Thursday 27 September 2012

Requiem for the Undead (AKA Requiem Por Un No Muerto) Review


Horror Short – Starring Romeo Navarro, Fernando Venegas, Alejandra Lemur, Mauricio Islas Bennetts. Written/Directed by Melvin de Jesus Jimenez Najera (2012)


In Mexico, the zombie apocalypse is being controlled by a dedicated PAZ (Police Anti Zombie) team, who endeavour to halt the spread of the pathogen with house to house searches, uncovering any undead that well meaning relatives are hiding. When PAZ agent Andres (Romeo Navarro) gets bitten, he tries not to let it effect his ability to do his job.


            Requiem for the Undead is Director Melvin de Jesus Jimenez Najera’s forth film, and at 12 minutes is his longest. It is a tale of denial, not only Andres’s denial that he has been infected, but also society and the government’s denial; the outbreak is not as ‘under control’ as they think. This sense that the zombie pathogen is permanently on the verge of an upsurge is highlighted by the absence of music throughout the film. Instead there is a steady rumble and wail of helicopters, sirens and alarms in the background suggesting a constant, relentless battle against the zombies.

            The film opens straight into the action, with agent Andres having a run in with a couple of zombies. Calling for backup that doesn’t arrive, Andres is bitten. The film then follows Andres as he deals with his life sentence by carrying on as though nothing has happened. Requiem for the Undead explores what, for me, makes the heart of any great zombie movie – the powerful relationships that are formed during an outbreak, focusing on the bond between Andres and his partner, Manuel (Fernando Venegas).



            Mexican with subtitles, Requiem for the Undead is a convincing and fast paced film that is extremely well acted, and tightly written. Dialogue is natural and believable, particularly the banter between Andres and Manuel, suggesting more than a professional relationship between the two agents. The production values and special effects are slick, making a highly enjoyable film. The only criticism I can make is that at 12 minutes the film is over too quickly, and, with such likeable characters and an interesting slant to the zombie genre, I can easily imagine Requiem for the Undead as a feature.

5 out of 5
By Lisa Richardson

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE!!

Trailer RĂ©quiem Por Un (No) Muerto from KnockDownFilms on Vimeo.


Requiem for the Undead is being shown at the following festivals during 2012 -
Shriekfest – Los Angeles     www.shriekfest.com
Pollygrind Underground Film Festival – Las Vegas     www.pollygrind.com
Atlanta Horror Film Festival     atlantahorrorfilmfest.com
Feratum Film Festival – Tlalpuhaua, Mexico     www.feratumfilmfest.com

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