Night Of The Living Deb review: Avoids becoming a poor man’s Shaun Of The Dead, instead proving to be the perfect blend of heart and ‘brains.’
Night Of The Living Deb review
Director: Kyle Rankin
Cast: Maria Thayer, Michael Cassidy, Ray Wise, Chris Marquette
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 85 minutes
Synopsis: Following a drunken one-night-stand, mismatched strangers Deb and Ryan awaken to find their small town is in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.
As if the so-called ‘Walk Of Shame’ wasn’t harrowing enough for most people, Kyle Rankin (Infestation) has added flesh-eating zombies into the mix in his latest film Night Of The Living Deb.
Best described as a romantic zombie comedy, Night Of The Living Deb follows the trials and tribulations of Deb (Maria Thayer), a geeky, somewhat awkward girl who – following a drunken night out – has awoken in the apartment of ‘pretty boy’ Ryan (Michael Cassidy), with neither having any memory of the night before. Unfortunately for them, the situation becomes even more uncomfortable when they attempt to go their separate ways, discovering an outbreak has turned the residents of their small town into the walking dead, forcing them to team up to survive.
Night Of The Living Deb review
With a refreshing gender reversal and a pair of endearing lead characters, Night Of The Living Deb is a genuinely funny and surprisingly sweet film. Kooky and kind-hearted, Thayer’s Deb is a loveable underdog, whilst Cassidy’s Ryan holds the air of an unfortunate everyman, very reminiscent of many of Paul Rudd’s roles. Both characters are very likeable, sustaining a warmth towards each other that keeps the audience onboard with the film’s premise throughout. The supporting roles also hit the mark, with everyone from Ray Wise’s Mr Waverly and Chris Marquette’s Chaz to Julie Brister’s Ruby all drawing laughs along the way.
Rankin has done an excellent job at creating a smart film that balances maintaining and manipulating tropes and stereotypes of the zombie genre, whilst writing witty realistic and referential dialogue and produces some laugh-out-loud moments.
Night Of The Living Deb avoids becoming a poor man’s Shaun Of The Dead, instead proving to be the perfect blend of heart and ‘brains’; an ideal remedy for some of the heavy-going offerings at this year’s Film 4 Frightfest.
Night Of The Living Deb review, Mike McCarthy, August 2015.
Night Of The Living Deb will screen during this weekend’s Frightfest on Saturday 29th August.
