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Released By: Maya Entertainment
Released On: 03/08/2011
Director: Ricardo Islas
Cast: Adriana Catano, Roberto Montesinos, Monica Munoz
The Film:
These days, let's face it, anything with zombies will sell like hotcakes. This is pretty unfortunate for those of us who are actually fans of all things Undead when it comes to sorting the good stuff out from the garbage. And you have to admit, calling a film The Zombie Farm is a pretty decent way to get it labeled as crap right out of the gate. Why the producers didn't go with the original title of Macumba, I have no idea, but it might have had a bit more of a chance. In the end, though, it doesn't really matter. The Zombie Farm is not a bad film per se, but is not really worth mentioning.
Written and Directed by Ricardo Islas, the film opens with filmmaker Pilar Franco trying to sell her documentary on abused Latino women to a Hispanic television station. Unfortunately for her, they're not looking for such serious content. Later at home, she stumbles across a commercial for the United Parapsychologists of America, a shady fortune-telling operation run by Roque El Santero. Deciding that a documentary on this Latino Howard Stern look-a-like will probably sell, she visits his office to explain the project to him. Roque is reluctant to expose himself to bad publicity, but ultimately agrees to the project.
Meanwhile, one of Roque's former clients, a woman who has been beaten repeatedly beaten by her husband, goes to a Voodoo Priestess for the solution to her problem that Roque could not provide. The Priestess concocts a potion for the husband, which kills him; but then brings him back to life. In fear for her life, she returns to Roque's office and explains the situation to him, prompting him and Pilar to investigate this evil Macumba. What they discover is a plot that seems so ridiculous that it may just work; the Macumba is turning the Hispanic community into zombies to use for cheap labour on her farm. Her ZOMBIE FARM. Get it?
It does sound completely laughable, and it more or less is. The Zombie Farm has so many different elements written into it that Islas can almost be forgiven for not bringing them together in the end. Zombie films utilizing comedy, horror, and social commentary have worked for George Romero, but this film is no Dawn Of The Dead. The film does have some genuinely good moments, and some surprisingly touching scenes. Adriana Cataí±o is a solid actress, and her light-hearted interaction with Roberto Montesinos as Roque, also a good actor, was the most entertaining thing about the film. The budget, however, was the ultimate sinking point for The Zombie Farm as far as the undead were concerned; although there are zombies in the movie, we don't really see them until the end, and they're not that….convincing. If you're looking for gore, you're not going to find it, outside of some light makeup and very budget CGI. And while the acting is good for the most part, the action sequences fall flat thanks to some particularly unconvincing choreography.
The most off-putting aspect of The Zombie Farm is the political commentary. It's good to see an ethnic group represented so well, and Islas was clearly concerned with writing as much Hispanic content as possible. However, the random rants about Homeland Security destroying Latino families, and US Marines raping women in Hispanic countries comes off as forced and preachy. I'm sure that the topics mentioned are genuine concerns in the Hispanic community, but they're undermined by less than convincing delivery.
It would be great if Islas could get a shot at making another film, with a little more money and a little less politics; and maybe a solid co-writer. He's got some great ideas, but they don't gel in The Zombie Farm.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The Zombie Farm is presented in an anamorphic 1.78:1 transfer, and it the picture quality is fair at best. Although some scenes come across as much better than others, the picture is very soft for the most part, giving it a made-for-TV look. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is adequate for the release, with minimal action in the surrounds, though for some reason it does seem to fire up every time a car drives by in the film. The dialogue is clear at all times, with no real issues.
A Behind The Scenes featurette is included in the form of an episode of the show UNConventional, a show that seems to originate out of the Louisiana area. Hosted by Becky Phares, this 17 minute supplement discusses the filming of The Zombie Farm in Louisiana, mentioning the tax advantages and the locations. Ricardo Islas is interviewed as well to talk about the Hispanic target market of the film, the origin and evolution of his ideas, and his experience with filming on location. Some of the actors are also interviewed and discuss their experiences on the film, as well as some of the personnel from Maxim Entertainment.
Also included are 8 Trailers for other Maya releases.
The Final Word:
Like many other films that are not so great, The Zombie Farm starts off with a little bit of potential and some thought-provoking ideas; it's unfortunate that Ricardo Islas wasn't able to keep it together.
