A trio of of people go camping at night with leaving the flashlights in the car and they only enough food for one. We're talking experienced outdoorsmen here. Some form of UFO something does something and a cloud and a light and a few dollars of SFX later... zombies. The remainder of the movie is the trio and another wandering about in the woods in the dark. Or hanging out in camp. Or whining. Or resting. Or fighting amongst themselves. It's all equally uninteresting.
The zombies are bound by rules of engagement that ensure they never do anything mildly exciting. They can only run when they outnumber the humans. They are as easy to kill as humans. They can't speak, but they can call each other, though never when doing so would cause them to outnumber however many humans are nearby. The encounters are easy. The pulse never quickens. It's as if the movie is aimed at cardiac patients recovering in the IC.
The movie would be more interesting is these weren't without doubt the least inquisitive humans on earth. They never ask questions, seek to gain knowledge, or attempt to find out what is going on. They just assume life on earth is over and there is nothing better to do than randomly wander about the woods until they are either eaten or run out of supplies.
Unusually for a movie of this caliber, the lead actress delivers a competent performance. That's actually bad, because it highlights how poor everyone else is. Especially her sister. Whether acting high or sober, her scenes were uniformly dreadful.
Five stars on the strength of the lead actress, the mildly intriguing alien invasion plot, the camera and sound work. Especially given what they accomplished on a budget that wouldn't cover lunch for the cast at a fast food restaurant. How far worse projects than this receive funding when this received none is a mystery. I'd like to see what this lot could do with a decent budget and a better supporting cast. Five stars.
