The Mad (2007)

I think I can safely consider myself to be a fairly open-minded and tolerant horror fan, but there's one thing I honestly can't stand: horror comedies that are not funny, nor gory. And unfortunately we happen to see a lot of those lately, especially in the sub genre of 'zombie movies' ever since a British instant classic called "Shaun of the Dead" successfully mixed humor with splatter. By now everybody seems to think they're capable of making a horror comedy and this naturally results in a huge pile of stinking, inept, insufferable and redundant straight-to-video crap. All these untalented filmmakers don't seem to realize that "Shaun of the Dead" was actually the exception that confirmed the rule: zombies, people coming back from the dead to hunt the flesh of the living are no laughing matter. Like the case in "The Mad", there's absolutely nothing even remotely funny about family members getting killed by walking corpses that died after consuming beef infected with the mad cow disease. People will not start to make jokes or have discussions about the definition of a zombie moments after their beloved partners have been reduced to a pile of blood and intestines on the floor! "The Mad" really tries to be hilarious, with its absurd & stereotypical character drawings and clichéd father-daughter-stepmother-punk boyfriend relationship jokes, but it miserably fails. The other elements to create comedy are either totally pathetic (spontaneously attacking hamburgers) or utterly derivative (inbred farmers and banjo music). "The Mad" can't even distinguish itself from the majority of lame-ass low budget horror junk with a good amount of nauseating splatter, as the make-up effects and massacres are nothing exceptional at all. It's not a gore-soaked bloodbath and we're only treated to a couple of mundane zombie-attacks and relatively bloodless annihilations. And then there's Billy Zane, the "famous" name parading the DVD-cover; hoping to attract more viewers with it. To my surprise I encountered a lot of reviews claiming that his performance was awesome but I, on the other hand, have rarely seen someone acting so uninterested and hammy, and no, I don't misinterpreted the fact his performance was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek. Zane more than obviously wasn't interested in starring in this piece of junk and he can't hide it. For crying out loud, Billy! Maybe you desperately needed the money, but if you really don't want to star in garbage like this, then don't sign the contract! "The Mad" is a terrible film, not funny, not horrific, not gruesome, nothing to recommend.

No, I didn't laugh my head off at this dark comical tale of rural horror. However, I would have liked to give my head a shake for seeing it. Being a Troma and general B-circuit film buff, I was entirely let down and that's hard. I tried to have an open mind and let 'The Mad' ride its course of a humored, satirical play... I still had no satisfaction. Bring back Romeros' original zombies or Wiederhorns' aquatic zombies... well, maybe not. First and foremost, polish the dark humor and give it fuel because it sure ran dry in this film!As many folks out there, I'm well-aware of the drawn out comical sideshows of zombie flicks. I thought I would give this film a chance, seeing how I enjoyed 'Shaun of the Dead' and other collaborations of the whole zombie genre. Now, there's only so far one can beat the zombie drum and I truly believe that it is done already, not from this film though. Yes, it's unfortunate that the horror icon, Billy Zane, seems to be the prelude to department store five dollar DVDs. I can't blame Zane though, I think he's still an under-appreciated actor that has a lot of potential.

A father and daughter reconnect on a getaway in the country. This would all be a terrific setup for a TV Movie of the Week, If it weren't for the fact that what drives dad and daughter together is a ravenous horde of mindless zombies.Billy Zane is surprisingly funny as the father, the confused Dr. Jason Hunt, in this entertaining twist on the zombie film genre. Maggie Cassels is wonderfully petulant while still managing to kick ass as his daughter Amy. Shauna McDonald is bitch-tacular as Dr. Hunt's new girlfriend.There's plenty of blood and guts flying, fulfilling the horror quota, but this film is just plain funny. See it if it gets to the theatres near you, rent it if it comes to your video store, or stay up 'till 2 on a weeknight if it's playing late on the teevee. You won't be disappointed.

You are what you eat... THE MAD was fast, funny, had some terrific gross-out moments, and snappy dialogue. The main cast was great - you could transplant the central characters (a family) into any other kind of film (romantic comedy, say) and they would work just as well - they weren't just stereotypical horror movie fodder. Loved seeing Billy Zane in a comedic role. Get your zombie fix and see the movie!One weird thing: The upcoming DVD cover looks as if it is for a completely different movie - I'm pretty sure the picture on it isn't even from The Mad - it looks like a stock photo of a generic zombie. Why on earth would they do that? Why misrepresent a totally fun movie?