Zombie uprising is zapped of zealous exuberance resulting in quizzical unorganized zonked-out, zig-zagging frazzled exhibition exacerbated by bumfuzzled zaniness and zero razzmatazz.

Amityville Uprising starts with numerous news reports describing an explosion at a military base in Amityville resulting in torrential downpours of acid rain.

Written and directed by Thomas J. Churchill, he’s no stranger to the franchise as his prior work consists of Amityville Moon and Amityville Harvest. The main characters are introduced along with title cards for a stylish effect. The director uses basic point-and-shoot techniques. No unique camera angles or lenses were used which could have added to the style initially put to use that pans out over time, not to be seen again. It feels more like Resident Evil. It does not refer to the infamous haunted house or the events that transpired like many other films aside from his using the name Amityville in the title only.

It feels very generic playing up many zombie sub-genre clichés bringing nothing innovative in the writing. It doesn’t explain why the undead arising is reanimated. The pacing is off because the plot tediously meanders around in circles before getting to the point. Things don’t pick up until about halfway through. There’s no tension or suspense, just people talking, having conversations about their personal lives irrelevant to the plot. The practical effects are lacklustre with cheap-looking CGI as well. Feels like a made-for-TV movie too because of its low production value. Good films can be made with low budgets when they’re put to good use.

The insipid overacting is distracting. When characters are allegedly devastated by a certain someone’s death, the devastating emotional impact isn’t felt but comes across as laughable. It’s questionable why some characters are in Amityville Uprising at all because they serve no purpose to the plot. None of them are likeable or relatable, just one-dimensional caricatures to serve up a body count. Scott C. Roe plays Sergeant Thomas Dash. He’s going through marital problems which lead to a disconnection with his son. Kole Benfield is Jimmy Dash. He’s become estranged from his father and has harboured negative emotions because of it. It’s the only relevant subplot but isn’t even introduced until way too late so it ends up getting lost in the shuffle with no payoff.

The rest of the cast includes Troy Fromin is officer Brian Mallory, Tank Jones is Lieutenant Howie Stevenson, Kelly Lynn Reiter plays Officer Nina Rossi, and Michael Ferguson is Detective Lance McQueen. Their forgettable subplots add nothing to the first act which is a shame because some of these actors have proven to be good at what they do before this film. Unfortunately, they don’t have much material to work with. It’s pretty bad when the groaning Zombies are more interesting than the living people.

Overall, zombie films are a personal favourite subgenre because of sentimental reasons so I’m always excited when I come across a new one. What started as an intriguing premise is presented with uninspired, derivative writing and lacking innovation in most aspects of filmmaking. It feels like a film going through the motions of countless films I’ve seen before. Had they focused more time on a smaller group in the police station and gotten to the point sooner, a smaller cast of characters could have been more fully developed. This would make certain death scenes more emotionally impactful. I was disappointed for these reasons and I didn’t find Amityville Uprising enjoyable nor would I watch it again. I wouldn’t recommend it even to die-hard zombie fans. And remember zombie fans’ lives matter.

4 Out of 10