If you are any fan of zombie movies or the zombie subculture in general, you will know that there are multiple types of zombies. We have the traditional zombies, in the sense that they are born of a virus or some other bacteria spread through fluidic contact. You also have the voodoo zombie that is born of black magic and usually controlled by a master or mystical item. Zombie Farm goes with the latter type of zombies.
The story is that of a woman looking for a way to stop the abuse from her husband with the help of a voodoo priestess, producing some unforeseen results when she awakens to find her husband zombified. The main story arc is intersected with that of an independent filmmaker who sets out to expose a fraudulent faith healer after her piece on domestic violence is rejected by the studio. In the process she herself becomes involved in a struggle to survive the surrounding undead.
The film itself is one that turns into a hit or miss depending on your preference for your zombie movies. In this instance, the zombie film is used as a platform for the profound social issues of abuse and the loss of Mexican-American culture through Americanization. There is also the fact that this is not a movie for those who enjoy gore alone. The gore here is lite at best with very few blood soaked sets. There is also the problem that this movie totally ignores the time honored tradition of the headshot. This can be excused due to the presence of mysticism, but is still a change that some will have to get used to.
A big problem for me in the whole movie is that it is very slow to start and hard to get into due to some sound issues on the DVD that I watched. There are many scenes that feel very stale at the get go, utilizing characters that don’t feel very real themselves. There are also some plot points, however minor they may be, that are underutilized (think an old lady who is bitten, but never reappears as a zombie later on).
Despite the sometimes stale acting, mild scares and low blood supply, there is still a decent movie experience to be had if you can get past the slow start. My experience showed that setting through this movie will yield a profound discussion on Latino culture and the subject of abuse. At the end of the day however you will need to realize one thing; if you are a fan of the gory zombie movies in the vein of Zombieland or Dawn of the Dead then this is not a movie for you. Fans of movies like Zombie Honeymoon or Attack of the Vegan Zombies though should find something to enjoy.
Zombie Farm runs around 90 minutes and is released by Maya Studios. It stars Khotan, Adriana Catano, Roberto Montesinos and Monica Munoz.
