It should go without saying that I really wanted to love Michael Varrati’s “There’s a Zombie Outside”; somewhere deep down there’s a great film thar doesn’t pitch itself as one thing and is really something else. What I initially assumed was some kind of supernatural descent in to horror transforms in to what is basically “Adaptation” but for the horror sect. It’s an eighty minute horror themed drama about impostor syndrome, and trying to complete a product of love before it begins consuming our lives.
This meta-horror tale centers on a struggling artist who is deeply enmeshed in the world of cult cinema. As his identity blurs with his dark creations, he starts to see the monster from his films creeping into his reality, leaving him unable to distinguish fact from fiction.
So much of “There’s a Zombie Outside” is based on the night endless meta humor and commentary about creating. It at least has the right idea about ending the whole shebang at a crisp eighty minutes. But even before then the movie runs on fumes when tackling ideas about creations taking over our lives and even somewhat driving us to the brink of madness. “There’s a Zombie Outside” takes us down so many roads, many of which I just wasn’t really interested in experiencing.
Despite the interesting premise about tackling the darker aspects of creating, “There’s a Zombie Outside” is never quite as meta as something like “The Dark Half” instead propping itself up more as a situation drama with consistent bickering. There are also the obvious call backs to George Romero that were just dull at times, all the while the flashes to characters thar we just met with little preamble also feels so hackneyed. Even the prologue involving Ben Baur’s protagonist feels so rushed, and never brings us down to its level long enough to pull the rug out from under us successfully.
Director and Writer Michael Varrati has a lot to say about the creative process, that’s clear. It’s just never transplanted on screen for an engaging amalgam of horror and drama.
This year Popcorn Frights is held virtually and in person from August 8th through August 18th at Savor Cinema Fort Lauderdale, Florida.