Yeah, I know what you're thinking, I thought the same. Yet another low budget zombie film; even worse, a comic zombie film. The last one of those I watched was the horrid DEADHEADS, so at least I knew HAROLD'S GOING STIFF couldn't be worse...or could it? That innuendo-filled title didn't promise much...
What a surprise to sit down and watch the film, then! HAROLD'S GOING STIFF sidesteps all of the usual problems faced by low budget filmmakers, and isn't actually a horror film at all. Instead it's a black comedy in which the zombie disease is likened to a terminal illness or a life-affecting condition such as dementia. The zombies here are victims, people gradually losing control of their bodies and struggling with medical tests and their condition. The whole thing is presented as a pseudo-documentary which sits nicely with the low budget.
The comedy is a mix of the subtle and the slapstick, the latter coming into the story with a group of amateur zombie hunters who come across like the Three Stooges. At the film's heart, though, is the titular character; Stan Rowe gives a warm, moving turn as the afflicted Harold, struggling to come to terms with his new life. Much of the focus is on his relationship with his carer, played by the excellent Sarah Spencer, who is the story's heart and soul. Things get darker and darker right up until the tragic climax, in which my tears were flowing freely. Who'd expect that from a low budget zombie flick?
What a surprise to sit down and watch the film, then! HAROLD'S GOING STIFF sidesteps all of the usual problems faced by low budget filmmakers, and isn't actually a horror film at all. Instead it's a black comedy in which the zombie disease is likened to a terminal illness or a life-affecting condition such as dementia. The zombies here are victims, people gradually losing control of their bodies and struggling with medical tests and their condition. The whole thing is presented as a pseudo-documentary which sits nicely with the low budget.
The comedy is a mix of the subtle and the slapstick, the latter coming into the story with a group of amateur zombie hunters who come across like the Three Stooges. At the film's heart, though, is the titular character; Stan Rowe gives a warm, moving turn as the afflicted Harold, struggling to come to terms with his new life. Much of the focus is on his relationship with his carer, played by the excellent Sarah Spencer, who is the story's heart and soul. Things get darker and darker right up until the tragic climax, in which my tears were flowing freely. Who'd expect that from a low budget zombie flick?