with The Zombies are Coming to Town and Schoolgirl Apocalypse.

Zombies are Coming to Town, which needed to be Zombie Hordes are Coming to Town so it can be sung to the tune of Santa Claus is Coming to Town, is a pretty dreadful movie in a movie, where they are making a low budget zombie movie with some of the worst acting you have even seen and even worse cinematography. I am aggrieved to call it cinematography.

During the filming of a low budget zombie movie in Maine (how original), a tank of biohazardous chemicals is punctured by two teens (how original), and as real zombies appear and attack the production (how original) the director decides to incorporate the real zombies into his movie (how original). 64 minutes. 8 of which is the credits. And at one point we get the entire movie replayed beginning to end at 3x fast forward >>>. Hated almost every second of this one. The only slightly redeemable thing was that the zombies in the movie didn't have as good a makeup as the actual zombies.

2/10 and definitely not the 7/10 it gets on IMDB.

And then we watched Schoolgirl Apocalypse. And this was ok. Japanese but directed by an American. A high pitched signal turns the men into women murderers in a small Japanese town, as schoolgirl Sakura tries to get a blind scientist, and a mute western boy in wheelchair to the sea.

Not a lot of blood, not any gore really but there is a lot of tension, very atmospheric at times. A decent movie making debut from the director. It felt a little like a very tame version of The Sadness. And the Squidward alien jellyfish ending and constant use of animated sequences when Sakura was unconscious didn't do it for me.

4.5/10 for its oddness. Odd like Junk was odd and odd like wild zero was odd. Japanese odd.

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It gets worst. Sure, we see them call the zombies sleepwalkers, or toe tags, or chompers. There was only one memorable episode in keeping with The Walking Dead universe and that the Dee/Alpha. The rest of this anthology series has been god awful.

To finish off the terrible end of the seasons here we go...

Episode 4 Amy/Dr Everett - Anthony Edwards plays a scientist studying the walkers in effectively a nature reserve. He learns more of their herding and migration and other behaviours. He then end up saving Amy, who is loud and annoying, and doesn't listen when he says she and all her camp will die. Which they do. Because she didn't listen.

4.5/10

Episode 5 Davon - Memento meets Oh Brother Where Are Though? as Jesse Usher from The Boys wakes up with no memory, and too many red tinged flashbacks, as he is accused of murdering Embeth Davidz. It is bad. Nothing good I can say about it other than it isn't as bad as the final episode.

3/10

Episode 6 Eric and Idalia - Two blood stained thugs (Danny Ramirez and Daniella Pinaeda) head to a witches house in the woods. They kill her and then it is a ghost story, haunted house nonsense with them ending up part of the roots of the house. Absolute horse shit.

In Summary the show gets 4/10 as an average and outside of the comedy elements of the Parker Posey episode the only episode to watch is Samantha Morton reprising her role as Dee/Alpha. The rest of it was shit.

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I did love the Walking Dead at the start. The first 3 to 4 seasons I binged. I have the DVD boxed sets. I lent them out. I converted people into TWDers. But then I lost interest when Negan showed up and ruined everything. I then turned to Fear the Walking Dead. Loved Nick. Hated Madison. Watched that for 3 seasons then. I lost interest. The World Beyond I gave a go when no one else I knew would. But then it was kinda done for me. I didn't bother with the Rick and Michonne show. Likewise Daryl Dixon. I did see the first season of Dead City, as TWD in NYC really whets the appetite. But then I can't be arsed with season 2 and so TWD was dead for me again.

Then I chanced on this. A 6 episode anthology. 45 minute episodes. A great cast including Terry Crews, Olivia Munn, Samantha Morton as Dee/Alpha, Parker Posey and more. So, as I am trawling through the shit that is TUBI I thought I'd give it a go.

Episode 1 Joe/Evie - Terry Crews is a loner in a bunker, doing well. But his dog dying sends him on a fools errand to meet a woman he talked to on the internet when they were buying their bunkers. Annoying elements like the state/town billboards and Olivia Munn's Evie is nauseating. 4/10

Episode 2 Blair/Gina - Parker Posey is a mean insurance company boss, and Gina is her put upon receptionist. No word of a lie, this was comedy TWD in the style of Groundhog Day. They keep living the same day over and over, remembering the day before. Awful. Just awful. Awful and obvious. 3.5/10

Episode 3 Dee - Samantha Morton back as Dee/Alpha for more killing of people and walkers whilst gaslighting and mentally abusing her daughter Lydia. This time on a paddle steamer. Felt much more like TWD. Better feel. Better characters. Characters we know. Because we know Dee is going to start killing at some point. 6/10

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Spain mostly gets it right. The REC series, four pretty good movies in isolation, even better when binged. Valley of the Dead. Nightmare City. And probably the best of them all Apocalypse Z the beginning.

And then there is this. The Winter Hunger on TUBI from 2021.

Absolute horse shit.

Five of the most inept and unlikable characters you could ever meet (meek and mild teacher Mario who gives us an annoying voice over and too many nightmares, angry old women Sofia and Negra, less angry old woman Nur and her special needs ward Equis) end up leaving the safety of their candle lit basement to head out of the city to find safety, only to end up sharing a house with four characters who are even worse (bully boy Jairo, a nasty woman in a wig, a slutty woman and a woman with arm).

We have a lot of nonsense behaviour from another group with decent machine guns but illogical motives, and no backbone, we have obvious cannibalism, but we mostly have Mario capitulating all the time and, despite them drugging Jairo and discovering they have been eating Equis, a la Eddie in Rocky Horror, rather than killing the bad guys and escaping in the Range Rover, he fucks the one armed woman and lets Jairo kill the others.

I hated this one. I spent a lot of time shouting at the screen,

Decent photography esp the drone shots over the building they stay in, but absolute asshole characters, none of whom survive, and none of whom you want to survive. They are all assholes. Even one armed girl ends up being a loony tune. Add the constant OTT music, Mario's annoying voice over as well as their totally inconsistent and illogical behaviour and you cannot score it more than a failing 3.5/10

A typical TUBI movie

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A surprising find on TUBI. Now, before I start, let me repeat myself yet again by giving you m definition of a zombie. A zombie is someone who is no longer in control. They could, like in the movies of the 1930s to 1950s, be controlled by a voodoo priest. They are under a spell. And no longer in control. In the 60s and 70s radiation was the enemy and so it was radiation sickness warping the brain, causing them to be homicidal and no longer in control. Chemicals too. Think of The Crazies. What next? Aliens? Parasites. Alien parasites causing you to longer be in control. The parasites control your actions so they can take over other people. Give their little worm buddy a warm host to ride around in. Viruses came next. Rage virus, stops you being in control. Those numerous variants of rabies or COVID-19 that make you lose control. What about Pontypool? The sound takes you over.

A lot of the reviews for Interlopers that are negative will say it is not a zombie movie. Based on my definition it is. And so the movie it told in 3 parts, before, during and after a biological revolution.

It is smart. It is well filmed. Well acted for the most part. I felt, if I can describe the emotions of watching this movie, a little like Darren Aronofsky's Pi, or Twelve Monkeys. I felt similarly when watching those movies.

So why is this is a zombie movie? For me? Those exposed to the parasite are no longer in control. The parasite is controlling them. And making them infect other people with more parasites.

I liked the payoff at the end. Well done all. 5.5/10