Let me be straight with you here. If you’re intolerant of the limitations a budget tighter than a titanium truss inevitably places on the production of a film, then Alive, written and directed by David Marantz and filmed in Guildford in England, is probably not for you. I’ve previously mentioned that at Horrorbuzz we’re strongly supportive of independent films. They’re potentially the launchpad for aspiring filmmakers, so it’s worth remembering Spielberg-level productions can’t be expected without the cash, crew, and cast that are such major parts of the deal.

I’ve seen other independent films as clearly on a barely-there budget as this, and whilst at face value they may be easy to mock, they’re never completely without charm. Ok, so in the beginning, Alive‘s camerawork is noticeably off; some shots are a touch too long, others too brief to get a proper look at. The acting is definitely lacking, but certainly not for want of trying. Here’s where you realise how involved the production process is; used to the standards we’re generally fed by Hollywood, it’s only by seeing anything less we gain that insight. Besides, let’s be honest; we’ve all seen dodgy acting, even in the professional world.

Helen (Ellen Hillman), her boyfriend Kevin (Kian Pritchard) and Helen’s little brother Barney (Andrew and Daniel May-Gohrey) find themselves traversing a perilous world after an ‘infection’ (the amorphous type) ploughs through mankind, resulting in an unfortunate (and more than a little common, movie-wise) outbreak of mass Zombie-itis.

Barney having been bitten, the three have no choice but to strike out alone for help before Barney joins the ranks of bloodthirsty, chomping infected; and they don’t know how long they have. When they happen upon Dan (Andrew & Daniel May-Gohrey), who appears to be a man holed up alone, their hopes rise. We all know nothing’s that simple though; zombie apocalypse or not, Dan’s situation has its complexities, forcing the youngsters to soldier ever onward.

Their luck seems in when Father Albert (Stuart Matthews) and his flock of rather creepily cryptic parishioners clasp them to their collective bosom with an eagerness too intense to be anything but unnerving. Are they simply God-fearing church members, desperately relieved to find others as yet unsullied by the virulent virus, or do they have something else in mind which would horrify even the darkest of demons?

My warmth towards independent films largely centres around the effort and enthusiasm they abundantly exude. In Alive I saw more than that; enough promise in the plot devices to sit me up. Though it mainly follows the zombie-movie path we’ve come to expect from such a well-worked genre, it doesn’t stick to it rigidly; subtleties are there which draw it away from the crowd.

Take the zombie voices; instead of mindless, vaguely irritating blathering, there’s a sticky, almost insectile clicking which I’m not too proud to admit gave me the creeps, precisely because it was out of the norm. Similarly, the transition to zombie-state after being bitten’s almost instantaneous as a rule, yet here it’s gradual, giving the characters a clock to race against and a purpose other than defending themselves and reaching the sanctuary of ‘The Island.’

This, and the churchgoers’ ‘Haven’ are frequently mentioned, yet deliberately indistinct; are they two places? One? Or a rumour to lure everyone into far worse? For the sharp-eyed, clues to a motive behind the religious group’s effusiveness are tucked in here and there with impressive subtlety. If you can look past its empty pockets you may enjoy quietly pondering over Alive, just don’t focus on the acting too much.

4 out of 10 Poverty-Stricken Productions