Director – Emir Skalonja (Jericho, Savage)
Starring – Krystal Shenk (Flesh of My Flesh, Dying Embers), Nicole Skalonja (Virus of the Dead, The Plague), and Erac Rodriguez (The Plague 3: The Road’s End)
Release Date – 2019
Rating – 3/5
I’ve been writing reviews for almost ten years now and over those years I’ve met some awesome filmmakers, actors, producers, and distributors that absolutely love the indie horror scene as much as I do. A lot of friendships have been established because of the genre and my horror friends are like family to me.
A few years back I befriended indie filmmaker Emir Skalonja on social media and became a fan of his films. He is a filmmaker that does not settle for one type of sub-genre but delivers films of a wide range. He recently contacted me to review his feature length film that was inspired by a short he made a few years back. Thank you Emir for allowing Horror Society and myself the opportunity to see Till Death Do We Rot.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a small community amidst a zombie outbreak. A group of housewives start to become suspicious that one of them is responsible for a series of murders that has befell their small community when her husband dies and comes back as one of the undead. The group of gossiping wives kidnap her and her husband in hopes of stopping them from doing what they suspect (which they are right) but soon find themselves outnumbered when the undead in the woods wonder to the ruckus they are causing forcing them to fight for their lives against the undead.**Spoiler Alert**
I like Emir’s movies. They always look and feel different which is refreshing for a genre fan like myself. A lot of the filmmakers I meet have a certain style that they fully embrace which works for a few films but soon fans start to become bored with it. Emir always switches it up on his fans which is one of the reasons I always look forward to his next film. I really enjoyed the look of his short Till Death Do We Rot and I was really looking forward to his feature length take on it. The film was solid but it took a path I was not expecting.
The acting in this one is decent. Some of the characters are way more entertaining than others. The cast really works well together and their chemistry shows in the scenes. With that being said, several scenes has one or two characters upstage the others. Their personalities were great and they brought some much needed humor to a grounded scene.
The story for this one is not the approach I was expecting Emir and company to take. The film, mostly, feels like one of those day time housewives shows with a little horror sprinkled in until the last portion of the film. Some of the characters made the story entertaining but I don’t see myself revisiting this one anytime soon.
Finally, the film has some blood and the practical effects you would expect from a zombie flick. The kills do show the film’s budget but they are able to make it work and deliver some fun zombie fun. Overall, Till Death Do We Rot is a simple indie horror film that borrows elements from reality television and the horror comedy Fido. If you are wanting a different take on the undead sub-genre during this trying time then I suggest tossing this one on.
