I Survived a Zombie Holocaust (2014) User Reviews

Silly cliché laden fun

[Bantam · 6/10 · 25 November 2015]

Even though zombie horror in currently en vogue, and the lighter side of it (ie. comedy) has its pearls, this one is actually better than average.

This one does the meta-thing: on the set of a zombie movie, a real zombie apocalypse breaks out. And even though the entire movie is laden with clichés, does not mind being trashy and silly, it sill manages to be fun. I assume the budget was tiny, but in my opinion this requires the makes to actually put some thought into the story, the characters and the script. In this case worked out okay.

However, there are some shortcomings. Some scenes are a bit too slapstick, some dialogue lines are plain too silly (instead of being funny). Also, the end is, IMO, a bit lackluster. I thought the writers simply had no idea how to finish it properly, so they reverted back to the meta-story. Seems they reference the entire meta-theme here, since the writer of the first meta-movie had also no idea how to end the movie.(Breaking 3rd, 4th wall?) We end, where we started, at the set of low-budget zombie movie. Unfortunately without any explanation on how the characters managed to escape the sticky situation they were in.

Spoiler alert: two people stand opposite a whole town turned into zombies. CUT and we're back in the meta-level. Huh?

If they would have resolved this little conundrum, the entire movie would be much more fun and more consistent. Apart from that it's another nice NZ production, certainly not en par with Deathgasm or Houseboud, but still fun to watch.

How to survive a comedy

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 16 October 2014]

I thought of much harsher summary lines, but that would not be fair. Not that those who liked the movie will actually care, if they see only a "5" rating-wise from me. It's actually a shame, because this movie had potential. There could've been a really good movie here. A movie that does not try to be funny, but actually is funny.

Having said that, there are still things that work (not the main actor though). It is nice that they close the movie the way they started it, sort of, but neither one actually works. It must have read great on page, didn't translate as good on screen. Having a door joke repeated, which didn't work the first time, isn't good either. Stock characters (muscle guy with no brain, blonde Hottie with no brain - and also a lot of zombies with no brain, but they have an excuse) add to the pile of "funny for a second, but let's move on, shall we".

The actors try their best and while this is as predictable as it gets, there are a few funny moments in between, that show that potential I was talking about earlier. I can't be too mad about a movie, that is sort of trying to be funny, even though it fails most of the time

Zombie movie within a zombie movie.

[djangozelf-12351 · 6/10 · 27 August 2015]

I actually liked this flick,it's not big budget but you can see they had fun with it.

This was made in New Zealand who brought us the zombie gem "braindead"which is still one of my favorites and certainly the best non "Romero" out there.This never gets on that level but it has enough to be a nice addition to the whole genre.

It's not the most original either but it does have some elements that are and which works for this movie.Especially the zombie movie within a zombie movie felt some what unique and gives the story a change to be funny without feeling forced.The crossing of reality and fantasy is superb and handled very well by the actors who give it a real"down to earth"feeling.

The ending was a real surprise and fitted this story well. It also leaves room for a sequel or even a trilogy but if they do they gotta keep adding elements to keep it fresh, but...time will tell.

If you don't like zombie movies or non Hollywood films than this probably is not a movie you'll enjoy.If you like zombie movies or a different approach to the genre you might wanna check this one out.

A good mix of horror and humor.

It don't happen often but with this one it does.

It's just....great living dead fun!.

Really wanted to like this

[adampenfold-65636 · 3/10 · 28 May 2017]

I would have loved to have enjoyed this and had been able to support local cinema, but alas this was quite painful to watch... in fact I couldn't even make it past 45 minutes. The production itself was ~okay~ but the script, toilet humour and needless over sexualisation of women made it impossible for me to enjoy. I can only hope the next film these guys put out will be a bit better thought out.

Tries hard but just doesn't make it

[hamish-25851 · 3/10 · 29 October 2015]

It's a great core premise: troubled zombie flick's shoot gets overrun with real zombies. It could have been gold, sadly it wasn't.

The cast try. The crew do what they can with what's clearly a very limited budget. It's obvious that a lot of local goodwill went in, too. There are some scenes where it's pretty clear that most of the local town turned up and gave it their best shot - look at the rugby game sidelines for what I mean.

The trouble with the movie is what isn't there. The lead actor is simply not compelling enough to identify with, even after it's clear that he needs to become a badass if he's going to survive. The comedy feels like it's actors working lines from tight scripts and there's no vibe to it at all. In an area with some of the most compelling scenery and natural light on earth, the whole thing is shot in a generic forest under flat light (honestly, it looks like it was filmed under clouded skies at mid day). The cinematography is fixed cameras at a polite distance with plenty of unused space in most of the shots. The worst is the direction. This movie is staid, bloated, and terribly, terribly slow.

It's slow like a glacier is slow. Really.

There'll be the inevitable comparisons to homegrown classics like Bad Taste or Braindead. Nope. This isn't anywhere near those movies, at any level, and if you want to see what can be done on a tight budget then look those movies up. I've given a few stars for the sake of the support leads (especially Jocelyn Christian, who deserves better), but that's it.

See it if and only if you are making a movie and need to research mistakes to avoid.

Don't go out of your way to watch this

[spankeem · 3/10 · 31 August 2015]

With so many zombie movies out there you never know how a movie is going to pan out. This one had a unique slant of being a movie about zombies being over run by zombies so there was great potential there, however the script was cheap and nasty and the acting second rate.

Half of the movie was non-zombie and the rest of full of clichés - hell there was even a zombie boob shot. So when you add it all up, it was a movie where a lot of effort was put into production and it will never amount to much/anything. Which is as sad for the actors as for the movie itself and the limited viewing it will achieve.

Part of me wanting to watch this movie was shallow....I wanted to see Jocelyn Christian who I had seen randomly on NZ TV from time to time. There's a lot of potential in her as she has great screen presence and an amazing smile.

Don't waste your time with this one sorry to say.

Gory zombie fun from New Zealand.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 31 August 2015]

On his first day as a lowly runner on a zombie film, aspiring film-maker Wesley (Harley Neville) meets the girl of his dreams, pretty cook Susan (Jocelyn Christian), but also finds himself fighting for survival against real zombies who have invaded the set.

From its broad characters, absurd humour, and outrageous gore, right down to its awkward nerd-turned-hero who falls for a nice 'girl-next-door' in the midst of a zombie epidemic, it seems pretty clear to me that the makers of New Zealand splatter comedy I Survived A Zombie Holocaust set out to emulate Peter Jackson's Brain Dead (Wesley couldn't be more like Lionel if he tried). And for much of the time, they get it right: the gruesome effects are suitably messy, the crazy and sometimes delightfully crass comedy mostly hits the mark, and the cast do well in creating some memorably fun characters.

Unfortunately, where the film does suffer is in its pacing: things take an awful long while to get going, and at 104 minutes, 'I Survived…' is far too long to sustain the central joke. Some judicious editing to trim away all of the fat, and this film could have been great rather than just good. As it stands, it is still the second best low-budget Kiwi zombie film I have seen, but with only the disappointing Black Sheep as the other contender (I've yet to see Last Of The Living), I suppose that could be considered faint praise.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

At least an hour too long

[Mr. OpEd · 1/10 · 25 August 2015]

I usually only give one star to movies I can't be bothered to finish. And this is one.

As this is a zombie movie, it takes foreeeeever to get to the actual zombies (the real ones, not the actor zombies). There is a long slog of character development which should have been cut cut cut as most of it is boring and leads no where and pertains to characters who are neither important nor compelling.

The acting is fine and there's a couple of chuckles. Gore is OK, but overall, the movie wants to be a comedy but lacks the basics of set-up, timing, and payoff.

By the time the film was where I thought it was wrapping up, dang if it wasn't only half way finished.

Did they even hire an editor?

WHY DON'T YOU KEEP YOUR TRAP SHUT

[nogodnomasters · 7/10 · 29 April 2018]

During the filming of a zombie film, a "zombie holocaust" actually happens. It is time for the runner Wesley (Harley Neville) and the cook (Jocelyn Christian) to step up.

The film had the expected confusion between real and fake zombies. It is a spoof of zombie films while being one. The film is cheesy with some great lines. Unfortunately the comedy and film was all over the place going from laugh out loud funny to humorous to boring. They needed to cut out about 10-20 minutes.

Guide: F-bomb, sex, nudity (Reanin Johannink)

It could have been better...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 8 June 2016]

First of all, I must say that I had initially some expectations to this movie, as it seemed appealing from the synopsis, and also because there has been a couple of good additions to the zombie genre from the Kiwis and Aussies. And also when the movie had "A Kiwi Shaun of the Dead" brandished on the DVD cover, ought to count for something.

However, once the movie ended, I was left with a somewhat bland taste in my mouth. Why? Well, because the movie wasn't as good as I had expected, nor was it as funny as "Shaun of the Dead". Sure, there were some great moments throughout the course of "I Survived a Zombie Holocaust", but the overall result was just mediocre. There were a few laughs here and there, but not enough to sustain the entire movie. And with hand on heart, then I actually dozed off two or three times throughout the movie.

As I mentioned, then there were some good moments here and there throughout the movie. And my personal favorite was when the special effects/props guy picked up arms and went ballistic on the approaching zombies. That scene had be in laughs.

The special effects in "I Survived a Zombie Holocaust" were adequate, although the zombies weren't among the best of zombie special effects and make-up to be seen in the zombie genre. There were some good enough effects here and there, but nothing outstanding.

As for the acting, well, people were doing good enough jobs with their given roles and characters. And Harley Neville did carry the movie quite well with his performance.

The characters in the movie were colorful and well-detailed, and they did add a good amount of contents to the movie as a whole.

All in all, then "I Survived a Zombie Holocaust" just failed to stand out in a mostly generic genre, which was a shame, because it did have potential for something bigger. As such, then I am rating the movie a mediocre five out of ten stars.

Fun for a weekend night with your buddies

[hqaddomi · 9/10 · 20 November 2015]

If you're looking for a solid horrific Zombie story-line then you'll be disappointed. This movie is about mixing comedy, romance and some funny horror into your movie night. The story is built on funny quips portrayed in scenes. The story-line on the other hand is simple. A nerd guy who is happy because he just landed a "perfect job" with an upcoming horror feature and just found the girl of his dreams when things start to get worse, and the worst is when all the film extra's become zombies and he finds himself in a battle for his and his dream-girl's life.

The film is very amiable. Especially with the fun nerdy, baby-faced and insecure Wesley Pennington (Harley Neville) yet some scenes you feel that the scenes are longer than they should be and some jokes are really being pushed. I believe it should be better if the movie was shorter to avoid these points, yet, the makers might take a note of that for their next feature.

All-in-all it was a fun experience watching a movie from New-Zealnd, where you rarely see movie breakouts from, and I believe it's a good movie to watch with your buddies on a weekend night when you need to give your stressful brain a break from all the stress of the week and the pressure of the bad news you say on a daily basis in media and have some pure horror-styled fun as your stress-relief weekend night.

goodmovie

[saskpareki · 6/10 · 6 January 2021]

Certainly above average from all the zombie movies..

Funny enough, zombies within zombies and stuff, tried to be funny all the way through , it was enjoyable. its gets the job done

Avoid like the zombie apocalypse...

[silence-25177 · 1/10 · 17 August 2017]

Remember that episode of South Park where Cartman went to find Mel Gibson to get his money back for Passion? Well, that's how I feel about Guy Pigden right now. That's nearly two hours of my life I want back, and I want compensation for it being stolen! Whatever the film version of rape is, this film is that.. Eye rape? Sure, there's a couple of funny gags in it and I grinned a couple more times, but that still equates to roughly 99 minutes of absolute bottom of the barrel dross. If you want a funny zombie flick Shaun Of The Dead is the pack leader, Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse is worth a punt, hell, Warm Bodies is better than this - and THAT'S saying something!

Unnecessary

[nashw82 · 4/10 · 23 March 2021]

Another zom com cash-grab that just didnt need to be made. The characters are barely likable, the plot is derivative but at least some of the kills are passable.

Frankly, an embarrasment. Actively avoid this film.

[gtarchivist · 1/10 · 20 November 2021]

I know that this was a low budget film but good films can be made cheaply with a small budget e.g. The excellent ghost film "Lake Mungo. However, "I Survived a Zombie Holocaust" is its complete opposite. It takes a tired trope ( horror movie filming interrupted by ghastly events, and does new nothing with it. Some of the acting is appalling and there is a general feeling of "high school film students" making a film for a lark". If there was a "zero out of ten" score" I would have selected it. Actively avoid this film, so bad it is not even funny.

Lots Of Fun

[tracksidescripttest · 10/10 · 4 November 2015]

I really enjoyed this film, as a New Zealander it was great to see something that didn't try too hard to be 'Kiwi', it was just a good story that could have been set anywhere but happened to be set in New Zealand. I enjoyed the clichéd characters and the meta jokes and didn't feel like they were too on the nose.

You can see that this is a low budget film but I think the creators did a good job of hiding their "budgetary restrictions" so for the most part you wouldn't notice. The gore is good and the effects seem to have been done practically for the most part, which means no CGI!

Well worth a watch

So funny

[MahyarErshad · 9/10 · 4 May 2019]

Many movies have tried to mix a zombie movie with comedy but this is the only one that really could make me laugh

Not what I expected

[acolaclass-45194 · 10/10 · 11 October 2015]

To begin this, my first movie review on IMDb, I must confess, that I'm not usually one to watch zombie movies, which makes it all the more telling that I have chosen to become an 'official member' of his site in order to write a review here. I actually really enjoyed this movie. The humor was, I thought, really good as was the acting and the writing. It's funny though, I have no problem watching gore, yet the puking parts made me a little queasy as well...hahaha. Wesley's part in particular was very funny and very well-acted, and were I his character I'd probably fight to save the lovely Susan Ford too! I recommend this film for anyone who has a good sense of humor and doubly so for anyone who is into the zombie genre as well! Well done to all involved!

How Did They Do This for Such A Low Budget?

[hardcoresocrates · 10/10 · 22 November 2015]

This is about as light and fun and Kiwi as a Zombie film is going to get. Maybe negative reviewers prefer their zombies to focus on complex nasty deaths and no story. As someone who needs more than that, I really enjoyed this film.

ISAZH is about Zombies, yes, but more so it is about a hopeful young man whose self doubt threaten his ability to succeed in his career and his love life. Each character presented with their flaw gets it resolved in the end, as any good story should, but in this case, those flaws are resolved at the hands of the undead. Brilliant.

This film hits all the tropes, with some real laugh-out-loud moments, some parts where you just have to turn your head away from the screen, and some point where you find yourself chanting for the supporting heroes to make their final try.

Yes, you sometimes see the fact it was lower budget, but this was made for $200K and change, which should be physically impossible. These guys did it. You should watch it.

I look forward to seeing their next project.

Classic Zombie Flick Part 2

[sydneyswesternsuburbs · 10/10 · 18 March 2017]

Director and writer Guy Pigden has created a gem in I Survived a Zombie Holocaust.

Starring Mike Edward who has been in other classic TV shows, Ash vs Evil Dead 2015-2017 and Spartacus: Blood and Sand 2010, 2012-2013.

Also starring Andrew Laing who has been in other classic TV shows, Ash vs Evil Dead 2015-2017 and Spartacus: Blood and Sand 2010, 2012-2013 with Mike Edward and also the classic mini-series, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena 2011 and also the classic TV show Underbelly: Land of the Long Green Cloud 2011 and another classic flick, Deathgasm 2015.

I enjoyed the violence and comedy.

If you enjoyed this as much as I did then check out other classic zombie flicks, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse 2015, The Girl with All the Gifts 2016 and Resident Evil: Retribution 2012.

The Kiwis have a habit of making classic horror films. Keep up the good work as we across the ditch enjoy your skill and humour.

Hilarious and fun zombie comedy

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 9/10 · 17 September 2016]

Arriving on a low-budget horror film, a runner hoping to break into the business finds that the set is being invaded by real-like zombies created through a chemical spill in the area and must band the survivors together to escape the situation alive.

This here turned out to be quite the fun and hilarious zombie effort. What really makes this one work so well is the rather goofy and oddball situations present here, which range from the truly strange to the simply funny and to those of him simply stumbling out of harm's way at the last second. The fact that the wacky crew here delivers the vast majority of the goofiness present as they manage to introduce a few rather demented personas that really manage to showcase some great moments here, from the frosty caterer to the sage-dispensing boss and the tyrannical director ordering him into all the different embarrassing situations during the shoot which starts the first half off in such a goofy way that there's plenty to find enjoyable about this part. As that manages to lead into the film's rather fine second half where the shoot gets overrun by the actual creatures, there's more fun comedy to be found here in their utter reluctance to accept the situation and gives this one a really great sense of completion as it makes it's way into their struggle to get off the set as that gives this one plenty of great action pieces. The first appearance of the creatures, were they appear out of the mist in the forest attacking the extras who are in the middle of the shoot makes for quite a spectacular opening impression mixed with the great humor of their inability to realize what's going on, the first escape attempts featured here are great as there's the rush to get the remaining personnel away from the creatures as they come stumbling out of the forest and the big finale at the barn-house carries plenty of rather fun moments with the zombies barricaded outside and the different escape attempts that has the creatures overrun them at various points as they come up with new ways to combat the zombies allows for some solid action and plenty of gory highlights. With some solid work here bringing about the zombie make-up and gore for the bloody kills in this one there's a lot to really like here. It does have only a few minor flaws here in the fact that there's almost no reason for the film to go with the tyrannical director thread as long as it does here which readily stretches credibility and rationality rather than being funny as the scene where they emerge from the woods interrupting the scene is far too extreme to make it's case of tipping him to the insane length he goes to as that would've snapped him out instead. Likewise, there's the obvious low-budget charms that might not really appeal to all here with some of the limitations that shows itself here in numerous occasions which is what shows up here. Otherwise there's plenty to really like here.

Rated R: Extreme Graphic Language, Graphic Violence and Brief Nudity.

Made Me Laugh!

[jamiekamopiu · 10/10 · 7 November 2015]

The plot follows a naive, nerdy 'runner' on his first day on a zombie film set, the set is eventually overrun with real zombies and hilarity ensues. I'm a little bit biased because I absolutely love zombie films but I thought this script was really clever, there's lots of great references and nods to other films and even some subtle references to the original Resident Evil games (which I also loved!).

I Survived a Zombie Holocaust is a fun film that doesn't take itself too seriously, you can see that they didn't have a lot of money but if anything I think that just makes it more charming. In my opinion it's worth watching if you are into indie films.

Great Zombie Satire with all the gore.

[jaimemc-52015 · 9/10 · 2 June 2021]

I don't know what you're looking for if you don't like this movie. Comedy/horror is what I was looking for and this was perfect. I feel like whoever did this was going for Mel Brooks and Sam Raimi teaming up. If that sounds like what you like give it a watch.