Festival of the Living Dead (2024) User Reviews

A Soska or Tubi film ?

[maxx8uk · 5/10 · 5 April 2024]

A Jen & Sylvia Soska directed film which suffers from the fact Jen & Sylvia Soska are not the writers.

After Rabid, the Iconic American Mary and Dead Hooker in the Trunk my hope are always high when Soska Sisters release a new film. I love the Living Dead films so when this was announced almost a year ago I thought we were in for a treat.

There is some good casting in places, some decent practical effects but it's all let down by the script.

This doesn't feel like a modern horror where the protagonists make smart choices. This Jars especially as some are supposed to be the descendants of Ben from Night Of The Living Dead.

This feels more like a Tubi Original rather than a Soska Sisters film.

Did AI write this script?

[cmdown-50506 · 3/10 · 11 April 2024]

I absolutely hated this film, the premise and the setting was great and it could've been something amazing to kick off the resurgence of the night of the living dead universe but it fell short.

The characters are so unlikeable that it's hard to root for anyone in the film, they all seem to hate eachother too which kept me asking "why are they even together?" And whether or not the script was written by the AI prompt "stupid gen z kids try to survive a zombie attack and add fu**ing into every other sentence"

Honestly it was really bad and I'm kinda annoyed I wasted my time watching it when I should've known better.

A decent dose of zombie thrills, but don't expect a genre revolution

[nERDbOX_Dave · 4/10 · 12 April 2024]

A decent dose of zombie thrills, but don't expect a genre revolution. Fans of the Soska Sisters' directing style will find some familiar territory here - over-the-top gore and practical effects. The cast puts in a decent effort, and there are moments of genuine scares and amusement.

However, the movie stumbles with its script. The characters don't always make the best decisions, which can be frustrating for viewers. Additionally, the story doesn't offer much new to the well-trodden zombie genre. In fact while it may not be a zombie film, I couldn't help saying to myself, "Man I want to watch Hell Fest now."

The film centers around Ash, a character who emerges as a highlight. Ash is no damsel in distress. She's tough, resourceful, and quick on her feet when the undead hordes come knocking. Actresses like Camren Bicondova bring a likable ferocity to the role, making her someone you want to root for in the face of the apocalypse.

However, the script doesn't always give Ash the depth she deserves. Her motivations and backstory could have been fleshed out more, making her journey even more compelling.

"Festival of the Dead" is an okay horror flick and If you're looking for a fun, gory distraction, it might be worth checking out.

A cesspool of unlikeable gen z characters

[edb5108 · 1/10 · 7 April 2024]

Im twenty minutes in and I'm ready for all these characters to get eaten alive by zombies. I don't see a lick of talent between the lot of them.

I think this movie is going for a blood fest/hellfest vibe but failed miserably with the lack of campiness and likeable characters. There is an overarching lack of plot and the characters consistently make irrational decisions.

Somehow 10 seconds after a violent car accident the blood on the characters is already dry on their face, not sure they thought that one through.

To be honest the commercials on Tubi are a nice break from this movie. I can say with 100% certainty I will never watch this movie again, and I recommend you avoid it.

Sigh

[spencermfey · 1/10 · 11 April 2024]

Quit trying to jump on everyone else's work. They play crap music way too loud throughout most of it. The zombies in this are nothing like the zombies out of the original they're their own entity. Again teenagers don't make the smartest choices but do they have to be as stupid as they actually are... Speaking of stupid is it really that difficult to pay a couple people with knowledge of the original movie of anything medical and spice things up with a little bit of knowledge? The little kids diabetic with low sugar they're dumping sugar in him and want to give him insulin from an ambulance?? Even an elementary school level of medical knowledge knows insulin takes high sugar makes it low sugar ingested elevates. Maybe it's Romero's fault for setting the bar so high on his original. It is tough for other movies to compare. But then why are you using his name and trying to update a story with such hot garbage. It's obviously not worthy. Romero could slap his name on it and it would not be worthy cuz he would obviously done it for a paycheck.

Zzzzzzzzzz

[single-123 · 1/10 · 10 April 2024]

Pointless. Stupid. A disaster. The list is endless in describing this dumpster fire of a film. The sad part is the lame attempt to connect it to Night of the Living Dead which left me in stitches, because overall, Festival of the Living Dead winds up as yet another lazy, inconsistent crappy "zombie" film, with horrible characters, horrible writing and cringe-worthy dialogue. It's an absolute MESS.

The film just speaks loudly to how the Soska sisters don't even try. How they continue directing is baffling. They've spoken so highly of George A. Romero (and of course Cronenberg, with their awful remake of Rabid), yet fail in making anything good or memorable. Every film they produce just shows us how they're pretty much a one-hit wonder with American Mary. Please stop.

Wow. Bad.

[arfdawg-1 · 1/10 · 19 April 2024]

This movie is simply a waste of time to watch.

It has non of the humor that the Living Dead movies had.

None of the edge.

None of the flavor.

It's just a bunch of kids fighting zombies.

There isn't even an explanation where they came from. And where are the adults?

The originals were able to combine humor, edginess and rock and roll into some pretty cool stuff.

This movie succeeds in none of that.

Also, the movie is filmed so dark, you can barely make out the action in maybe 40% of the movie.

Could be good, in that the acting is horrible. Just the dregs of bad acting put on screen for you to be bored with.

Late Afternoon of the Living Dead

[BandSAboutMovies · 2/10 · 12 April 2024]

Remember Jen and Sylvia Soska? Well, they just made a sequel -- kinda, sorta -- to Night of the Living Dead and its on Tubi. Yes, the very same Soska sisters who made the remake of Rabid and American Mary.

Now, is that a good thing? Was the remake of Rabid a good idea? Have we gotten so many sequels to Romero's work both from him -- good (Dawn, Day) and bad (everything not Dawn and Day) -- and from the other creators of the original, good (Return of the Living Dead) and, well, weird (Flesheater) and just plain abysmal (Children of the Living Dead). Then again, isn't everything after Romero influenced or outright stolen (Zombi) from his work?

Ash (Ashley Moore) and her brother Luke (Shiloh O'Reilly) are the grandchildren of Ben from Night of the Living Dead and even have the gun he used to kill zombies. Their parents have gone away on Ash's birthday and her friend Iris (Camren Bicondova) offers to watch her brother so that she can go to the Festival of the Living Dead, a concert that is on the same ground where the walking dead first appeared in 1968, with her boyfriend Kevin (Gage Marsh), his brother Ty (Andre Anthony) and sisters Destini (Keana Lyn Bastidas) and Lindsey (Maia Jae Bastidas).

Yes, kind of like Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave. The less said of that, the better.

Written by Miriam Lyapin and Helen Marsh (who also wrote the Tubi Original Deadly Midwife), this kicks up a notch when the concert goers all get in a car accident hitting a zombie and go to the concert to get help. Iris hears that her friend is in danger, so she gets her friend Blaze (Christian Rose) to drive her and Luke to save everyone. Yes, she takes a diabetic child into the heart of the undead.

For some reason, the festival has a giant man to be burned, like Burning Man. Or The Wicker Man. Or Midsommar. None of this has anything to do with the movie you are going to watch and maybe twenty people came to this concert, which feels more like the Gathering of the Juggalos than a concert that is a tribute to people who died. The bands all feel like Warped Tour instead of anything, as if this movie was made in the 2000s for SyFy and was filmed in Eastern Europe just like, yes there it is again, Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave.

I grew up minutes from Evans City and this weird field is not the weird fields in Evans City. Instead, it's all cash in cheap quick artifice and yeah, I should know better, but I never do. Moore and Bicondova are good actors and do what they can, but they there isn't much to save.

Also: How did they get Ben's gun and know he was a hero when he died in a basement and got burned as a zombie? Did we forget, you know, the shocking ending of the movie that started modern horror?

If this movie was just a zombies at a concert film, I'd be fine with it. But by associating itself -- literally inserting itself -- into the trinity of zombie movies, it commits an unforgivable sin. It's boring. There's a great idea in here of a world where the undead have become commonplace and celebrated as tragedies like how 9/11 is a few years away from being another sale day like President's Day. Instead, it's content to be a movie with some decent fight scenes, alright gore and nothing else to add to a genre that's overflowing with movies that added less than nothing.

"Why Are They Running?"

[talentest · 6/10 · 8 April 2024]

A line spoken by one of the characters in the film and also one I too had to ask. The film is intended as a sequel to the original Romero "Night of the Living Dead" but some of the zombies here can sprint and run on occasion. Just a strange creative choice on part of the filmmakers.

And while I do have some gripes with the film, there really is a lot to like here. It's filmed great, it's lit well, acted and casted well, has great make-up and effects, is never boring, moves at a near constant pace, and even the music (while not my taste) is not distracting or annoying. The Soska Sisters obviously know how to craft a professional-looking film.

However... I do have some gripes:

...Is there like a mandate nowadays to write horror movies around unlikable characters? My God. I have such a hard time believing any of these friend groups in these movies were ever actually friends with how hateful they are when they bicker.

...That added to other tired tropes like: cars crash stupidly or breakdown for no reason, no cell service, one close friend is a selfish douche who gets everyone killed, another friend acts like a crippled invalid that needs to be constantly assisted in all things she could do by herself (standing, running, hiding, shutting up), half the movie consisting of characters calling out someone's name "Kevin!", "Ash!", "Kevin!", "Ash!", "Kevin!", "Ash!", "Carl!".

...And OMG, the stupid melodrama of the main girl -- amid a zombie kill spree -- suddenly struggling to shoot the zombie version of the douchey boyfriend she just broke up with for wanting to let her little brother die. She waits forever too, til he's about close enough that the headshot she administers spatters his zombie infected blood all over her face.

And all this while a zombie infected psycho is holding her little brother hostage until she comes back. Regardless of which she is in no hurry, having zero urgency for this entire segment of the film. The only time really this whole movie where she abandons her pleasantly affirmed, formidable, and no BS-self in place of tears and wandering about.

The last thing I'll say is -- which is not a criticism but an observation (and something I actually enjoyed) -- with the colorful nature of a number of the zombies (given the music festival providing for an assortment of costumed undead) FESTIVAL just seems to be more in line with THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD than NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.

Been done before and better. Soska Sisters take steps backwards with each film.

[Jester222 · 3/10 · 29 April 2024]

Plot holes galore. Unlikeable characters and dumb script.

Soska Sisters haven't made a decent film since the entertaining AMERICAN MARY. Rabid was an insult to the original and Dead Hooker in a Trunk was just ok.

This has so many annoying parts it just spoils the whole thing.

Unlikeable characters who don't seem to like each other at all so why are they friends or together!?

The script is lazy and full of holes and the charactersaking more than. Your normal dumb decisions.

The acting is bearable (except that awful actor the Soska Sisters keep using) who this time was blessedly only in it briefly as a Zombie Paramedic. (He is the worst wooden actor out there, ruins any scene or film he is in.

This could have been fun.

A festival to celebrate the memory of all those killed in the '68 Zombie outbreak. (Seemingly suppressed and dormant ever since) Yet meteors bring it all out again which just happens to coincide with the Festival (Right!!) Some cheap but ok looking practical FX makes for a couple of ok death scenes but it's all so background and edited so quickly don't see much. Maybe because not best quality FX.

Couple of ok gore gags.

You usual trend of diversity inclusions are here but don't feel forced like most others and aren't distracting so that's good.

It's a shame.

I wanted to like it but was left disappointed and struggled to keep my attention. I simply didn't care for the characters at all. The main lead was cute but that it. Rest were cliché after cliché.

I remember Return of the Living Dead 2 Rave to the Grave having a similar feeling. And YouTube series Zombie Rave/ Beyond the Rave having similar theme but with vampires.

Soska sisters had potential to become a popular name after the fun American Mary but seem to be taking a step backwards every film they do. And now seem destined to survive in low budget Tubi level hell. Maybe they are happy with that. But I think it's a shame as they had potential. Need to work with better scripts and better actors if wish to continue imo.

Great Zombie movie

[lpurpleflames · 9/10 · 5 April 2024]

A must see Zombie movie!! Full of Action! And Horror! This movie is the continuous from the movie Night of the Living Dead 1968 Directed by George A . Romero that is also a great movie ! The movie Festival of the Living dead with Camren Bicondova and Ashley Moore . Camren Bicondova was in the series Gotham as Catwoman . Ashley Moore in the movie Festival of the Living dead is the a character somewhat connected to a person in the movie Night of the Living dead. Watching Night of the Living dead Directed by George A. Romero would be good then Festival of the Living dead from the connection like I said The film Festival of the living dead is a must see film.

It's okay to be scared

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 11 April 2024]

Ash (Ashley Moore) is having a birthday. Her boyfriend Kevin (Gage Marsh) has high dollar tickets for "The Festival of the Living Dead" which commemorates the 55th year anniversary of the zombie attack of 1968 setting this up as a legacy film. Ash has a gun she claims her grandfather used to kill zombies, although it could not be Ben who got shot at the end of the film. A group goes to the festival which bills their favorite band "God is Zilla." A zombie outbreak happens.

The name Ash pays homage to Bruce Campbell's cult classic role. There is a person in a wheelchair which made me think about Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which is not a zombie film, but one from the era. The ambulance scene reminded of of "Return of the Living Dead." Iris (Camren Bicondova) reminded me of. Linnea Quigley of the same film, except she keeps her clothes on. Directors Jen and Sylvia Soska cast themselves in minor roles aka Hitchcock.

In spite of being a legacy film and paying homage to other films, it doesn't click on all cylinders. The plot was simple and straight forward. The character development was on the shallow side with people making irrational decisions based on what we knew about them.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

Nothing better than Zombies and Music...

[zeelu-89550 · 7/10 · 5 April 2024]

"Festival of the Living Dead" serves as a spiritual sequel to the iconic "Night of the Living Dead," paying homage to the horror classic with subtle nods and references woven throughout the film.

From the chilling atmosphere to the meticulously crafted suspense sequences, the Soska Sisters demonstrate their directing prowess behind the camera.

With each scene unraveling , the undead start to come alive. "Festival of the Living Dead" doesn't shy away from delivering great music, and some really gruesome and inventive kills, showcasing some creativity.

Subtle callbacks serve as a loving tribute to the groundbreaking work of George A. Romero while also adding depth and richness to the world crafted by the Soska Sisters of their own modern feel. It's a fun movie and a must watch for horror fans.

Fun, unexpectedly emotional zombie flick

[a-71201-67500 · 10/10 · 7 April 2024]

Really fun and fast paced, kudos for the characters and the relationships. The Soskas did it again. The actors were cast perfectly, and I enjoyed the dynamic between the 3 sets of siblings.

Lots of parallels to the original. Some things are new, like running zombies, but it's not a huge problem for me considering it's been so long. What I will say is some zombies are more convincing than others.

The characters were all flawed, and it made them realistic and relatable. Even the main villain had moments where I felt sorry for him (to a degree lol). I appreciated that the characters emotionally react and have a moment to grieve for each death, which also brought a real world weight to it and reminded us that they really were friends/siblings, and not just throwaway characters there just to die. There were a few dramatic scenes near the end that even made me tear up, which I did not expect sitting down to watch a zombie flick.

All in all, very fun. The guitar fight scene was 💯

Pretty good!

[qjxdvmv · 10/10 · 11 April 2024]

Okay, so "Festival of the Living Dead" is like your typical zombie flick, but with a twist. It's got some pretty creative kills and funny moments that'll keep you entertained. Sure, the story follows familiar tropes but it's still was really enjoyable to watch. The characters are flawed but interesting. For a tubi movie I was surprised with the quality and the cast. Specifically, Camren Bicondova was fantastic, I need to see like 20 different tiktok edits of her killing zombies (please). This is definitely an intro to horror film that I think the zoomers will enjoy. I'll add this to my list to rewatch during spooky month.

Suprise gem

[khristienpennanen · 10/10 · 8 April 2024]

Was super fun! Good pacing and sufficiently gore filled. There is something really satisfying about old school zombie horror and this really hits the nail on the head in that regard. Unpredictable in a positive way as well not just retrodding the same zombie tropes over and over. I can confidently say it's a rollercoaster of tension and survival. The world feels hauntingly real and the relentless pursuit of the zombies keeps you interested. Cinematography really manages to capture the after effects of a zombie disaster. Overall a thrilling cinematic experience that will have you checking over your shoulder and keep you awake after the credits roll.