Church bells ring morbidly, but New Jersey newlyweds Tracy Coogan and Graham Sibley (as Denise and Danny Zanders) are very happily married. Bounding out of the church, they take off in their "Just Married" car with Mr. Sibley at the wheel and Ms. Coogan bobbing her head in his lap. The honeymoon goes well, although one kiss does seem like a foreshadowing bite. With a little "Endless Summer" (1966) music, Sibley goes surfing. While the couple relaxes on the beach, an ugly zombie emerges from the ocean. He falls full front on Sibley and spews dark vomit down his throat. It appears like Sibley may die from the encounter. Coogan is happy when her husband miraculously recovers, but the couple faces a zombie challenge...
Neatly written and directed by David Gebroe, "Zombie Honeymoon" is essentially a love story. The horror and gore are present, but Mr. Gebroe does not focus on fright. This sort of monster drama recalls the supernatural characters explored by Dan Curtis on TV in "Dark Shadows" and Anne Rice in her "Vampire Lestat" novels. Explicitly, Mr. Gebroe's script identifies being a zombie as "an affliction." The couple must deal with the potentially monstrous condition and make it work in their marriage, or not...
Coogan and Sibley perform well and we understand their plight. Still, there is very an audience can invest in their characters. He likes to surf, she likes oral sex and they got married. They like Portugal, too. That's all great, for them. Generally, we are spectators and do not participate in their interests and activities. A couple of exceptions are among Mr. Gebroe's highlights. He intimately opens a scene by panning Coogan's legs as she dozes in her underwear, then discovers her groom sick in the bathroom. In this sequence, we are brought seductively and effectively into the drama. Lastly, near the end of the film, Coogan has a brief, dreamy vision of Sibley which shows a romanticism that should have been part of the story's opening.
***** Zombie Honeymoon (10/23/2004) David Gebroe ~ Tracy Coogan, Graham Sibley, Tonya Cornelisse, David M. Wallace
Neatly written and directed by David Gebroe, "Zombie Honeymoon" is essentially a love story. The horror and gore are present, but Mr. Gebroe does not focus on fright. This sort of monster drama recalls the supernatural characters explored by Dan Curtis on TV in "Dark Shadows" and Anne Rice in her "Vampire Lestat" novels. Explicitly, Mr. Gebroe's script identifies being a zombie as "an affliction." The couple must deal with the potentially monstrous condition and make it work in their marriage, or not...
Coogan and Sibley perform well and we understand their plight. Still, there is very an audience can invest in their characters. He likes to surf, she likes oral sex and they got married. They like Portugal, too. That's all great, for them. Generally, we are spectators and do not participate in their interests and activities. A couple of exceptions are among Mr. Gebroe's highlights. He intimately opens a scene by panning Coogan's legs as she dozes in her underwear, then discovers her groom sick in the bathroom. In this sequence, we are brought seductively and effectively into the drama. Lastly, near the end of the film, Coogan has a brief, dreamy vision of Sibley which shows a romanticism that should have been part of the story's opening.
***** Zombie Honeymoon (10/23/2004) David Gebroe ~ Tracy Coogan, Graham Sibley, Tonya Cornelisse, David M. Wallace