Oddly enough, zombies are extremely popular in today’s culture, embedded in movies, books, and even music. Looking at their origins, some cultures have rituals they claim can raise the dead. Whether one likes to admit it or not, the idea of the dead coming back to life is intriguing, exciting, and even terrifying. All of this in mind, most zombies portrayed in films, with the exception of 2013’s World War Z and series like The Last of Us, are slow-moving, nonverbal, and grotesque. However, George A. Romero is the godfather of cinematic depictions of zombies, as seen in 1968’s Night of the Living Dead, 1978’s Dawn of the Dead, and 1985’s Day of the Dead. Nonetheless, the Australian Director and Writer Zak Hilditch brings a different kind of zombie to the big screen in his new film, We Bury the Dead.
Summarizing it, what if the zombies were not just lifeless people? What if there was still a part of them left inside? What if they were not just trying to kill everyone for food? Released in theaters through Vertical on January 2, 2026, and becoming available on Digital (VOD) in the United States on February 3rd, We Bury the Dead begins just as one would expect it: the military has a new weapon, somehow it is released onto the Island of Tasmania, and everyone is dead…for the most part. Tasmania officials and the military begin to ask for volunteers to retrieve the dead for proper burial. Ava, whose husband was away on a business meeting in Tasmania when the incident happened, volunteers.
Once there, Ave is told they will not go that far on the island to retrieve it. Ava begins planning to run away to find her husband. With help from her search-and-retrieve partner, Clay, she begins the long journey to find Mitch, her husband. Is he alive? Did he by chance come back to life? Will he be the same if he did?
We Bury the Dead has a unique storyline and is outlined by an even bigger mystery: what the hell kind of weapon was the military using? Though it does not expand on the weapon at all, it still begs the question: how did it “accidentally” get set off? The connections between the characters are the story’s main purpose. These connections keep the audience entranced and hopeful.
Daisy Ridley (Ophelia, 2018, Star Wars: Episode IX-The Rise of Skywalker 2019) stars as Ava, and she is phenomenal in We Bury the Dead. Her co-star, Brenton Thwaites (Maleficent 2014, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales 2017), who is her partner on the search for the dead, portrays a seemingly careless badass who likes to drink, among other things.
Fair warning: We Bury the Dead can be a bit disturbing, especially toward the end. There are certain aspects of the film that are a bit cringeworthy as well. The audience might find themselves on the edge of their seats a time or two and drowning in tears the next. Overall, it has a strong cast and crew and a very unique, heartbreaking storyline. Though you might find yourself emotionally or possibly mentally put off, the ending will definitely entice, which is why Cryptic Rock gives We Bury the Dead 5 out of 5 stars.
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