Portrait of a Zombie (2012)

Awesome! A different take on the Zombie Genre! You find your self immersed in the story, wondering what you would be thinking if you were part of the crew filming this family. Also seeing it from the perspective of the family and what caring for a "special" family member would entail, can you even imagine? Makeup and effects for this movie were top notch, and they should be congratulated for their creativity in creating such horror! There is a humor here that compliments rather than detracts from the mood of the film, in a way it is more shocking to hear such normalcy in such a bizarre predicament it really speaks to the human side of us. Perfect movie for summer viewing, in the dark, with popcorn and a flashlight. The actors were the embodiment of their Parts (no pun intended), I can't imagine any other actor playing the mom, Geraldine McAlinden is fantastic! Congratulations to the Director for his different Point of View! To the Writers for the fantastic story, and to the cast and crew for a job well done! A must see!

It should be said that the approach to the zombie genre seen in "Portrait of a Zombie" is indeed new and innovative. However, that doesn't necessarily make it great.The movie had potential, and if it had a bigger budget the movie would indeed have been so much more than it was. I must say that "Portrait of a Zombie" turned out to be a rather ambitious amateurish project. But it was still enjoyable enough for what it was - and for what it turned out to be.The storyline in "Portrait of a Zombie" is about a family that have a zombie at home, their son Billy. The neighborhood is in uproar and the family still treats him as being alive and still being their son.Story-wise, then there were aspects to the story that were alright, but in overall, it wasn't memorable.What really needed more detail, work and better execution was the make-up and effects of the zombies. It was basically just make-up added to people's faces, and of course they committed the ultimate flaw here; forgetting about the neck and ears. So the face had make-up and special effects applied, while the neck and ears were left in proper skin tones. It is just such a bad mistake to make.The gun effects in the movie were just atrocious, and the movie would have fared so much better if they had opted not to have guns in the movie at all. If you are going to do guns, at least have them done right.And the way that Billy was moving just didn't go well with me, it looked like a crippled duck trying to dance break-dance. It was just awful.The acting in the movie was actually good, given what the actors and actresses had to work with.But for a movie of this production value, I will still applaud director Bing Bailey for managing to get this on its feet and turn it into what it was. If you enjoy zombie movies, then "Portrait of a Zombie" is definitely worth watching a single time, because of its unique approach to the zombie genre. However, just don't get your hopes up for a next Romero movie in the making.

The screenplay, documentary-style, and earnest delivery bring out the absurdity and bleak humor of the situation... parents defending and caring for their zombie son. No doubt some will object to the fatalistic Irish stereotype or the over-the-top narcissistic American stereotype, but for a genre film, these parts are written with cleverness and acted with depth. Especially the mother and father, with very solid performances. I don't want to get too deep myself here (it's a zombie flick), but the overall look and design are well-thought-out and accomplished too. While it's funny in parts, it is definitely darker than Shaun of the Dead - particularly at the end. The last 20 minutes or so are increasingly desperate and bloody, and less ha-ha funny (unless you're the kind of fan who laughs at these things). If you're looking for gore and the "oh no, not him too, not her too!" moments, the end will certainly satisfy. Recommended.

I seen this at the opening of the Underground Cinema film festival last week – I believe it won and I am not surprised. It's a mock documentary with a twisted sense of humor about a film crew from the US documenting the day to day life of a family in Dublin whose eldest son is a zombie. Its like Shaun of the Dead meets Spinal Tap only a whole lot grittier (is that a word?). Some of the scenes take the zombie theme to a whole new level – for me anyway. Although its an independent movie the characters are very well developed especially the father – when he speaks his heart to the camera – the mother (mothers believe in their children but not usually to this extent – you have to see this) & the American in charge of the film crew – excellent. I also liked the Zombie's younger brother and how his issues were almost like that standard older brother/younger brother dynamic. Very creative & enjoyable and I would guess a cert 15 if not 18… enjoy.