The Eschatrilogy: Book of the Dead (2012)

How sad is this?

Boring

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Matthew (Tim Mcgill Grieveson) lives by himself in a self sufficient post zombie apocalypse era. He spends his time burning bodies and trying to contact people by radio. A stranger (Stuart Wolfenden) comes to his isolated "fortress" only to pass out. Mathew reads zombie stories from the stranger's book which comprises much of the film. The first episode concerns the rural beginnings of the zombie issue as a cowboy looking fellow with hat and spurs emerging from a grave as an anti-Christ or something (the explanation tried to be religious without being religious) and starts the zombie craze in a nation that doesn't have a Second Amendment designed to protect the general population from such things.The second story is in a small city during the peak of the outbreak and the third concerns the beginning of a remote survivalist group. As always in such tales, the fourth story concerns the story teller.My biggest fear of obtaining this DVD (Walmart $9.96) was that the three tales would be parts of other films, or worse, a hand held camera running and screaming in the dark. That was not the case. The zombies were decently made up with a Tor Johnson looking guy who seemed to be on the screen more than George Clooney in a George Clooney film. The stories circled back with minor irony. However on the down side there was no character development. Most characters are alive for 20-30 minutes of screen time before they stick their arms up in the air and start dragging their feet.The zombie direction seemed to be a bit off. Their movement was hit and miss. Sometimes they attack, other times they ignore. In one scene a little zombie girl has her hands down and is just standing in front of a human, then after the camera pans away and comes back, she suddenly has her arms up in zombie attack mode. The motion was awkward.Parental Guidance: F-bomb. No sex or nudity. Works as a rental.

It is easy to be cynical about the state of play of the filmmaking industry in Britain with the recent closing of the UK Film Council and the cuts made to arts funding by the government. Low-budget independent productions such as The Eschatrilogy blow these doubts out of the water, however, as they prove that money isn't everything. What is really important is the creative collective drive of passionate filmmakers determined to make something special and passion is something this film has by the bucket load.The film opens with a montage of sole survivor Matthew (Tim Mcgill Grieveson) biding his time in a desolate forest hut. In between transporting zombie roadkill to the forest in a wheelbarrow he attempts to send out radio signals for other potential survivors. This sequence is beautifully shot, edited and acted, giving an indication of the fantastic cinematography right from the get-go. Although it is a lengthy scene to begin the film, we really get a sense of Matthew's loneliness and depravity in a bleak situation and this sets the tone for the three 'nightmare' segments that follow: 'Dead Inside', 'The Dying Breed' and 'A Father For The Dead'.Now I won't spoil either of the stories - it is really something you have to see to believe how well the three sections are tied together by the survivor plot - but I can tell you that you won't have seen anything like this before. Clearly Romero's zombie series was a huge inspiration for The Eschatrilogy; however never once did you witness Romero's zombies show emotion and remorse for the beasts they had become. The overriding theme here is family and, like Romero, director/writer/actor Damian Morter weaves what can be interpreted as a social commentary of the present day. Cal (Morter) travels the land whilst documenting tales of horror in his book to act as a warning for others to support one another no matter what the circumstances. It goes to show that in the midst of economic crisis and war faith can be restored in humanity by supporting family and friends through difficult times.In short: watch this film if you are even marginally interested in British horror. I can assure you that you won't believe it is such a low-budget production with all the talent on display. Safehouse Pictures UK is certainly an independent company to watch out for in the future.

Both the storyline and the technical work put into this film are excellent. Home grown talent within the North of the UK, the professionalism portrayed by the cast, crew and the directors shines through. Unlike many movies of this genre that I have seen, the special effects are very realistic. The storyline has your mind wondering and on the edge of your seat, with a brilliant twist at the end. This film keeps the audience in suspense and left me wanting more! I find that the fact the director (Damian Morter) both directs and stars in the film complimentary to the ethics of this movie. Both Husband and wife (Nicola Morter) have worked together on this and this can be seen, as despite the movie being about zombies, it has a very humanistic, thought provoking storyline. It is not just your stereo-typical all blood and gore zombie movie, but it actually touches the heart of the audience and would delve into the heart of even the most hardened of zombie movie addict.This movie appeals to both men and women, providing a good balance of SFX with a safe measure of a compassion of what a person would go through if they were to be in this type of situation.The acting from both the main actors and the rest of the cast is believable and consistent throughout the whole of the movie. Especially, the eeriness of the children in the film, who act their parts out very well. All round a brilliant movie a definite must see!

Aesthetically stunning movie, set around diverse and interesting characters.Set in a post-apocalyptic world over run with zombies being led by a dark mysterious and demonic character.Man-kinds days are numbered as the unstoppable force of darkness continues to rip through society as we know it.(Not many, if any will survive) Beautifully shot, with some great effects and make up. with an amazing score by Robert Wingfield and some cracking performances with two dead mans shoes actors and a CBBC presenter included in the cast. Loved the characters of Matthew, Cal, Big S, Alex. This is a low budget movie but it really dose not show i have seen big budget films with less production values and if i was told this was shot on a budget of a million i would not bat an eyelid. The Eschartrilogy is definitely worth a watch!No zombie film collection is complete without this movie.