Call them bloody Easter eggs if you like, but the characters and scenarios set up in WYRMWOOD are bizarre and eccentric.
Road of the dead film series#
On a side note, personally, WYRMWOOD is more akin to AMC’s TV Series The Walking Dead than it is to Romero’s classic DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978), but I can see both as influential.įor the true genre fans, the film offers more than it does for the average viewer. This twist on the storytelling allows the film to enter new territory, explore new concepts and suggest alternate talking points in the massively popular zombie genre.
Road of the dead film how to#
If you’d like a hint, refer to National Geographic’s TV series How to Survive the End of the World, Season 1: Episode 1: Zombie Earth (2013). Without giving anything away, I was pleased to see a film that suggests a twist on the origin of the zombie apocalypse that is new but also based on some level in fringe science. Horror stands strong as its base, but the film is as much science fiction as it is blood and guts. WYRMWOOD is a dark film, both in its content and in its humor, but it also melds genres. These are both films that helped pave the way for an entire genre, which is only now firmly taking hold on a wide scale. Such films as BAD TASTE (1987) and DEAD LIVE (1992) come to mind, both of which are far more graphic and violent than this, but whose influence is unmistakable. Stylistically, the film does display a touch of the Raimi brothers, but more appropriately the visual style and graphic violence of a younger, more raw Peter Jackson, who reigns from the neighboring New Zealand. WYRMWOOD can be viewed as MAD MAX meets DAWN OF THE DEAD, as some marketing suggests - the MAD MAX portion is clearly evident - but the film offers some additional nuances for the seasoned genre buff. With nothing left to lose, Barry suits up and knuckles down, setting out to locate and rescue his sister Brooke (Bianca Bradey) amidst a chaotic world of flesh-eating zombies and even less-savory human beings. We enter into the story as the epidemic has already set in, spreading throughout the Australian Outback, but our journey follows an average mechanic names Barry (Jay Gallagher) who witnesses his wife and daughter turn into zombies. Co-writer and director Kiah Roache-Turner has delivered an entertaining, fresh, sick and twisted genre film for the fans and it does not suck.Ĭo-written by brothers Kiah and Tristan Roache-Turner, WYRMWOOD is not just another zombie apocalypse film… well, actually it is, but its much more. WYRMWOOD was funded, in part, through crowdfunding. Like so many modern indie filmmakers, crowdfunding has been a crucial and liberating financial friend, allowing artists to reach out to their fans and peers directly, and in turn those fans and peers can have a direct and immediate impact on getting the films they want to see get made. We may be experiencing the beginning of a renaissance down under, and if you’re a fan of genre film, you’re in for a real treat. This is where Australia has repeatedly shown its glory, a revelation we first uncovered back in the 70s and a resurgence that has recently become realized by more and more viewers. There truly isn’t a one size fits all equation for filmmaking. I admit, I may sound like a grandstanding fool, but keep in mind this, like so many of the best indie films today, is not trying to please everyone. WYRMWOOD: ROAD OF THE DEAD is one of these films. These are the artists who take risks and will always find a way to make something fresh, original and entertaining. Indie filmmakers, the experimenters, the explorers, the balls-to-the-wall, no excuses, just make it happen and make it yours pioneers. It will come as no surprise that many a studio film is churned out in formulaic fear of stirring the pot, rousing the dormant interest of adventurous viewers, but we still have our independence.