ZombieCON Vol.1
Rating: 3.5/5
By: Nathaniel Simpson
Cosplayers all around the world dress up as their favorite characters, ranging from Star Wars to Marvel to anime characters. They dress as these badass warriors and heroes, forming this community that has existed for many years. However, when they dress as these iconic characters, they don't think they're going to have to summon the power and strength to defeat terrifying evils, like their favorite characters have to. That is why Kyle Valle's ZombieCON Vol. 1 is so interesting, as it takes such a unique story about a group of anime cosplayers that need to fight for survival against "asshole" zombies in this fun watch.
A group of four cosplayers, Rocket (Manny Luke), Claire (Erin Áine), Punkie (Punkie Johnson), and Javier (Christian Casillas) are considered legends of their local anime con, with them usually winning the cosplay tournament every year, especially against a rival group that is known for ripping off their dance and costumes. However, when they win this year but are subjected to bullying due to their passions, it causes a rift between Rocket and his group, as he doesn't know how to really deal with what others think of him. Because of this, Claire unknowingly casts a wish that all assholes turn into zombies, which comes true due to a magic rock she found. Therefore, all of these so-called "assholes" they encounter turn into flesh-eating monsters, which forces the group to band together to destroy them before they eat the group of cosplayers.
This is a very unique story, one we have never seen before. Sure, there have been countless zombie films, but this is the first one I've seen of cosplayers being forced to band together to stop a population of zombies. Because of this, this film really draws your attention quickly and pulls you into the story. Not only is this plot so unique, but it also appeals to such a massive community as cosplaying is perhaps one of the biggest things at cons like this. You can see the massive love for this community throughout the film, and it really makes this such a personal film that is done quite well on a low budget.
The humor works for the most part, and I want to mention the stellar set design here. They really crafted these sets to include such unique collectibles and items that would be found in the houses and rooms of people who are very into cosplay. It's honestly quite admirable to see how much effort and heart went into making this movie and making sure every aspect is touched upon, and it's such a fun watch due to how much heart and passion is put into it. The story does start off a little slow and takes a bit to really set up the story, but once they start running with it, you find yourself on the edge of your seat, excited to see what happens next.
While this could have been just a fun movie about cosplayers trying to stop the zombie apocalypse, it surprisingly brings in a message about how to deal with bullying and being true to yourself. I have friends that are involved with this community, and they mention how they get made fun of or are looked down upon due to their passion. So, by being able to include this message that could easily resonate with viewers of this film, it really makes this movie feel more personable and relatable to audiences, which I'm happy that Valle did. By adding in these elements, it adds so much more to the picture as a whole.
The cinematography and effects (including the vast amount of blood and gory violence) is really fun to watch. Using practical effects and adding in tons of fake blood, this is any horror fan's dream as we are constantly wanting more blood and gory effects in horror. Combined with the comedic nature of the film as well, it simply works quite well and is tons of fun to watch. It always left a smile on my face watching these fight sequences with the zombies.
The acting ranges from solid performances to those that are hanging on by a thread. Some of the performances here don't work for me totally, and takes me out of the film a tad. However, with this being an ensemble film, I think the actors compliment themselves perfectly with the better performances balancing out the sub-par efforts. The performances here might be my biggest complaint as I feel like some of the actors needed to give just a little more or not be as wooden in some of their line deliveries.
Overall, this is just a fun and engaging little zombie comedy flick. It changes the narrative of how zombie apocalypses could start, and I really enjoyed the parody aspects of films of this same caliber. It doesn't change the zombie film subgenre or really makes a huge dent in this legacy of slasher horror films, but it works perfectly as a low-budget, indie horror film that is meant to unite a community and bring more focus to this overlooked population of fans.
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