Multiple festival award winner Granny of the Dead made its way to select theaters and VOD as of July 14, 2017. Written, directed and produced by Tudley James, Granny of the Dead is a film about some kind of demonic plague that transforms elderly people into flesh-eating zombies equipped with dentures, walkers, and razor-sharp fingernails (along with a nasty appetite). These seniors may have once fallen, once could not get back up, but beware!—because they sure as living-heck can now!
As this wrath of hungry, undead old-timers takes over a small town, everyone living must flee from being eaten. Main protagonist Ed (Marcus Carroll: Monstrum 2015) is trapped in his house with Nan (Abigail Hamilton: The Power 2015, The Hatching 2016), his newly-turned zombie grandma, and from whose grips he battles to stay alive. Ed also stays in touch with his close friends via cell-phone to assure they are alive and well. One of these friends is Billy (Oliver Ferriman: Torchwood series), who knows a thing or three about what to do in case of a zombie breakout, which he explains in detail to a very distraught Ed.
Granny of the Dead is full of comedic antics, gory kills, and loads of bodies piling up throughout the film. It may have been made on the cheap, but does not, whatsoever, appear like it was. Each scene of this movie looks splendid from whatever camera was used to film it. Even the SFX look great for whatever budget was available.
The use of CGI is commendable, hardly noticed too, as the faces of the undead change from anger to rage. There are also a slew of nods to other movies lingering within Granny Of The Dead, but who would be so foolish as to ruin such a surprise for everyone else in a movie review? Comparing it would only lessen its worth.
In addition, Granny of the Dead has some very decent acting throughout its running-time, but is more charming than anything else. Hamilton, for instance, as the undead granny, looks like she is enjoying every bite she takes in each of her scenes; while Carroll, in hopes to elude many of Nan’s attacks, does a really nice job showing fear, being distraught, and, in a couple of scenes, even gives an emotional performance that may cause a single tear to wander from the eye of a movie-goer. Also worth mentioning is Ferriman, who is definitely having the time of his life portraying Ed’s friend Billy, showing how much fun his character is having during this plague.
A couple of minor weak points about this film is that the focus should have been more on Ed and Nan being trapped in the house together: throughout Ed’s phone calls to his friends, the viewers are then thrusted into their lives to show what is happening around the town. These scenes seem like fillers and do not feel necessary in the movie. All the good stuff and fun times happen within the frames of Ed and Nan. The other weak point is that during such scenes involving Ed’s friends, while an action is occurring, it is hard to see what is happening because the camera-shots move in jolts and quick turns, which miss the attacks of the undead, and the kills from the living, leaving the viewer to wonder how any of it happened.
Executive produced by Sharknado’s Anthony C. Ferrante, Granny of the Dead a very likable movie. Kudos goes out to Level 33 Entertainment and to Tudor Films for both having really neat-looking opening credit scenes to the film as well. The computer graphics that went into making these titles not only look absolutely stunning, but are quite clever in what was chosen to represent each company. Eerie sounds of creepy music slowly fades into the mix during the beginning credits, and while reading what people were involved in making this movie, the viewer gets pumped for what will display next upon the small screen.
Coupled with some great actors and work from a very promising director, Granny of the Dead will please many a fan of Zombie/Comedy movies, and those looking for a gory-fun time. It is a movie that begs anyone to be good to the elderly, to grandmas and grandpas everywhere, before they sink their dentures into the flesh of the living. Granny of the Dead needs no walker for it to stand on its own – it is a fun, gory movie that puts a new spin on “senior moments.” Because of this, CrypticRock gives this movie 4 out of 5 stars.
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