- Darkstar Pictures Announces Free Online Film Festival!
- Stunning First Look at Indie Fantasy THE WANTING MARE [Trailer]
- Stunning First Look at Indie Fantasy THE WANTING MARE [Trailer]
- Stunning First Look at Indie Fantasy THE WANTING MARE [Trailer]
- SKYLINES Is Coming! [Poster Premiere]
- Who Hunts Who in HUNTER HUNTER? [Trailer]
- MONSTER HUNTER Coming for Christmas [Trailer]
- Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival Returns with In-Person Event [Line Up]
- LUNATIQUE Director Returns with WASTELAND 3 Promo [Short Film]
- Win a copy of JAMES CAMERON'S STORY OF SCIENCE FICTION [Contest]
- Slice of Life, Blade Runner inspired short
- Is Snowpeircer a sequel to Willy Wonka?
- Re: Yesterday
- Re: Yesterday
- Yesterday
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- LUNATIQUE Director Returns with WASTELAND 3 Promo [Short Film]
- A Comet Destoys Earth in GREENLAND Trailer
- Interactive WAR OF THE WORLDS Adaptation Out Now!
- 8K Trailer for Train to Busan Sequel PENINSULA Drops Hard!
- Making a Bomb Shelter in a Funhouse is a Bad Idea in IMPACT EVENT [Trailer]
- Retro Slave: FOX's Post-Apocalyptic Sitcom WOOPS!
- TRAIN TO BUSAN Sequel PENINSULA Gets a Teaser Trailer
- New on Blu-ray and DVD for March 11, 2020
- The Apocalypse Kills Women in ONLY [Trailer]
- Trailer for TheWalking Dead: World Beyond Spin-Off Series
- BORDERLANDS Movie From Eli Roth in Development
- A Woman's Mind Unravels in BIGHT HILL ROAD [Review]
- TIFF 2020: Vanlife Gets a Reality Check in NOMADLAND [Review]
- TIFF 2020: APPLES, THE WAY I SEE IT, PIECES OF A WOMAN & ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI [Capsule Reviews]
- TIFF 2020: The Truth Tellers Return with THE NEW CORPORATION: THE UNFORTUNATELY NECESSARY SEQUEL [Review]
- TIFF 2020: NEW ORDER is Brutal, Violent & a Must-See [Review]
- TIFF 2020: ENEMIES OF THE STATE, Or Are They? [Review]
- TIFF 2020: HOLLER Explores Life in a Dying Town [Review]
- Fantasia 2020: THE OAK ROOM, MARYGOROUND & CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER [Capsule Reviews]
- UNCLE PECKERHEAD is One Note but Fun [Review]
- Dave Franco Shows Potential as Director with Debut Feature THE RENTAL [Review]
- VIFF2020: Director Loretta Todd on the Making of Her Debut Feature MONKEY BEACH [Interview]
- TIFF 2020: APPLES, THE WAY I SEE IT, PIECES OF A WOMAN & ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI [Capsule Reviews]
- TIFF 2020: The Truth Tellers Return with THE NEW CORPORATION: THE UNFORTUNATELY NECESSARY SEQUEL [Review]
- TIFF 2020: NEW ORDER is Brutal, Violent & a Must-See [Review]
- TIFF 2020: ENEMIES OF THE STATE, Or Are They? [Review]
- NO ESCAPE Director Talks Influencers, Escape Rooms & Writing [Interview]
- TIFF 2020: HOLLER Explores Life in a Dying Town [Review]
- The Funny Side of Alien Invasions: You have to SAVE YOURSELVES! [Trailer]
- Kodi Smit-McPhee Goes to the Future to Save the Present in 2067 [Trailer]
- First Look at Denis Villeneuve's DUNE [Trailer]
- Fantasia 2020: LAPSIS, THE COLUMNIST, MINOR PREMISE, FEELS GOOD MAN & HAIL TO THE DEADITES [Capsule Reviews]
- BUNRAKU Writer/Director Returns with LX 2048 [Trailer]
- BLOOD QUANTUM Writer/Director Talks Inspiration, Zombies & Representation [Interview]
- Fantasia 2020: THE OAK ROOM, MARYGOROUND & CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER [Capsule Reviews]
- Sylvester McCoy Talks SENSE8, DOCTOR WHO & THE OWNERS [Interview]
- Fantasia 2020: PVT CHAT, PATRICK, TIME OF MOULTING, SLEEP [Capsule Reviews]
- Scholar Mitch Horowitz Breaks Down Faith, Horror & CURSED FILMS [Interview]
- Actor Cosmo Jarvis Talks About his New Thriller THE SHADOW OF VIOLENCE [Interview]
- Director Jay Cheel Talks Making of Horror Documentary CURSED FILMS [Interview]
- Europe is in Shambles in UNDERGODS [Trailer]
Jack In
Latest Comments
Latest Forum Posts
PA News
Latest Reviews
Older News
Crew
Marina Antunes
Editor in Chief
Vancouver, British Columbia
Christopher Webster
Managing Editor
Edmonton, Alberta
DN aka quietearth
Founder / Asst. Managing Editor
Denver, Colorado
Simon Read
UK Correspondent
Edinburgh, Scotland
Rick McGrath
Toronto Correspondent
Toronto, Ontario
Manuel de Layet
France Correspondent
Paris, France
rochefort
Austin Correspondent
Austin, Texas
Daniel Olmos
Corrispondente in Italia
Italy
Griffith Maloney aka Griffith Maloney
New York Correspondent
New York, NY
Stephanie O
Floating Correspondent
Quiet Earth Bunker
Jason Widgington
Montreal Correspondent
Montreal, Quebec
Carlos Prime
Austin Correspondent
Austin, TX
Latest news








Year: 2011
Directors: Bing Bailey
Writers: Bing Bailey & Laura Morand Bailey
IMDB: link
Trailer: link
Review by: projectcyclops
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Bing Bailey's Dublin set mock-zom-doc is something of an oddity. Try to imagine a zombie movie in which basically everyone is okay with the fact that there are zombies around every corner, lurking in bedrooms and hallways in housing estates; just another problem alongside unemployment, failing marriages and the price of tea. People go to work, visit relatives and carry on as if the zombie epidemic was just another one of life's burdens, a bit like accepting that we're in the middle of a global financial meltdown that has nothing to do with us, but for which we're paying the price. And yet it's played largely straight and not for laughs. I think the word that comes to mind while watching these characters is simply: Madness. Everyone in this films is insane; zombies, people and film crews, all in it together.
The film follows a team of documentary film makers during a zombie outbreak in Dublin, Ireland. The Murphy family's eldest son Billy has contracted the virus from his job at the local meat processing plant and instead of doing the sensible thing ("Shoot it in the head, man") they've trussed him up in a straight jacket, fixed on a muzzle and are trying to keep things going as normal as possible. Normal being a relative term in a city where zombies lurk behind every corner and the local crime gang are trying to tackle the problem since the police and army are entirely absent...
The film actually takes the form of a documentary about the documentary our film makers have already made, and begins with another camera crew interviewing Billy's father in the aftermath of what happened to the original team, and even then the camera tends to float around as if this were a feature film, but far from making a muddled narrative it all works very well given the chaos that we see on screen. Every two or three scenes of the domestic troubles facing the Murphy clan (a pregnant girlfriend, unemployment, a younger goth teenager who's jealous of his zombie brother) are interrupted by some kind of frantic violence. Death squads of armed thugs are trying to eradicate the threat, citizens are hunted by lurching ghouls (some are sprinters a la 28 Days, others lurch in Romero fashion) and the neighbors are getting understandably annoyed at Billy's special treatment. As the film progresses tensions rise and the third act is pretty much an all out zombie nightmare of guts and guns. Good stuff.
It's a kind of comedy too with some wonderfully bad taste and black humour amongst the zombie kills and feeding frenzies. Billy's parents are the real heart and soul of the film as they sit on the couch for interviews recounting how they met, how proud they are of Billy and if only people knew him like they do (cut to shots of Billy writhing in bed, gnashing his teeth and screaming). They're banned from the local supermarket for buying out all the meat, ostracized by the community and threatened by gangsters but they smile all though it as they've got what's important in life: Family. The film crew themselves are a raggedy bunch headed up by an arrogant American who's there solely to take advantage of the situation and happy to boss his underlings around and slyly seduce Billy's sister, Louise. His personality could be summed up by his monologue on the Irish spirit and fine nature as he sips coffee in the back yard, only to spit the drink out and grimace, "But why can't any of the fuckers make a decent cup of coffee?!" We root for his death, but he's usually selfish enough to push someone else into the path of any and all zombies coming his way.
The budget may be super-low, but the sound editing, acting and naturalistic dialogue, along with the evil sense of humour all combine to make a very memorable and worthy entry into the zombie canon. I went into this one without doing any research and as soon as I spotted a reference to 'Shatter Dead' I knew I was in safe hands. These guys clearly love the genre and went into this project intending to make the best, funniest and most violent film possible with what means they had, and it works. The standout performance is absolutely from Billy's mum played very sympathetically by Geraldine McAlinden. Her moments of tenderness with Billy show true motherly love, and then turn absolutely sinister in a way I cannot divulge for fear of spoiling the most intense moment in the film. There's also a brief nod a an Irish/British sitcom called 'Father Ted' which I think will be lost on audiences outside of Ireland and the UK, but I burst out laughing when I noticed it.
Bing Bailey's 'Portrait of a Zombie' is a different kind of zombie movie from the usual schlock produced by any fool with a camera and a bucket of play-blood. It's got the gore sure, but has social commentary, family issues, practical questions about the nature of documenting a subject without becoming too involved, and importantly; a refreshingly confident sense of its own style. I look forward to seeing more from Mr. Bailey in the future, maybe even a sequel?
You might also like








quietearth (8 years ago) Reply
I loved this film especially how people walked around eeeeeeee

sneeson (8 years ago) Reply
Lovely review, glad you liked it.