Zombie is a short twenty minute long horror film that was directed by Thomas Caruso in his debut directorial effort. This was adapted by a novella of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, with the screenplay written by Bill Connington (Poughkeepsie is for Lovers), who also stars in the lead role.
Quentin (Connington) is a strange Norman Bates type man who struggles to control his affection for teenage boys, something that has led to him becoming a registered sex offender. His ultimate dream is to create a 'zombie', a sex slave who will obey his every command. The short acts as a kind of video diary from the troubled man, charting his hopes, and following his latest obsession, in the form of a delivery boy (Kelly Van Dilla).
From the synopsis this should be obvious that Quentin isn't a protagonist that it is easy to sympathise with. After the 2010s was when a new style of found footage horror came to be established, that of having the protagonist be the villain of the film, such as can be found with Capture Kill Release, Be My Cat: A Film for Anne, Creep, and A Guidebook to Killing Your Ex. In that respect Zombie feels almost slightly ahead of its time. It may not be a found footage (outside of the very first scene), but it channels the spirit of that in the way this plays out, with Quentin narrating from start to finish. For such a unpleasant role a good actor was needed, thankfully Connington is perfectly cast. This is a character who believes himself to be a good person who is just misunderstood, but from his actions it is quite clear he is a real creep. I loved the acting brought to the role not only with his delivery of his lines, but the subtle acting he does.
Due to the subject matter this goes to some nasty places, particularly in one key scene, but it all comes around to complete the story in a satisfying way. Zombie was first performed as a play, before being made into a short film. Over the years it has been screened at eighteen film festivals, as well as won five awards, and can now be viewed on YouTube, with future plans to make this into a feature film.
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