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The Girl With All The Gifts is meatier than your average zombie tell-all. Much like how 28 Days Later brought a militant, survivalist perspective to infection-based terror, director Colm McCarthy does cinematic justice to Mike Carey’s novel of the same name. This isn’t an “Omg we’re trapped and have to survive” horror flick (not totally). Jump scares play second-fiddle to a child, her volatile situation and McCarthy’s building towards something bigger. Enjoy a genre watch that has more to offer than decapitations, gore and petty exploitation. This is undead drama with the heartbreak to sustain. Coming-of-age meets flesh-tearing monsters. Why the hell is this being buried in late February?

Young Sennia Nanua stars as Melanie, said girl with said “gifts.” Civilization has been crippled by a fungal disease that turns people into cannibalistic drones (aka zombies), but Melanie represents hope. She’s a hybrid child who harbors infection,...

Gemma Arterton and Glenn Close grace the cast in this post-apocalyptic horror, but its atmosphere is punctured by stock cliches and am-dram gurning

There are some startling and eerie moments in this Ya-style horror thriller, adapted by Mike Carey from his 2014 bestseller – but some uncomfortable zombie cliches and uneven performances.

In a post-apocalyptic Britain, an army camp is encircled by “hungries”, who have to be kept at bay with automatic fire or flame-throwers. Meanwhile, within the compound, a group of special children – junior hungries with distinct mental abilities and zombie-ism under control – are being taught by liaison officer Helen Justineau (Gemma Arterton) in a special class, where they are held in restraints. They are studied by sinister scientist Dr Caroline Caldwell (Glenn Close) and supervised with military discipline by Sergeant Eddie Parks (Paddy Considine). But against all instructions, Helen is beginning to have indulgent feelings for her children, especially Melanie,...