Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014)

A talented mechanic prepares to battle his way through hordes of flesh-eating monsters after his sister is kidnapped on the eve of a zombie apocalypse.

Director:

Kiah Roache-Turner

Writers:

Kiah Roache-Turner (screenplay), Tristan Roache-Turner (screenplay)

Stars:

Jay Gallagher, Bianca Bradey, Leon Burchill

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jay Gallagher	...	Barry
Bianca Bradey	...	Brooke
Leon Burchill	...	Benny
Keith Agius	...	Frank
Berynn Schwerdt	...	The Doctor
Luke McKenzie	...	The Captain
Cain Thompson	...	Kelly / McGlaughlin / Zombie
Damian Dyke	...	Soldier Thompson / Soldier at End #1
Yure Covich	...	Chalker
Catherine Terracini	...	Annie
Meganne West	...	Meganne
Beth Aubrey	...	Charlie
Sheridan Harbridge	...	Cherry
Damion Hunter	...	Benny's Brother Tony
Alfred Coolwell	...	Benny's Brother Mulla

Storyline

Barry is a talented mechanic and family man whose life is torn apart on the eve of a zombie apocalypse. His sister, Brooke, is kidnapped by a sinister team of gas-mask wearing soldiers & experimented on by a psychotic doctor. While Brooke plans her escape Barry goes out on the road to find her & teams up with Benny, a fellow survivor - together they must arm themselves and prepare to battle their way through hordes of flesh-eating monsters in a harsh Australian bushland.

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Plot Keywords:

zombie apocalypse | australian | one word title | zombie | gas mask | 

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

During filming, a serious accident occurred that nearly caused the death of Bianca Bradey's stunt double, she undershot her jump from the back of the lab truck onto the bonnet of the zombie truck and was nearly run over, fortunately she was unharmed.

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Goofs

When the lab technician wakes up when Brooke is controlling the zombie patient he fires his gun into him and unloads the chamber including a few clicks to mean he's out of bullets. Moments later when Brooke breaks free with the help of the lab technician who is now a zombie and whom she is controlling, she grabs his holstered gun and shots him in the head. He had no time to reload therefore the gun should be empty.

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Quotes

Benny: [upon firing his shotgun] Oh shit, he wasn't a zombie?
Barry: No he fucking wasn't!
Benny: Is he alright? Is he ok?
Barry: His head is fucked!

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Connections

Referenced in Z Nation: The Collector (2015)

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Soundtracks

Until The Day I Die
Written & Performed by Dan Skinner (PRS), Adam Skinner (PRS) & Randall Breneman (PRS)
Licensed by Audio Network Australia

User Reviews

An interesting take on a tired genre

Having watched many zombie films of all different types over the years, I am happy to say that Wyrmwood is an interesting take on the genre. I can't say too much about why I like this film and I would suggest going into it without doing much research into it.

What I will say is that there is a decent amount of action and some very unique and creative twists on the zombie phenomena. Some of these work better than others, though to be fair the film has a somewhat playful dynamic so the unorthodox creative liberties will be appreciated fans who enjoy a bit of silliness.

The bizarre plot devices and comically stoic characters like Frank (Keith Agius) contrast well with the always sombre lead Barry (Jay Gallagher). That said, the character development of Benny is a bit problematic. What starts out as cringe-inducing stereotyping quickly moves to what might be construed as racism. It could be the case that this is an attempt at a deeper social commentary on the genre or Australian film, but that might be a stretch given the overall tone of the film.

The practical effects are decent and the use of CG, while not perfect, doesn't take away from the experience. There are some gory shots but these are nothing that more skirmish viewers wont be able to handle if they are familiar with the genre.

There isn't really too much in the way of character development and the plot is fairly light, but the pacing and the way the film jumps between a couple of different story lines makes the film enjoyable to watch.

One of the things that makes this film stand out is the somewhat surreal and often mysterious cast of characters. It might be the case that the filmmakers left the characters underdeveloped on purpose. Either way the somewhat larger than life characters work well with the overall ambiance of the piece, especially when reflecting on a certain theme revealed by Frank. The Doctor in particular stands out (just how long has it been since the dead started rising again?).

In the end viewers are likely to be left with some unanswered questions, but it is forgivable if we take this to be a slightly different zombie universe than we are used to. Ultimately Wyrmwood is a fun and enjoyable film that will be particularly enjoyable for zombie fans, partially because it unapologetically refuses to be held back by the unspoken rules of the genre.

Although the film is not perfect, I salute the filmmakers for taking some risks and ultimately producing an interesting take on an otherwise tired genre.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Twitter

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 February 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead

Filming Locations:

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$111,141

Company Credits

Production Co:

Guerilla Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1