Miss Zombie is a short Japanese social drama and horror movie shot in black and white. It convinces with great acting performances, gloomy atmosphere, calm camera techniques, artistic creativity and a solid plot.
It tells the story of a bourgeois family consisting of an adventurous son, an emotional mother and a self-centered father. They purchase a female zombie maid who became what she is under dramatic circumstances. She is the type of zombie that isn't dangerous as long as she isn't fed any meat. Her presence still isn't welcome as neighbours are afraid of her, children throw rocks at her and homeless people attempt to stab her on multiple occasions. This abuse soon continues at the family's home as the zombie maid is sexually abused by several men. Things get tense when her presence leads to conflicts between family members. The story reaches its climax when an unspeakable tragedy happens with unforeseeable consequences.
Miss Zombie is an intellectual movie that makes you wonder whether the zombie maid is the monster or the abusive women, men and children around her. The film starts as slow-paced but atmospherically gripping social drama and becomes a horrifying tale of tragedy, survival and murder. The movie also deals with complex topics such as family values, moral courage and the fate of minorities. Some critics even draw similarities between the fate of the fictional main character and refugees that are mistreated by foreigners. You can enjoy this movie as entertaining art house experiment but also as sociocritical work. In both cases, Miss Zombie is refreshingly different from any other movie involving zombies and could even appeal to audiences that usually don't care about fantasy or horror films thanks to this movies dramatic and realistic touch.
If you are open to think outside the box and accept a slow-paced movie in black and white in Japanese with English subtitles, you will discover a unique gem that mixes survival horror and family drama in a most poignant way. Miss Zombie is a movie you won't forget anytime soon as it offers food for thought, different interpretations and even elements to debate long after the film has concluded.
