Anna and the Apocalypse
2018 · Directed by John McPhail
Original language: English
- horror
- comedy
- fantasy
The story
A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven—at Christmas—forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash, and sing their way to survival. In a desperate race to reach their loved ones, they soon learn that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated Christmas-town colour pushed hard against grey Scottish skies: fairy lights strung over wet high-street cobbles, school corridors lit by flat fluorescent tube light, blood spattered onto tinsel and bright red anoraks. The camera moves with kinetic energy, quick handheld tracking through crowds and snappy cuts that keep pace with the songs, and the musical numbers burst into the grim streetscape with full choreography and big pop-rock orchestration. Sound is a bouncy mix of upbeat pop, guitar and brass, undercut by moans, shrieks and the crunch of zombie violence. The vibe is cheerful gallows humour, a sugary Christmas-movie sheen over genuinely gory horror. Pacing is brisk and high-energy, and the emotional register swings between giddy comedy and sincere friendship, with a teenage heroine learning to face loss and stand up for her friends. Violence is frequent and bloody, with gore, slashing and rough deaths shown plainly, though the tone stays comic rather than bleak, and there is some profanity and teen romance. It suits fans of zombie horror who want something funny and buoyant, and viewers who love high-school musicals and festive hijinks.
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