Sauna the Dead: A Fairy Tale (2016) User Reviews

Zombie intruders in a sauna plus a gay love story

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 23 October 2017]

"Sauna the Dead: A Fairy Tale" is a British (mostly) English-language short film from 2016, so still a pretty new one and this gained popularity because it's one of the films included on the annual Boys on Film edition, the one from 2016 too. It runs for 20 minutes approximately and is the only writing and directing effort so far by prolific actor Tom Frederic. But he is still relatively young, so maybe more will follow. In this little movie, he also plays the main character, a man enjoying his time at a sauna when a zombie apocalypse breaks out and makes him a prisoner in there. So you maybe guessed that already reading the title and the reference to a really famous film. I genuinely wonder what existed here first: the title or the idea. Anyway, overall I would not really call it a gay-themed movie as the homosexuality was not at the very core of the story, maybe the second or third most important aspect. It is really all about the zombies here and in my opinion the strange mix of sauna and zombies and some scenes too had a comedic component to it as well, especially with that film's title, even if IMDb does not categorize it as a comedy. And I think it would have worked with slight alterations to the story as a hetero love story too. But overall, I don't think that it was a good or great watch really from any perspective, the bizarre setting alone isn't sufficient for me to recommend it plus I thought the feel-good ending that nothing was real disappointed me too. This film is not a failure, but it's also not memorable whatsoever. I suggest you skip it and I hope that Frederic can step things up for potential filmmaking efforts in the future.

This is really good

[robinhio84_ · 8/10 · 29 November 2020]

As someone who knows the Vauxhall sauna (where this was taped) it was quite entertaining to see this story rolling out.

The beginning was so recognizable with a the typical internaction that happen in a sauna. Then in later part the story takes an interesting turn. Well worth a watch and one of the better gay shorts out there.

Unrealistic

[juanpablosegundo · 10/10 · 14 November 2019]

You are gonna tell me that a bunch of men running around in a sauna wearing nothing but a towel, and not one of them ever drops it until his full Monty is on display???!!! What a disregard for physics!! 🤔 Other than that, amazing fun short movie this is!

charming

[Kirpianuscus · 8 May 2021]

The first temptation was to define it as nice. The theme was so used in the last decades than it is imposible to give a reasonable new version. But, obvious, it is more. First for fine reflection of sauna atmosphere. Second, for the not so ad effort of survive ( with political correct piece ). And, not the less, for the turn. But not the turn itself is important but the result of it. Th change, radical of attitude is just the perfect kick to see the other more than a silhouette. So, just ...charming.