Living Dead Girl (2003) User Reviews

Oh my Gawd!

[happycloud1966 · 1/10 · 13 March 2005]

Zombies, who needs them? They smell really bad and moan all the time; you definitely don't want them as neighbors. But this genre is extremely familiar (read over done). But that doesn't mean "no more zombies", but rather do something original or different (see Shaun of the Dead). How does this short film differ from other zombie films? Well first, they film the Zombies outside the Mall of America, in a tongue-in-cheek commentary about consumerism that doesn't fit well into the rest of the film. Most disappointing is the "hit you over the head with a sledgehammer" religious ending in which our Living Dead Girl is saved by eating the Body of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. No, seriously. A man, Jesus, is bitten by the Living Dead Girl, and is no longer a Zombie. Wow. The message may have seemed like a good one to the filmmaker, but this short film does little to involve or inspire its viewers.

Remarkable Theological Statement

[StanleyDWilliamsPhD · 10/10 · 20 June 2010]

My ranking is for the remarkably clear statement of Catholic theology this short film makes, not for its cinematic expression. Jon takes a seemingly worn out genre and filters it through the Catholic understanding of transubstantiation, where in the bread and wine of the Eucharist, through a miracle of Christ, are transformed into elements that bring communicants eternal life. The Gospel proclaims that though we may be dead in our sin, through Christ's righteousness we regain our life. In partaking of the Eucharist (the sacramental and substantive real presence of Christ) we are given life when we eat of Christ's body and drink his blood (see John 6). Zomies are the walking dead, which is not a bad metaphor for most human beings who live with no hope of the future or for the transformation of their pitiful existence. Along comes Christ, standing on a street corner, and a zombie finds him. Extending his arms in love, she takes a bit of Christ, not dissimilar to a Christian consuming the Eucharist. The miracle that beautifully reflects and parallels Catholic theology is that what was once dead, now returns to life.