“RUN!”
Story: 12/12/1998, and teenager Sloane is about to unalive herself in the bathtub. But a strange loud noise startled her, and boom. Welcome to the zombie apocalypse! But can Sloane and a handful of her friends survive? And will Sloane want to?
Scares: Of the jump variety.
Splat Factor: Lots of blood and bloody goop.
Subgenre: Teen Zombie Horrors
Year Released: Festival circuit 2025, wide release 2026
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Based on the book of the same name by Courtney Summers.
Trick or Treat?: Test takes a good idea, and fumbles it with disjointed editing, and a tedious plot. It’s one of those films that could have been much more than just fine, but couldn’t seem to find it’s stride.
It’s just a pity the majority of the film feels hollow thanks to lackluster . There are better teens-n-zombies stories out there; Night of the Comet for 80s fans, All of Us are Dead for K-horror, and Anna and the Apocalypse for folks who like music with their gore. And that’s just off the top of my head.
Flashbacks, dream sequences, and overall edits too disjointed. There’s a difference between suspense and WTF is going on. Test doesn’t seem to understand that. This is the kind of film that had me checking the run time on the player, to see if it was ending soon. It’s fine enough to zone out to, but don’t expect much.
Credit where credit’s due; there are moments where the film does good. Scream metal juxtaposed with the sweeping pan on the suburbs during the opening credits sets the mood nicely. The cast of teens make the most of their roles, creating believable characters enduring the unbelievable. The gore, while rather tame, is effective. And the climax, where our survivors try to get to Sloane’s house, has a solid feeling of suspense.
Come for the zombies, and the snacks you’ve grabbed. Stay for an ending that’s sweet, but probably won’t carry you through the dull “and then” storytelling. At least not after your popcorn bowl is empty.
Score: 2.5 out of 5 pumpkins. An extra half pumpkin for Luke Macfarlane’s amazing performance as Mr. Baxter, a teacher that also found his way to the school.
