Undying Love

If you're going to be somewhere when the zombie apocalypse breaks out then it may as well be Iceland given that the small population gives you at least semi-decent odds even if you are stuck on an island. This is where this short film is set as we see a young man walk up and prepare to head out for his day. We wonder why he is wearing pads and a mask but soon it becomes clear as dangers roam the seemingly deserted streets.

With nods to 28 Days Later, 2004's Dawn of the Dead and Resident Evil, this short film doesn't set out to reinvent but rather deliver a short punchy tale in a familiar genre. As such it is a straightforward affair with a conclusion that you can probably see coming but this should not take away from what it does well. What it delivers is the genre-standard running terror of zombies in a normal situation which is robbed of functioning society; it is a genre I feel frightened by very easily and so it was here as I thought the couple of condensed moments of horror and tension were very well done – absolutely familiar but still functions well.

So, although it is very much of the genre, it is effective for what it does and has a decent enough start/middle/end flow to it; sure it is limited by itself but with a tight running time it is in and out before it has a chance to really go stale.

Quite simply, this Icelandic zombie short, stole the show at Glasgow's FrightFest.

As an unannounced addition before we were subjected to Tape 407, and an English title of "Undying Love", I was left bemused, wondering why it was being shown at the Festival.

The opening presented us with the idea that we were watching a homeless person as he struggled to survive in an extremely run down part of a nameless large city. As he readies himself for venturing outside, the questions begin - why is he putting on protective pads and a helmet ? The director/writer brilliantly puts the audience on edge at this point, quite how he managed to cram so much into what on screen was about 3 minutes, I'll never know, however it's delivered perfectly and extremely professionally.

The audience knows that the man has lost his true love, and is now alone in the world, however it's not until he ventures outside that we realise the world (or at least his world) has descended into zombie anarchy. Usually, running zombies put me off, however, in this short, they are perfect - leaving me in no doubt as to the fragility of humanity in a world overrun by the hungry undead.

Without giving anything else away, as to do so, would spoil the climactic and powerful ending, but suffice to say that it left me wanting more.

Much more.

An absolute gem of a short, don't miss this if it ever comes calling to a festival/website near you.

9/10

I notice someone has mentioned 28 DAYS LATER in their review . Understandable and what Boyle's horror thriller did was reinvent the zombie sub-genre with its hyperactive super fast zombies . Ironically it didn't have to be a zombie horror movie but I suppose it's more difficult to market a movie that is post apocalypse drama rather than a straight forward horror movie but it's interesting how many people praised 28 DL if only down to stark imagery as the protagonist wandered through a deserted London

Omar Hauksson has obviously been influenced by Boyle as well as Richard Matheson's I AM LEGEND . A man awakes after dreaming of a world long gone . He dresses and equips himself for a day wandering through empty streets , empty that is except for zombies who have now replaced humanity as the dominant species . The music used as the man walks through zombie filled streets is guitar orientated and isn't a million miles away from East Hastings by Godspeed You Black Emperor and John Murphy's In The House In A Heartbeat both famously used in 28DL . If there's a problem with the scenario it's that the internal continuity isn't consistent . The zombies are capable of great speed and instinct but when the narrative demands it due to plot they're slow and unaware of a man creeping up behind them with a baseball bat . That said the story then takes a plot turn which I didn't see coming for a second and was so obvious I felt slightly foolish for not working things out for myself so this short film is an undeniable success