The latest entry into the slowly growing Zombeo-and-Juliet sub-subgenre, as I think of it (in which a romantic couple must try to maintain their relationship despite the fact that one of them is undead), Zombie Honeymoon is a blackly humorous, romantically tragic, deliciously gruesome study of death, despair, and devotion in a young starry-eyed couple. According to writer / director / producer Dave Gebroe, the characters (including their first names, plans, interests, favorite music, etc.) are based very closely on his real-life sister and brother-in-law, the latter of whom died suddenly in a surfing accident only shortly before the couple was to move to Portugal.

This may well be the most personal zombie film in existence, and you can sense it just from watching. (For those interested in Gebroe’s intent with all this, I’d recommend you read the “Interview with the Director” in the ZH website’s section “About the Movie.”) Although it had a very different point, it reminded me of 1974’s Deathdream, in part because of its intimate, character-driven look at the ties between and separation of loved ones, through an undead signifier.

The Film
Lovestruck, skinny newlyweds Denise and Danny kick off the film racing giddily from their wedding to get their beachside honeymoon into gear. Danny is an avid surfer, which is a somewhat risky hobby; but then again, so is just hanging out on the beach. Remember how our parents used to warn us about the undertow, about stepping on jellyfish and syringes, and about seasick zombies emerging from the ocean? Well, Danny apparently never listened to his parents, and ends up with a faceful of zombie puke (closely resembling crude oil -- is there an environmental message here?).

After dying and mysteriously reviving, the formerly vegetarian Danny begins his slow transformation into an internally conflicted, carnivorous ghoul. Denise, meanwhile, has to juggle being married to a carnivorous ghoul, cleaning blood off the floor, and preparing a romantic dinner for two. (Most new brides have to deal with only one or two of these at a time.)

Zombie Honeymoon does a good job at presenting a couple who are both naive and in love; when the situation goes awry and degenerates from there, the audience can really sympathize with them. The acting style and direction are energetic and show clear development of the main characters. The two leads, Tracy Coogan and Graham Sibley, are very believable, and the viewer will likely share the couple’s joy as well as pain -- as during a fun and heartwarming scene in which they solidify their decision to move to Portugal. Much of the dialogue is very realistic, besides. A sharp, understated dark humor peppers the film, with many laughworthy lines cropping up even in the middle of the most heartwrenching -- or gutmunching -- scenes. It’s a great combination; humorous, touching, sorrowful, and seriously gory at times. The effects are well done, too -- gorehounds won’t be disappointed. Some scenes are very poignantly conceived, such as when the camera focuses on Denise as she tries desperately to ignore the sounds of fresh corpses being chowed upon in the next room.

A few minor complaints: At times the movie lacks some realism (emergency medics and police seem to have no problem letting non-personnel tag along while they’re trying to do their job, for example). I found some of the near-constant rockabilly music a bit distracting, although it’s forgivable given that the soundtrack is made up of the favorite songs of the real-life couple on whom the characters are based. The music is used very nicely at other times, such as when the characters themselves listen to it.

Dave Gebroe has done a fine job in creating an honest and humorous zombie movie that is both poignant and effective as a horror film. (Gebroe has a cameo somewhere in the film as the “Make-Out King.” I must have missed it, but keep an eye out yourself.)

The Zombies
Not exactly the traditional zombies. Describing how might include some spoilers, but it comes as no surprise that the main character retains something of himself even as he undergoes zombifaction. Zombie Honeymoon also joins 28 Days Later in featuring zombie barf as an agent of infection. One of the kill scenes gets bonus points for a fingers-to-the-neck invasive procedure, which may well be a nod to Jean Rollin’s La Morte Vivante (“The Living Dead Girl”), another intimate zombie film about love, loss, and dependency. The makeup is top-notch, and makes Danny’s transformation seem eerily realistic.

Other Thoughts
I’m not sure whether or not Gebroe intended this, but Zombie Honeymoon is also very compelling as an examination of addiction (another way in which it reminded me of Deathdream); or, more specifically, the effects of addiction on a relationship. Cluing the viewer in is a key, early fleshmunching scene that’s framed by the purchase of excessive amounts of wine and the issue of cigarette addiction. Danny descends into consumptive behavior that he’s not proud of, but can’t control, either. One of his steak-eating friends even acts as an enabler to Danny’s newfound desire for meat. Denise, meanwhile, has to deal with several classic issues that the partners of alcoholics and drug addicts go through: Danny’s alternating denial, hostility, and pleas for help; his nausea and sickness; his loss of grip on his own past and present even as he clings to dreams for the future; the pain he brings to the people close to him; and his abandonment of even the things he cares most about (literalized at one point when he physically throws away his beloved surfboard). Denise’s dilemma may seem very real to anyone who’s had a loved one with an addiction problem: Does she walk out? Try to cure him? Support him in his own struggle? Fight him? Ignore the problem and try to move forward? The soundtrack offers a humorous and sympathetic (partial) answer with Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man.”


8.5 out of 10 video store clerks sporting a Fulci’s Zombie t-shirt.

Out on their honeymoon, Denise and Denny are going to have their love put to the test in a way they never thought possible. While lounging on the beach, Danny is attacked by a very strange man and killed in a truly vile scene. Danny comes back, though, and Denise couldn't be happier, that is until he begins to try and eat everybody he comes in contact with.

Zombie Honeymoon is a great and gory little flick about true love and how far someone is willing to go in order to preserve it. If your a fan of Dead Alive, then this one is a must see.

The story is straightforward and quite simple. Danny gets attacked by a zombie, gets killed, turns into a zombie, comes back to the land of the living, begins a slow change into a flesh eating corpse and Denise must deal with it, that's it end and beginning of story.

As Danny's hunger grows he becomes more and more afraid that he is going to hurt Denise, but she stays with him as he turns more and more into a walking stink pile. Things get a little more tense between the two when Nikki, Denise's best friend comes to visit, and Danny promises not to eat her, but some urges are pretty damned hard to fight.

The gore flows freely in this one and there are some pretty nasty scenes, but they are mixed with a touch of humor as Denise ends up covering Danny's actions. Danny's transformation is pretty good as well as from scene to scene he looks worse and worse.

All and all Zombie Honeymoon is a good little film and very entertaining. I don't know if it is in wide release yet as I got to check out a bootleg version, but if you get the chance and your a fan of the undead then you should check it out.

5/10