How many days could you survive in a zombie apocalypse? Sure everyone says, “We’ll just board up the doors and windows and stay inside,” but it’s really not that simple. Cabin fever will set in, supplies will run out, and sometimes zombies can be sneaky little bastards!
Day 9 follows one man who loses everything. Nine days ago he was a loving man with a wife and children, and most of all he was sane and happy. Now he’s starting to lose it and hatches a scheme to leave the house he is walled up in. The only problem is zombies have littered the street. Can he get past them? And awaits for him in a world where zombies are at the top of the food chain?
Day 9 is written and directed by Thomas Ryan. This short film stars Thomas Ryan, Melanie Ryan, Rodrigo Bustamante, Patrick Devaney, Joseph Competello, Karen DeSoto, and Joe Parascand.
Right now, mostly due to the “The Walking Dead,” zombies are the it thing in horror. As a viewer I appreciate all zombie films, whether they’re completely out there like Resident Evil III, ground breaking like Sick, or realistic like Day 9. For me there is nothing more frightening than realism in horror films; the complete ‘what if’ scenario. So, while Day 9 doesn’t add anything new to the zombie genre, it does contain harsh remnants of realism. Imagine dropping your kids off at your parent’s house one day, seeing news about mass riots the next day, and then seeing your neighbors get eaten the next day. That’s pretty much what happens here.
Day 9 also contains remnants of the golden days of horror when zombies were just mindless shamblers. I tend to appreciate zombies like those in Night of The Living Dead and Day 9 more so than the Olympic runners you see in the Dawn of The Dead remake. Although some zombies may pack more of a punch than others, I think the shamblers are much scarier because they are more lifeless than zombies who can run and climb. Shamblers also build the chance for a plot evolution. Characters can try to wade through a pool of shamblers, or try to make a get away in this case.
While I did enjoy the script, the acting, and all the zombie aspects, there were two things that I didn’t like. The blood splatters that take place during a scene at the end look too digital for me. I’m a big fan of practical special FX, so when I see bad CGI I think in a ghetto accent, “Mmmmmm-hmmm…” Also, a zombie at the end who had previously been eaten by a swarm of zombies shows minimal signs of having been attacked. These are very nit-picky, I know, but I have to be fair.
I think that Day 9 is a perfect film for a short film festival. I really can imagine it having a lot of success in that circuit.. Sure, it’s not the most polished or theatrical zombie film, but it does the director and other creatures justice.
