!!! SUGGESTIVE SPOILERS !!! In the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse ( Yes another one ) where a cure has been found for the zombie virus a scientist called Ben Jacobs goes home to his wife who has been infected and worries that she may develop the full blown zombie disease
Obviously zombie apocalypses are popular with short film makers and it's easy to see why due to their easy production needs . You don't have to spend a fortune on elaborate make up etc . I can't help thinking that zombies a bit overused though . To be frank ALICE JACOBS IS DEAD doesn't necessarily have to use the tired cliché of human beings turn in to infected/undead and could have worked just as well with a virus that kills its victims stone dead . I can see what writer director Alex Horwitz is trying to do and it reminded me a little of another zombie short called CARGO where the human elements are very much to the fore . At the heart of the story is the present continuous love affair of Ben and Alice Jacobs a couple in late middle age . It's very much a human drama that doesn't rely on shock jump scares . The pace is very sedate which is by no means a criticism and the musical score is noticeable without ever becoming manipulative and intrusive and does have a lot of appeal to fans of short films and indie cinema . If there's a flaw in the ointment then it's to do with a pivotal scene at the end that relies far too much on violence and gore which seems included simply to appeal to the hardcore zombie fans which is a pity because it jars with the very understated nature of the majority of the film
Obviously zombie apocalypses are popular with short film makers and it's easy to see why due to their easy production needs . You don't have to spend a fortune on elaborate make up etc . I can't help thinking that zombies a bit overused though . To be frank ALICE JACOBS IS DEAD doesn't necessarily have to use the tired cliché of human beings turn in to infected/undead and could have worked just as well with a virus that kills its victims stone dead . I can see what writer director Alex Horwitz is trying to do and it reminded me a little of another zombie short called CARGO where the human elements are very much to the fore . At the heart of the story is the present continuous love affair of Ben and Alice Jacobs a couple in late middle age . It's very much a human drama that doesn't rely on shock jump scares . The pace is very sedate which is by no means a criticism and the musical score is noticeable without ever becoming manipulative and intrusive and does have a lot of appeal to fans of short films and indie cinema . If there's a flaw in the ointment then it's to do with a pivotal scene at the end that relies far too much on violence and gore which seems included simply to appeal to the hardcore zombie fans which is a pity because it jars with the very understated nature of the majority of the film