Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard (Blu-ray / DVD)
Staci Layne Wilson
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Starring Billy Zane, Dee Wallace, Mischa Barton, Felissa Rose, Gabrielle Stone
Directed by B. Harrison Smith
Distributed by Anchor Bay Home Entertainment
Billy Zane’s film acting career has more ups and downs than a seesaw. He’s aces in the water – Dead Calm, Titanic – but when it comes to dry land – Bloodrayne and now Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard – he’s sunk.
Somehow, Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard also stars “The O.C.” hottie Mischa Barton and horror icons Dee Wallace and Felissa Rose and features fancy FX work by Toby Sells (known for “The Walking Dead”). I’m not sure how such talent was lured in, but it couldn’t have been the script to this blatant rip-off of the aforementioned “The Walking Dead.” (Sells doesn’t have a non-compete clause in his contract, I’m assuming?)
Right down to the ensemble cast, talky tone, brainless shambling undead, and the fenced-in plague survivors, this flick doesn’t miss stealing a beat. There’s even a paintball scene reminiscent of Severance (2006), Backwoods (2008), and Paintball (2009). Yawn.
Here’s the skinny on the plot: The cloistered children of the townspeople that long ago fenced themselves off from the rest of the world to hide from marauding zombies find that they are running low on supplies – and paintballs. So, a select few are tasked with venturing out and bringing back supplies to help feed the waiting residents of Elwood. Needless to say, it’s a dangerous mission, and a few brains are eaten before the end credits roll. (I’m generalizing a bit – actually, the zombies are described as the more PC “organism-based epidemic sufferers.”)
The acting is fine in the film (if bordering on histrionic – at least somebody’s excited), as are the effects (standard issue – but if you enjoy ooze and rot, there’s no shortage), but the lackluster plot and shaky-cam cinematography are bound to have more viewers diving for the fast-forward button early on, skipping to the end and not missing a thing in-between.
Needless to say, this humdrum horror is for hardcore zombie flick fans only.
Special Features:
- “Bloodbath and Beyond” featurette
- “The Look of Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard” featurette
- “Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard” Behind the Scenes featurette
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Film
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Special Features
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