Kiss Me, Zombie - DVD

Movie: High school student Wendy (Shellie Marie Shartzer) has taken on an important role in the lives of the clique surrounding twin brothers Patrick (Eric Lehning) and Carol (Cody Devos). Patrick, in particular, was hopelessly in love with the pretty girl. But now Wendy has disappeared without a trace and after some time of unsuccessful searching, she has been pronounced dead. After the funeral service for the schoolgirl, the twins and their little brother Beetle (Brett Miller) find the girl in a small patch of woods - but Wendy is not dead. At least not completely. For Wendy is a zombie, hungry for fresh meat. Without further ado, the boys hide the girl in a friend's house, which they are supposed to look after over the summer, and lovingly care for the undead girl. But while Patrick's care takes on slightly obsessive traits, Carol finds that Wendy's disappearance has also permanently changed the dynamic in his circle of friends. And it's clear: after this summer, nothing will ever be the same.

Five years it took to complete this film on a mini-budget of just under $150,000. 18 days of shooting spread over two years, another two years in post-production, with money problems and other difficulties in between that kept getting in the way of the makers. Most of the budget was raised through small live concerts by The Non Commissioned Officers, a band made up of many involved in the production, who delivered the film's soundtrack. The production itself was primarily handled by friends and family members of the two directors, with many donating their services for free. So it's safe to say that "Kiss Me, Zombie" is a true affair of the heart by nearly everyone involved, made with a lot of passion, blood, sweat and tears.

But if you're expecting a straight-up zombie comedy in the style of "Shaun of the Dead", you're sure to be disappointed. Because the makers were much more inspired by the films of John Hughes ("Breakfast Club") and Terrence Malik ("The Narrow Grade"), than by George R. Romero and similar zombie masters. Stylistically, "Kiss Me, Zombie" is also more reminiscent at many moments of Sofia Coppola's "The Virgin Suicides" than of "Night of the Living Dead" or other exponents of the undead subject.

This may also be because Zombie Wendy is only a small part of the story. Rather, the film focuses on the entire clique and the changes each individual goes through over the course of the summer marked by Wendy's disappearance. Therefore, why Wendy has become a zombie is not explained at all. It's simply a fact that not only the twin brothers, but the audience as well, must come to terms with. Sure, their attempt to care for and feed their undead schoolmate are very funny in some moments in a somewhat macabre way. But the film's bottom line is that it's hard to call it a pure comedy.

More to the point, "Kiss Me, Zombie" is a blend of several set pieces, which in addition to the zombie comedy include more dramatic coming-of-age elements and those of a tender romance. Carol's attempts to win the heart of Wendy's girlfriend Addy (Leah High) sometimes take up more space than the zombie story. But even though this mixture, staged in typical US indie style, may seem a bit odd at times, it's precisely this that gives rise to the film's particularly engaging mood. It becomes clear again and again that the authors, some of whom are also in front of the camera, have brought a lot of their own experiences into the story, because the whole thing seems extremely authentic and comprehensible in many places. In addition, despite very modest resources, the three different cinematographers have captured some very beautiful images of Tennessee that give the film a certain poetic flair.

So, on balance, "Kiss Me, Zombie" is not really a horror film, but an arthouse youth drama with comedic horror elements that is absolutely convincing in terms of craftsmanship despite its mini-budget. Only the German dubbing sometimes seems a bit disturbing, as the texts, which are delivered by the little Beetle as a narrator, sound too much read off, which is much less annoying in the original version.

Picture + Sound: Despite the low budget, the film can certainly convince audiovisually. The sometimes very pretty shots come on the DVD well to advantage and also the color scheme was implemented authentically. There are slight blurs here and there and the darker scenes in particular show some weaknesses, but for a low budget production like this there are pleasingly few real flaws. The same goes for the audio, though the dialogue on the German soundtrack is mixed a little too front-heavy, sounding less harmonious than it does on the English soundtrack. Otherwise, the tonal action remains restrained overall. Good!

Extras: The DVD has plenty of good extras to offer. Starting off is an audio commentary narrated by the younger brothers of both directors. Zach Duensing and Kevin Doyle were also heavily involved in the production and provide a very candid, often extremely amusing insight into the production, while also not leaving rather unflattering aspects unmentioned. Since there are unfortunately no subtitles to the commentary, however, only interested viewers with a good knowledge of English will be able to enjoy this entertaining commentary.

The lack of optional German subtitles unfortunately also makes itself felt negatively in the other extras. This is a shame in that the bonus material itself is really worth watching. This is especially true for the 34-minute making of, in which, among other things, the emergence of the collective The Deagol Brothers and their earlier work is discussed or Beetle actor Brett Miller confesses that the shoot was extremely boring for him and he thinks the directors are not really good filmmakers. But the numerous cut scenes, each briefly introduced by one of the actors, are also an encore worth watching.

Conclusion: "Kiss Me, Zombie" is an independent production worth seeing, which as a mixture of youth romance, coming-of-age story and horror comedy is difficult to assign to a genre, but exactly from this gains its charm and originality. The DVD is technically well done and has a lot of good bonus material to offer, although optional German subtitles are missing. Despite this point deduction, this unusual DVD premiere is absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp