October 9 – The Battery (2012)
Posted: by Findlay
The Battery (2012) Directed by Jeremy Gardener
In One Sentence: A character driven zombie films that gets it right.
Why You Should Watch: The Battery is one of the best zombie films ever made. Easily. No Question. Why? Because it basically avoids every piss poor zombie trope that ever existed and focuses on what really matters: great characters.
The film revolves around two characters, that’s it. Two friends surviving across the country together. What the Battery does so well is that it exists within its means. A micro-budget horror film not trying to disguise itself with dire CGI and other trappings. It just works. The story, acting, and relationship between the two characters is so real and tangible you forget you’re watching a FILM. You invest your time and love into these two guys.
The shooting style is also totally beautiful, doing that low budget trick of shooting wide to make the film seem bigger budget. There are tendrils of story that hint about the world and beyond and what might have happened to people and the possibility of surviving human factions but this isn’t what makes the story. Incredible writing with a real love for the genre and the AUDIENCE totally elevates this little film into one of the best ever. Seriously. There are zombies in it sure, but they aren’t there as true menace, more a nuisance. Even the southern-tinged soundtrack (which was sourced in by favours and a snowballing group effort) is incredible, with the songs lying around everywhere in the film, punctuating the setting aswell as helping the characters not be bored. There’s also a HUGE single take at the end that is so fucking impressive I guarantee you’ll be talking about it for ages.
Favourite Line: “You’re an optimist, Im a realist. And that’s cool, but it’s gonna get you killed. Like those fuckin headphones.”
