Kill Zombie! (Zombibi) (2012): Released 17th September on DVD

Kill Zombie, Zombibi (2012)
Directed by: Erwin Ven Den Eshof, Martijn Smits
Written by: Tijs Van Marle
Starring: Gigi Ravelli, Noel Deelen, Uriah Arnhem, Wouter Braaf

Kill Zombie! (Zombibi) (2012)

(18 TBC) Running time: 82 minutes

Director: Martijn Smits, Erwin van den Eshof

Writer: Tijs van Marle

Starring: Gigi Ravelli, Uriah Arnhem, Wouter Braaf, Noel Deelen

Reviewed by: Matt Wavish, official HCF critic

With zombie flicks literally flooding the horror market these days, it is very hard for directors to either get their films noticed, or at the very least have them remembered. Sadly Kill Zombie! Is not one of those films: it will easily pass you by, and if you do watch it, it is likely you will not remember it come next week. However, you will have a lot of fun with it, and for the most part, this is a great horror comedy that more often than not works.

There is a guy who hates his boss and his job, and the only thing keeping him going is the sexy Tess who he finally gets a date with. Things could not be better, and on top of that there is a house party that evening and off he goes after being fired from his job for talking to his brother and his mates on the phone. In high spirits the party kicks off in proper fashion: music, half naked ladies and plenty of booze. However, one hilarious move by the guy’s brother called Mo, things go wrong. Proving how to take control of your life, Mo throws a ball without paying attention to what he is doing, it hits a local thug’s girlfriend in the face and a fight kicks off. The fighting groups are quickly thrown in jail where the comedy increases. Say hello to police woman Kim (the sexy Gigi Ravelli), and the arrested guys do their best to impress her: “taser me, taser me!!” they scream, and then she does and I couldn’t stop laughing. Waking up the next morning, the group learn that an alien spaceship crashed in the city (Amsterdam) and somehow the locals are turning into zombies. Breaking out of prison, with the help of the gorgeous Kim, they head off on a mission to find safety, and to save Tess from the top floor of the office block (much to the annoyance of the rest of the group).

That’s your set up for Kill Zombie, it really could not be any simpler than that, but thankfully it can often be the most simple things that bring the most fun. I had to admire the films likeability, and emphasis on having a bit of a laugh. This is not meant to be taken seriously: so when Mortal Kombat style fights take place, with Mortal Kombat style voiceover “Rip off!!!” (as a zombie tears off another’s arm) or “Jaw Breaker!!”( as a weapon is used to smash someone in the face), you cannot help but go along with it. Dialogue like “are we men, or are we pansies?!!” gives you an idea of the silliness on offer, and when a guy gets his hand stuck in a bowling ball, and decides to do the same with his other hand to create the ultimate weapon, you know you simply have to put your brain to one side and just enjoy this for what it is. The fun gets better as the group end up in a department store, and while one guy is more concerned about stealing money from the tills to start his own business (a hilarious moment as another guy who is a banker persuades him to use his bank instead), the rest collect weapons and change of clothes (“well I can’t walk around in my swimmers all day!”) Seeing this bunch of misfits test out baseball bats, garden shears and all sorts of contraptions to the tune of some perfect music, is sure to raise a smile. However, it is the ‘Zombie Ball Buster’ which will provide the most laughs. One of the team has found this huge looking gun type weapon, but as he goes to use it on an advancing group of zombies, it turns out it is a mere tennis ball thrower! It has little, if any effect on the zombies but is absolutely hilarious to watch.

There is a massive amount of zombie slaying on offer here, with the colourful green blood splattering all over the place, and the cast of ‘heroes’ appear to be having a ball. The film has good intentions, and it is the sheer amount of fun everyone is clearly having that will have you laughing and cheering along with it. We even get a mass zombie murder as one guys finds himself a Predator style minigun and blasts his way through a very large number of zombies. The scene is reminiscent of the classic lawnmower scene in Braindead. Kill Zombie is tons of fun, and if zombies, comedy and a touch of sexiness is your thing, you can’t go too far wrong.

The film is not perfect, and the script can often come across as painfully lazy or a little too coincidental, but these are minor complaints at a film which clearly wants to provide some easy, silly fun on a Friday night. Grab a couple of beers, maybe order in a pizza, lock your brain in a box and sit back and just enjoy Kill Zombie for what it is: a bit of fun, a bit of a laugh and an all round well made horror comedy with the best possible intentions.

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