The biggest question director Zak Hilditch lets linger with We Bury the Dead is: why would you make a zombie movie where the zombies do nothing?
If I chose to make movies instead of simply critiquing them (the former is hard, the latter is easy), I’d want to make a zombie movie. Zombies are gnarly, they’re dangerous, they’re exciting, they’re funny. They make for a great thrill ride, a fantastic examination of what people would do during the end of times.
You know what I wouldn’t do? I wouldn’t put effort into making a bunch of gruesome creatures who stare menacingly and grind their teeth in bone-shivering fashion only to have them just stand there.
That’s We Bury the Dead, a drama set among a zombie outbreak that also wants to be a thriller without committing to any real thrills. A zombie drama is certainly possible–other movies and shows have certainly explored the anguish of losing someone only for them to not really be completely gone–but typically such themes are explored amongst a broader story that is compelling, exciting, and/or humorous.
We Bury the Dead is otherwise well made. Hilditch sets the stage for something interesting and potentially unique, with citizens allowed back into a contaminated zone where some people have come back from the dead–to stand there and wait to be put down by the military. Hilditch dabbles with ideas done better elsewhere, with certain living people being a greater threat than the mindless creatures found locked in homes. Daisy Ridley is solid in the lead role, and the supporting cast is strong as well.
The creature design is top notch, the monsters frightening to look at. Their tendency to grind their teeth in gruesome fashion is a nice touch; it would be nice to see those teeth put to use.
But Hilditch largely wastes them, only teeing up one or two brief zombie sequences–the most notable one, shot from above, looks nice but the camera is held so far back that he loses any semblance of excitement or suspense. This scene also hints at a third act where shit will hit the fan, where the careful staging and set up Hilditch has been working at will pay off.
There’s no real third act, or at least not a satisfying one.
We Bury the Dead presents some compelling moments and you can see the potential lurking in the shadows, but a zombie movie where the zombies do nothing is best left buried with the dead.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.