Zombie Movie Marathon Part 2

Alright, we're looking good, we just saw dozens of people get torn limb from limb by ravenous zombies. Let's keep the zombie movie marathon rolling.

There are only so many zombie movies to stream from Netflix which are mainstream, some of which look absolutely wretched. You can probably bet that I will end up watching them all, but for the sake of not burning out too quickly, I tried to pick zombie movies that got above a 1 star rating on Netflix.

Forward down the zombie movie road. We're not at the bottom of the barrel yet; the zombie movie titled Severed received an average rating of 3.5 stars, an above average rating for zombie movies.

Severed, I've Definitely Seen Worse Zombie Movies

The zombie panic "Severed" takes place in some isolated forest in the middle of nowhere. I assume the location is in Canada. I have no proof of this and could probably give an accurate location if I read the synopsis, but I'm really not in the mood. I'm basing my assessment solely on the fact that I saw somebody drinking a Molson.

By injecting a growth enhancing substance into the fungi at the base of trees within the forest, a logging company causes a panic that consumes lumberjacks as well as a group of environmentalists protesting deforestation. Alright, pretty hokey, but I've definitely heard worse, we're off to a good start.

Tree huggers and loggers alike contribute to the zombie melee and the few survivors (mainly the woodsmen, I guess they're more rough and tumble?) must make it out of the forsaken forest alive. As present in the "Day of the Dead"remake, the zombies are gruesome and definitely not the worst group of undead that I've seen. Their classic Romero stagger and low velocity make them less terrifying than the zombies of the previous zombie panic. The acting is sub par as you may imagine, but the plot has some cohesion which gives the zombie movie a charming appeal.

The small group of initial surivors that "Severed" follows are abducted by a second group of larger and more barbaric lumberjacks who haven't been infected. The aggressive and reckless behavior of the larger group of woodsmen presents the situation of who is the bigger threat-the zombies or humans. This part of the zombie movie also allows for a larger body count. If there's one thing I've learned about zombie movies, it's that more foolish people=more zombie food.

Viewers later find out the chainsaw recoil which caused the initial panic was the result of Rita, the head of the environmentalists spiking one of the infected trees. A weak plot twist in any respectable film, but not too bad for a B zombie movie. The contribution of the logging company creating the infectious agent coupled with the environmentalists being responsible for the zombie panic, creates a plot that is slightly less shallow than most zombie movies.

The weak ending involved Rita making it out of the zombie infested compound, traversing an open road in the pouring rain, and a somber shot of the head of the logging company contemplating the loss of his son in the incident. The result is a feeble attempt at provoking thought and speculation of the fate of Rita.

Regardless, Severed is a decent zombie movie and a great conclusion to the first installment of the first night of zombie movie mania. Simply the beginning of my attempt to witnessing the most disturbing images possible just before drifting off to sleep.