Even when R.L. Stine had more involvement during the making of Zombie Town, not everyone will find something to appreciate about it. This film has the potential to be like Zombieworld, but instead of offering a tale where the walking dead are a threat, what I see here is Shaun of the Dead minus all the scares. What’s sorely missing is the lack of chemistry between the leads and I wasn’t motivated enough to see this film until now.
When compared to the Goosebumps movies, the danger has no stakes to keep viewers invested. As for the television series of the same name, it’s tonally different. Here, what’s presented is very lighthearted, and the threat isn’t all that seriously dangerous! When Mike (Marlon Kazadi) and Amy (Madi Monroe) decide to view a motion picture once considered out of print, and famed filmmaker Len Carver (Dan Aykroyd) said he shouldn’t have revealed it to the world, they should know better!
These young horror film buffs convince themselves they should watch it despite a no turnout at the movie theatre. What they didn’t realise is that the film contains a curse that would get unleashed once it’s played. What happens should’ve taken notes from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Last Action Hero. Had it, I would’ve been thrilled to see some random monster creations from the silver age of cinema come to life! But when the title references zombies, sadly there’s only so much one can do with this type of undead creature.
When the infestation takes over the entire town, it’s up to these two teens to convince Len to help them. Only he knows the key to reversing the curse, and as for why Chevy Chase is involved, it’s probably because he said okay as a favour to Dan, or another producer. While Aykroyd has a prominent role in this work where I could swear all he’s doing is playing a variation of Ray Stantz. Chase is much more original; sadly he doesn’t get enough screen time, as I’m curious how often of a mentor his character was to Carver.
Without this background development, the other story just didn’t matter. I didn’t care at all about the kids. I was more amused at how Mike is in over his head once the zombie manifestation comes to life. And as for the young lady, it’s obvious she has feelings for him, but is unwilling to ask him out, her punkish demeanour helped keep me interested in this film, since I was waiting to see who would make the first move.
Although Zombie Town was released for Halloween, I didn’t want to watch this flick until now. After all, horror films should be enjoyed year round. What I need to cleanse the palate is a proper chilling ghost story to make the Winter season worthwhile.
2 Stars out of 5
Zombie Town Movie Trailer
