Cooties (2014) User Reviews

"The Faculty" played backwards

[asphyxion_ · 6/10 · 27 February 2019]

Decent horror-spoof that resembles "The Faculty" in both plot and execution; the difference is that this time it's the students going apesh** instead of the teachers.

It has a few memorable moments and a great cast. Catch this decent popcorn flick on HBONow.

Another fresh and exciting take on the zombie movie.

[subxerogravity · 6/10 · 21 September 2015]

When I saw the trailer for this movie, I could not wait to see it!

A chicken carrying a food virus becomes chicken nuggets for an elementary school in a small town, and effects them with a flu like virus that turns anyone who has not reach puberty into flesh loving monsters. How cool is that?

Though the idea that the chicken nuggets they feed you in public school are actually made of chicken is totally unrealistic, the metaphor of a girl who eats these nuggets spreading a zombie apocalypse like the cooties is brilliant

I've seen my share of Zombie movies and I never seen this particular premise. Adding to this is a great ensemble cast lead by obviously horror movie fan Elijah wood, who also did Maniac and Grand Piano which I loved. Rainn Wilson was Boss with a capital B in this film, and added to the 1980s homage of horror and action I was vibing on all over this film.

The best part is that the movie is rated R which means nothing gets held back as these teachers beat the crap out of their undead students.

Cooties is an action comedy horror movie that keeps your interest for all 90mins, never a dull moment and just so much fun from beginning to end.

If you're a fan of Horror movies, especially the zombie-genre, it's worth taking a look at.

The start of this film will make you never want to eat chicken again

[sweeeetmikey · 6/10 · 25 September 2015]

A mysterious virus hits an elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives.

The start of this film will make you never want to eat chicken again. The cast includes some of my favorite funny stars: Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer, Saw's own Leigh Whannell and Lost's Leigh Whannell; with a quick non speaking cameo by Mark Christopher Lawrence who played in chuck. Everyone worked really well together and you can tell they enjoyed doing this film.

The story feels familiar but unique. Cooties is a horror comedy but it's more comedy and less horror but that doesn't talk away from the film. I enjoyed the gore and the practical effects, although there isn't much of a soundtrack, mostly dark ominous tones. The humor is a bit dry and I wish there were more one lines.

The movie is forgettable but is fun and worth a watch. I would like to see a sequel, so don't let this indie film pass you by. Cheers and remember life won't suck as long as there is a good movie to watch.

6 out of 10

edited by Samantha Locke

twitter @FatMikeTPK

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Nothing's sacred? It's about time.

[thisseatofmars · 7/10 · 21 September 2015]

"Cooties" marks yet another rare exception of the "most horror-comedies suck" rule, joining the ranks of other such classics like "Shaun of the Dead" and "Zombieland." Why all three are zombie-themed is beyond me, but I suppose the natural tension of sneaking through and surviving a zombie infestation makes for some exasperated laughs.

Elijah Wood plays a 30-something elementary school teacher who we like because his character, apart from being a typical improbable hero, genuinely enjoys teaching and working with his students. He shares the screen with Rainn Wilson, who is surprisingly endearing, given how his character on the American version of The Office contributed to the awfulness of the show. Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer, and Nasim Pedrad round out the cast of quirky, 30-something faculty members who… don't seem all that great at their jobs. But it's a comedy, so incompetence in the public school system is funny (I guess.) Here's a question: why are none of the teachers 40 plus, and why are they all so trim? That seemed odd to me, but this is showbiz after all, and an elementary school isn't the sexiest of settings.

I enjoyed this movie because of its novel twist on the zombie tale-- children are the zombies. It's refreshing seeing kids twisted into savage monsters, kill violently, and be dealt with accordingly. Hollywood and western pop culture depict children as angelic simpletons: in most media, children are nothing more than vacantly smiling plot devices. But it's untrue: children can be every bit as crafty, cunning, and ruthless as adults. Apart from Lord of the Flies, I can't think of any other media depicting children so savage and cruel.

It's nice to see.

A Little Disappointing But Still An Entertaining Horror Comedy

[HorrorOverEverything · 6/10 · 18 September 2015]

So I went into this with fairly high expectations. I love horror/comedies and this one looked very promising, funny premise, great cast, and zombies (who doesn't love zombies?). It wasn't a bad movie by any means but it did let me down a little bit.

First off the main thing that killed my buzz with this was how unlikable Elijah Wood's character was, I get that they were doing this on purpose but the scenes with him in them just made me get more and more irritated with his character. It's not that Wood did a bad job or anything, it's just that some of the lines that were written for his character were almost cringe worthy bad. That character however was more than made up for by how awesome Rainn Wilson's character was, some of his lines were gold.

A lot of the jokes were great, I found myself laughing out loud multiple times, but some of them just fell short and didn't really work at all. For the most part though the humor works well and helps to move along the movie. I think the main thing that really kept this movie from being great is that the Horror concept of it kind of gets put on the back burner to the comedy in too many scenes. I really wish they would have thrown more horror elements in. There are far too many scenes of the survivors just sitting in various rooms of the school trading mediocre-pretty decent dialogue.

Overall this wasn't bad, in fact it was a good movie. I was entertained and had a fun time watching it. But it could have used a bit more gore and horror and a little less mediocre jokes. Still a good ride though.

6.5/10

It's not good

[sboy-08721 · 3/10 · 5 August 2021]

I don't think a single joke landed in the whole runtime, they where swinging but they where missing consistently. The special effects are pretty goofy looking (mostly practical though and that is nice to see). Very little entertainment value overall.

Not bad

[fil-nik09 · 7/10 · 22 September 2015]

This is a week of horror comedies for me, it seems. Although I did not want it, but turns out that these horror comedies are not bad! And this one was entertaining, just like Bloodsucking bastards I saw yesterday.

I enjoyed the movie because of its unusual setting - elementary school and kids as zombies.

I must say that first two, three minutes were kinda disgusting to me as I sat down to watch the movie with a bag of chips and ... that fly pooping on the meat and then the process of making those chicken balls or whatever... Man, I will be more careful what I will eat in the future.

It is interesting how they portrayed teachers in school. I am sure most schools have those characters! I did not get which subject a gay teacher does.

In one scene, maybe in that discotheque playground, or somewhere I thought Katy Perry was lying murdered! LOL Don't know if that was intentional or not ...

Anyway, it is fun. Nothing spectacular, but entertaining! Seven from me.

Leading to Nowhere

[billygoat1071 · 23 September 2015]

Cooties is about zombie children. That premise alone could come up with a lot of crazy ideas. And the movie does try to add up to that silliness; the characters are often too incompetent to face them. It's fun on paper, but the movie gets too confused by its focus. The characters are tough to care about and yet they get more of the center of this film. While there is some worthy sense of horror and worthy sense of humor, the movie doesn't have an exact direction where to go and it gets even confused with the plot, which eventually keeps stalling to unnecessary arcs that won't go anywhere in the end. Cooties overall feels like it's handling an unfinished script of a potential cult classic.

After the opening credits that reveals the source of this virus, the movie spends most of the time establishing its characters. Not that this is a bad narrative, but the characters it is trying to focus aren't really that interesting. The main protagonist is a writer out of luck, got strung to a love triangle and settle too much on that romance. The side characters are much interesting since they have something to involve in the actual plot; example is the socially awkward teacher who happens to know how to figure out the source and effects of the virus. He's basically a punchline, but he does more to this plot than the groan-worthy love triangle. Another one is a kid who was spared from the infected children who seems to be setup for a suspense of keeping him from becoming one of those zombie children, but that doesn't go anywhere either. And what's with the guy with the shrooms? In the end, these characters are either just one-noted or stereotypes, in both genres of comedy and horror.

When it's all about the horror, there is some really inspired moments; mostly at the night scene where there's a tricycle riding infected little girl wandering around the premises. There is a really effective amount of creeps to be found in those scenes. There's even one where they are being chased in a vent; in spite of its fast pace, the tension still works. But these worthy scenes are kinda few, most of them, while undeniably gross, is just as contrived as any horror film. It even occasionally just hides the monsters and just show their reactions. The cast did try to outweigh their roles, but hardly got the opportunity. Elijah Wood at least made his role sort of more charming than it should be. Rainn Wilson manages to ham it up to a role that doesn't exactly know what it's supposed to be.

Cooties doesn't feel like it has an ending, or at least the movie decided to be lazy instead in this conclusion. And of course, the climax! It's so rushed that it's supposed to be as charming and exciting as, let's say, Zombieland. But it doesn't deserve earning that since it mostly spends its time building up a romance that leads to nowhere. There is so much potential in this film that are mostly left out. While there is still some nice thrills, inspired horror movie moments and even sense of humor having these awkward unlikable comedy movie characters stuck in this darker genre, the film never becomes satisfying. It should have heightened more of its creativity; the tricycle girl is great, but how about an infected baby? I thought they were building that up to something more shocking. It's just ideas and violence being slapped together and never get to flourish. You may get some fine violence, creeps and laughs, but you'll suddenly realize that this atmosphere is hardly engaging.

Waste of potential.

[Rendanlovell · 4/10 · 1 November 2015]

This film had so many people talking because it's such a strange premise. Only so often do little children play big roles in films. More times then not this is for the best because, simply put, they are horrible actors. But 'Cooties' gets that and takes complex acting out of the equation right away. Having them instead act as target practice for the talented adult cast. This is what makes 'Cooties' so entertaining. It's clear that both the child and adult cast are having a blast with this film. And that translates through the film. It's a blast to watch. The comedy hits more then it doesn't and the unique premise is a whole lot of fun. But the standouts here are Elijah Wood and Rainn Wilson. They have incredible chemistry together and their comedic timing is spot on.

​The film realizes this. It knows that every moment they spend off screen is a moment that is hurting the film. So, when it tries to kill off one of these two it's painfully obvious that they don't have the guts to go through with it. This is only confirmed with a tacked on ending in which he makes his dramatic re- entry. This happening less then ten minutes after his "death". So why was that in the film at all?

​It only hurts itself doing this. Having him comeback a couple minutes later makes his sacrifice completely meaningless. It robs itself of any weight that the scene carried. Why not just have him escape with the others? It would not have been hard to have him get away and it wouldn't have looked completely lazy either. However, I shouldn't have been surprised by this. Because the entire film operates like this. Saying one thing and doing another or not doing anything at all. Take the zombies for example. The film shows them being super smart, like cutting the power and destroying all communication devices. But it also shows them waiting to pounce until one of the characters notice them. Or making a single file line and attacking one by one. The whole run time is like this. The zombies being super smart and forcing the humans to try and get away but will (for whatever reason) eat sleeping pills when they are thrown their way. It's completely nonsensical. The longer the film runs the more illogical it becomes, only to be capped off by a ridiculously tacked on ending.

'Cooties' will certainly become a guilty pleasure. It's highly entertaining premise and hilariously gory kills make for a fun watch. But don't expect to be invested in this movie. The bland characters, horrendous plot and stupid zombie mechanics make sure that you don't have to much fun.

B-budget fun soon to be cult classic.

[jackmeat · 6/10 · 19 September 2015]

My quick rating - 5,9/10. Hard to call this horror, but the gore has to put it there. This movie is very original (with a slight homage to Tromas Beware! Children at Play) and is damn funny. Often there are some inside jokes that are dragged out but overall the performances are spot on spoof style. It also helps the movies cause watching a bunch of 8 year old kids running around like animals killing all the adults in sight. Heck, let's also not shy away from killing said children if need be. This movie skates very close to being over the top and if they would've put in just a bit more 'umpphhh' this would've been a classic. As it is, expect cult status out of this one. One "armchair quarterback" call by me when it comes to casting. The big OAF character played by Rainn Wilson really would've been perfect for either Will Ferrell or Brad Garrett. Another slight drawback is it drags a bit in the second act, but started strong and finished strong, so little quarrel with that. Definitely worth watching.

One of the worst films of 2015.

[Krackoon · 2/10 · 18 September 2015]

I can honestly say I hated 'Cooties'' within the first five minutes.

When you make a horror/comedy, and the comedy falls flat on every level, you're in for a very long 90 minutes. I can imagine people walking out of this one around the 15 minute mark, because that's when my limit of stupidity had reach it's maximum capacity. There just isn't enough horror to make up for the rest of the film. The acting is some of the worst I've seen all year. Maybe the worst. Alison Pill and Jack McBrayer are worthy of a Razzie nomination, at the very least. They give hands down the worst performances you're going to see in any film this year. Elijah Wood is terribly miscast, as he's inserted into a role that would be best played by Adam Sandler. That's right, Elijah Wood, you get a pass on this one. Words cannot describe how bad the dialogue is, so I won't even try. You'll just have to experience it for yourself. My apologies.

The best way to describe this awful film, is that it's something you'd expect from Adam Sandler - and I'm curious how and why he missed the boat here. Maybe he was busy with 'Pixels?' I am just baffled how a film this bad can get any type of positive feedback, as it is complete and utter trash. Do yourself a favor and check out 'Bloodsucking Bastards' instead.

Random Ramblings of a Madman: Out of all my reviews, this is the only review where I'm curious to see how many down votes I receive. Because it tells me that somewhere out there is a person or persons who actually enjoyed 'Cooties.' And that will be funnier than anything I experienced in the film itself. Thank you.

Great Fun

[torndownunit · 8/10 · 4 November 2015]

I have a really tough time figuring out what people want from the Horror genre nowadays. I am really surprised to see this movie doesn't have a higher rating on here. This is a great Horror/Comedy movie, with an outstanding cast, and very good writing. It's just a really gory, really funny, really run movie. What you see in the trailer is what you get, which is nice for a change with the amount of misleading trailers nowadays. The only reason I don't give it an even higher rating is because I agree with other viewers that it does lag a bit around the middle of the film. It almost seems like they just shoved some filler in to meet a running time. But it manages to get back on track again. I rarely read reviews on here, but I laughed out loud and had a great time watching this movie.

Cootilicious!

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 26 September 2015]

According to Wikipedia, "cooties is a fictional childhood disease, used in the United States of America and Canada as a rejection term and an infection tag game". In comedy/horror movie Cooties, the term is used to describe a very real and very virulent virus stemming from a batch of tainted chicken nuggets, infecting only pre-pubescent children, turning them into bloodthirsty savages.

When the virus breaks out in the small town of Fort Chicken, Illinois, a group of teachers find themselves trapped in their school, surrounded by flesh-eating brats; in order to survive, they must fight their natural instincts and kick some serious kiddie butt.

Children aside, Cooties doesn't offer very much in terms of originality, employing the generic 'siege/fight for survival/escape' set-up used by countless other similar zombie/infected films. It does, however, deliver a likable collection of kooky characters, lots of absurd comedy (the majority of which works very well), and plenty of entertaining gore (can't beat the sight of a little girl using intestines as a skipping rope), all the while breaking that still rather taboo subject, violence against children, the kids getting crushed, sliced, beaten, kicked and set on fire.

Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood heads up the cast as supply teacher Clint, proving that he has a great sense of humour and is willing to take a risk; solid support comes from Rainn Wilson as insecure gym teacher Wade, Leigh Whannell (the movie's writer) as weird science teacher Doug, Alison Pill as Lucy, the love interest for both Clint and Wade, and Peter Kwong as karate janitor Mr. Hitachi.

Cooties does suffer from a rushed ending that leaves the viewer wondering whether they might have blacked out and missed a chunk of the action, but on the whole this is a very enjoyable addition to the comedy zombie genre.

So disappointing! Great premise, awesome setting just plain not funny.

[moodymiles · 2/10 · 21 September 2015]

I was really excited for this one. Heard a lot about this movie and thought that the basic premise and setting were pure genius. It seemed like a sure-fire recipe to make a really wild and entertaining twist on the whole zombie genre with maybe some subtle social commentary on the education system, how we treat/view children, etc.

But then the movie started and everything about it was just so flat and terrible. In a movie like this, you don't need a ton of back story or character development, but you do want just enough to relate to the main characters, understand them, and ultimately come to care about what happens to them. This movie completely fails to establish any of this on any level. You learn that the Elijah Wood character is a struggling novelist--and that's it. The other faculty members are introduced as cartoony and poorly realized bad-sitcom stereotypes and try though you might, you can't make yourself care about what happens to any of them--not even a little.

The story unfolds in the most bland and predictable way imaginable. There are no interesting reveals, plot twists, character revelations--nothing. There's no build-up of suspense, sense of urgency, or mounting anticipation. The middle of the movie is just a series of meaningless and completely unentertaining story beats that drag on and start to make you wonder if this might have worked better as a short film or Saturday Night Live sketch.

But all of those faults might have easily been forgiven if the movie had succeeded at being laugh-out-loud funny. Unfortunately, the comedy is where this movie completely and totally strikes out. The attempts at humor are all totally obvious, tired, and lame. Rainn Wilson does a decent job but even he's wasted here. There is absolutely no sense of comedic timing or chemistry between the cast and their jokes and interactions all fall completely flat. With the exception of Rainn Wilson, this is clearly a group of actors and filmmakers who have absolutely no experience with comedic material and it shows. Worst of all, the comedy has no real edge or bite to it at all.

So to sum it up--"Cooties" is a movie with a great premise and setting, but tedious storytelling, unmemorable characters, and, most disappointing of all, attempts at humor and comedy that miss the mark so badly, you come to fear the next joke more than the next zombie attack.

Lost Between Horror and Comedy

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 16 October 2015]

The teacher and aspirant writer Clint Hadson (Elijah Wood) returns from New York to the house of his mother in Ft. Chicken, Illinois, to write a horror novel and work as substitute in the local elementary school. He meets his former schoolmate and crush Lucy McCormick (Alison Pill), who is also a teacher and is dating the strong teacher Wade Johnson (Rainn Wilson). Meanwwhile the student Shelly Linker (Sunny May Allison) eats a chicken nugget contaminated with a virus. During Clint's class, Shelley is bullied by the boy Patriot (Cooper Roth) and bites him on the face. During the playtime, the infection is spread in the yard among the students that eat the school staff. Soon the teachers find under siege of the zombie students. Will they survive the attack?

"Cooties" is an independent film lost between horror and comedy. The scenes supposed to be funny are actually unfunny and the only freshness of the story is the virus attacking inly child. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Cooties: A Epidemia" ("Cooties: The Epidemic")

Totally ridiculous

[themadmovieman · 6/10 · 18 September 2015]

This is a completely ridiculous and stupid horror-comedy. It's not the funniest film you'll ever see, nor is it the scariest or most exciting, but if you take it for what it is, effectively a B-rated movie, you can enjoy yourself here.

Firstly, the performances are all very good. Elijah Wood is a likable main character, as is Alison Pill, whilst Rainn Wilson gives a pretty funny performance as the idiotic sports coach. Therefore, despite the screenplay and the forced jokes not really landing so well (there's a terrible running joke about dual rear wheels or something, it's just not funny), the performances are fun and energetic enough to give you a reason to keep watching this movie with a positive attitude.

The action here is also relatively entertaining. Again, the whole cooties zombie thing isn't that funny after a while, once the film descends into a stereotypical zombie movie, but some of the fight sequences and the portrayal of the infected kids is quite cool, making for some degree of excitement in the story.

On the whole, the concept is hugely bizarre, and I don't really think it works out the way it's intended to. Despite being likable, you don't really care enough about the characters to fear for them, whilst the written comedy is very poor, making for relatively few laughs throughout. However, it's the complete insanity of the premise that does keep this movie alive throughout.

Ultimately, looking at this as a stupid comedy more than a zombie flick, there is some good fun to be had, even though it may not be the most exhilarating or pleasant thing to watch.

Terribly unfunny gory junk

[closerlookfilms · 3/10 · 22 September 2015]

I must say I was looking forward to this one, but within 15 minutes knew that it was not working for me on any level. The satire was weak, the comedy was embarrassingly unfunny and even as a zombie movie, the premise was dated and worn-out.

SPOILERS!

Kids using adult language, especially the 'F' word in movies, is getting really old, but COOTIES takes that a step further by requiring a 9 year-old to say the 'C' word in a classroom sequence. I'm no prude, but that is just not funny, nor is it necessary. So I absolutely despise this kid and his sidekick from the get-go. In fact all the kids, before they become zombies, are about as endearing as pus.

A much smarter movie would have had the kids in a Mayberry-type mode, where they are mannerly little cherubs. So when they become flesh-munching zombies, the contrast of what was 'then' and what is 'now' would have been really effective.

But "Cooties" is not a smart movie. It is a gory mess that runs out of ideas so fast that it doesn't know what to do with itself a half-hour into it. To fill in the gaps, we have squabbles and romance among the adults and long seriously stupid sequences, like the removal of a little zombie boys brain to see what made him tick. The scene is supposed to be shocking and funny. It's neither. It is just boring.

In fact 'boring' is a great way to sum up this movie, and I was extremely bored before the first third of the film was completed. In fairness the final ten minutes does pick up the pace, and just when you think "Cooties" might be headed in the right direction, it implodes with a disastrously idiotic finale.

I agree with another poster. "Cooties" is one of the very worst films of the year; not to mention a slam to the talents of Elijah Wood and Rainn Wilson.

If you like movies like Tucker and Dale vs Evil you will enjoy this one as well. Nothing but a fun time.

[cosmo_tiger · 7/10 · 26 October 2015]

"A line has been crossed. You can't eat the teachers man." Clint (Wood) is a struggling writer who takes a job substitute teaching at his former high school. What begins as a typical day takes a strange turn when one student attacks another. Soon the entire school is under attack by a group of infected students and the teachers must find a way to fight back and survive. This is just a flat out fun movie. A real horror/comedy that actually keeps you watching and makes you laugh throughout. The movie is gory but not over the top and this is the type of movie that makes you laugh at things you feel you really shouldn't be. There are some really funny lines in this and the movie is worth watching if for no other reason then to see Elijah Wood's reaction to someone calling him a Hobbit. This is not a movie that will win any awards and won't become a classic but it's just fun to watch and one you don't have to think about. Overall, if you like movies like Tucker and Dale vs Evil you will enjoy this one as well. Nothing but a fun time. I give it a solid B.

Adequate horror comedy

[jmbovan-47-160173 · 5/10 · 29 October 2020]

Somewhat standard horror comedy, doesn't really add much the group of films of this ilk. Too standard characters lean toward the annoying rather than endearing. The script seemed under developed leaving the gruesome elements at odds with the humorous attempts. Okay film good production quality, but it doesn't come together as a whole.

In a way the film pays homage to George Romero's Dawn Of The Dead(1978).

[Vivekmaru45 · 7/10 · 7 January 2016]

I found this film an excellent way to pass the time. As a seasoned horror movie fan, I can say that the photography and direction was well executed.

The plot of the film is about how contaminated chicken meat is processed into chicken nuggets. The nuggets are cooked and served to children at a local elementary school where one of them, a girl becomes infected.

The girl soon transforms into a zombie and starts infecting more children through bites and scratches.

Meanwhile wannabe horror writer Clint Hadson (Elijah Wood) substitutes at this same Elementary school. Soon it becomes a battle of survival, as the surviving teachers band together and fight these zombie children.

The script of the film is good but some more good ideas could have been implemented. This is the reason that about halfway through the film, I felt that the film was heading nowhere. However during the last fifteen minutes or so the film picked up and the finale of the film sets itself up for a sequel film.

Elijah Wood is a great favorite of mine with films like Forever Young (1992), Radio Flyer (1992), The Adventures Of Huck Finn(1993) and The Good Son(1993), Flipper (1996), Deep Impact and The Faculty (both 1998).

Leigh Whannell the writer of some of the most horror and survival horror films like Insidious(3 films), Dead Silence and Saw(7 films in total), makes a starring role in the film. His acting is natural and he is a really gifted actor.

We have two really beautiful actresses in the film Morgan Lily and Nasim Pedrad.

Thats all I have to say about this film, thanks for reading and may you live long and prosper.

More Zombie Movies: Night of the Living Dead (1968), Day of the Dead (1985), Land of the Dead (2005), Braindead (1992), Zombie (1979), Re-Animator (1985), Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (1981), Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974 I Highly Recommend This Film), Deadgirl (2008), Return of the Living Dead III (1993), The House by the Cemetery (1981).

Just have to say....

[nickijjohnson-16955 · 2/10 · 1 May 2021]

This movie is total crap. I'm annoyed at all the reviews giving it such high ratings that convinced me to actually watch this crap on Amazon. The beginning is like watching a meet your meat DVD. It's disgusting and unnecessary. We get it they get infected from chicken nuggets. We don't need to see the entire process of chicken nuggets being made. Did Zombieland or Shaun of the Dead feel the need to go into detailed scenes of how the zombies became zombies? No. That's almost never required when you're doing a zombie comedy. Serious horror films about zombies do that. I. E 28 Days Later, I am Legend, World war Z. I mention Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead cause let's face it, every zombie comedy is aspiring to be those and usually falls flat on their ass like this film did. Leigh whannell should stick to writing straight up horror because he's not funny. He can throw in comedic moments but actually being funny is not his forte. Rainn Wilson was annoying. All the characters were shallow and unlikable. I laughed out loud once when Rainn Wilson called Elijah Wood a hobbit and that's about it. Some of it was just disgusting even for a Zombie movie (not into "gross you out to be funny comedy") and tried way too hard to be funny without actually being funny. Disappointing stupid movie I wish I could unseen.

Great horror/action/comedy. Must see for horror-comedy fans.

[Finfrosk86 · 8/10 · 21 September 2015]

What a blast!

Never boring. Great cast. Reminiscent of The Faculty (a favorite of mine), because it takes place in a school, yes, but also somehow because of the tone of it. Also, Elijah Wood is in both. He is great.

Cooties is kind of a classic premise, but with a couple of twists that makes it quite refreshing. And even though a good deal of what we see, we have seen before, it's done in its own way that just makes it entertaining. Just well directed, I guess.

It's horror and comedy brilliantly mixed, but also has quite a lot of action and thriller elements. It's not really scary, but has a couple, and particularly one scene that is pretty suspenseful.

The make up and effects aren't incredible, but absolutely gets the job done. One or two scenes I thought lacked the last polish, but nothing major. To sum it up, it's just great fun.

I LOVE the political incorrectness of it, and that must be why the score on here isn't higher.

Many good moments in this movie, I will definitely watch it again.

Chicken nugget, anyone?

[Coventry · 6/10 · 6 September 2018]

Apart from the undoubtedly very comforting sum of money on his bank account, it must really suck being Elijah Wood! Whatever you do or try, you'll always be referred to as that Hobbit from "Lord of the Rings" and typecast as a dork. This isn't intended as an insult or mockery, mind you, as I really like Elijah Wood and appreciate most of the roles he played (except for LotR). Since his recent attempts at mature and serious horror ("Open Windows" and the heavily underrated "Maniac" remake) weren't exactly successful, it perhaps was a good idea for Wood to return to a horror-comedy reminiscent to one of his very first commercial hits. Indeed, "Cooties" reminds you of "The Faculty", except that Wood is now a wimpy (substitute) teacher instead of a wimpy student, and the alien monsters have been replaced with zombie toddlers!

"Cooties" is admittedly a very unoriginal and derivative zombie-virus flick, but at least it's unpretentious and straightforward, without too many underlying messages or metaphors. Taking place in the aptly named community of Fort Chicken in Illinois, the film doesn't waste too much time, neither, as we witness during the fun opening credit sequences how diseased chicken flesh gets processed into nuggets and then consumed by an innocent little girl in the school cafeteria. The next day, aspiring but troubled writer Clint Hadson starts his job as a substitute teacher, but by the first recess time, he and a bunch of crazed colleagues already must run and hide from a horde of unhinged zombie children. Kudos to scriptwriter (and co-star) Leigh Whannell, who proves with "Cooties" that he's also capable of writing light-headed genre films, next to his regular scary and nasty stuff like "Saw", "Insidious" and "The Conjuring". Whannell's role as the socially awkward biology teacher is also one of the funniest, while Rainn Wilson is terrific as the stereotypical gym teacher: a dumb macho, slightly overweight and sporting a ridiculous moustache. Two-thirds of "Cooties" is good entertainment, especially for as long as the teachers are entrenched inside the school while the creepy kids linger around; - using eyeballs as marbles or human intestines as skipping rope. The last 10-15 minutes seem somewhat unstructured and rushed, and the script even makes some irritating rookie-horror mistakes, like the sudden return of characters who were supposed to be dead. If I had watched "Cooties" after a day of bad temper, perhaps I would have been less positive and labeled it as another umpteenth and unnecessary zombie comedy, but today it provided me with a few genuine laughs and a good hour and a half of entertainment.

Disturbing misfire of horror/comedy

[cineamo · 1/10 · 29 July 2018]

"Cooties" could have been amazing but instead it is not. The plot is simple enough but somehow the action and dialog aren't sharp or funny and the actors seem as if they are working per diem, with one exception. Rainn Wilson is the only actor who makes an attempt to inhabit his character fully.

It would also have helped if the story had been consistent. If the the children's brains were undergoing necrosis, their thinking ability should have been nonexistent. Instead, the second child to be infected is shown destroying cell phones and turning off the school's electricity, as if he is intending to keep the adults in a vulnerable state. Movie zombies don't do this (at least, none that I've seen).

Lastly, the frequent and violent scenes where zombie children are killed make this film uncomfortable to watch. It is irrelevant that they are supposed to be zombies. The killing or injuring of any child is NOT entertainment.

Cooties (Spoiler Free)

[thecinematicaddicts · 7/10 · 24 September 2015]

Cooties was directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion and stars Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, and Alison Pill.

When a struggling horror author substitutes at a local elementary school, a mysterious virus breaks out among the students. The virus turns the children into blood thirsty monsters, trapping all the teachers inside the school.

This film falls under the risky Horror Comedy genre. This genre is very difficult to master, because the film's two sides are very challenging to combine and balance. Cooties counts on the absurd nature of the film to add to the comedy side, but however it still lacked some needed comedy from the actual characters.

The main character in the Cooties was Clint, who is a struggling author writing about a haunted boat while living in his mom's attic. He is played by Elijah Wood, best known for his role as Frodo in the Lord of the Rings, and is tons of fun for the audience. He balances witty humor with a general likable nature. However when the story tried to develop the character, it was in a deep way that didn't suit this movie at all.

Rainn Wilson played Wade: the school's gym teacher. Wade was a very unique character and the audience is drawn to his general ridiculousness as a character. Wilson perfectly balances the constant and hilarious bickering with Clint (Wood) and a crazy attitude towards the insane story. He was also the most constant character in the film. There was only one moment when the script tried to develop his character, but it kept true to side the audience had seen from Wade (Wilson) earlier.

Lucy is the stereotypical ever-positive school teacher, and is played by Alison Pill. This character comes across as annoyingly positive, but this seemed to be done deliberately by the director. Of all the characters she has the most prominent arc: She is very positive throughout the entire beginning of the film even once the school is launched into chaos, but about halfway through that all changes. There is a scene when she finally snaps and loses it, but afterwords she is a much more determined and motivated character. The audience can really connect better with her after her transformation, because she isn't being as annoying as before.

The action in this film was surprisingly good considering it falls into the horror genre. Horror films typically over use shaky camera and quick cuts to try and confuse the audience. Their directors have this idea that if the audience is confused and has no idea whats happening, then they'll be scared. Cooties steps away from the use of quick cuts, but instead gives the audience wide shots of the action. This increased the ability of the audience to enjoy the action in this film.

Unfortunately, this film is not as funny as it could have been. It seems to rely too strongly on the craziness of the plot, instead of comedic moments. Although there is some humorous dialogue, there wasn't enough to balance out the horror. A lot of the comedy fell to the side characters. All of these characters were just stereotypes or gags. Their humor mostly came across course and halfhearted. Although most of the side characters were a failed portion of this movie, one side character managed to be one of the funniest parts of this film: Rick the parking guard.

This film mixes crazy with horror and turns out to be a ton of fun for the audience. Over all this movie is fun to watch and enjoy without taking it too seriously. Cooties gets a 7.0/10