In a world where sentient Zombies and Humans coexist in society, Monstro must find a job to support his Zombie family. Does he have the brains to get ahead? Directed by Eric Rafael Ibarra and Mark Newton, they keep Cholo Zombies: Monstro vibrantly colourful to a heightened extent to the point where it feels like a live-action cartoon. The wackiness that ensues certainly fits the bill.

The practical effects are superbly done with the occasional green screen effects that don’t particularly look too good. It’s distractingly bad. It reminds me of other YouTubers’ videos but they did it so much better. It does have great creature makeup designs for the Zombies. Each one has a unique look so it’s easy to distinguish who each character is. The production value is noticeably low, though. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but at times it doesn’t feel like a movie. It feels more like a YouTube video instead. It even looks like the film crew shot it on their cell phones. Sometimes it takes away from the experience rather than adding to it.

Written by Mark Newton, the script follows Monstro as he navigates the streets of East LA. Aside from the slice-of-life story, there’s no real plot. He tries and fails several times via a montage before settling on selling stolen wigs for big money. After getting arrested his wife leaves him and takes their daughter with her. Now he must get his life together to win her back. It’s as predictable as it gets. For a horror/ comedy, it isn’t that funny. For example, slapstick comedy is appealing to multiple generations. This film includes that but it feels so forced the humour is absent. There’s a running gag, for instance, about Monstro losing his head because he’s a zombie but why is that funny? What is the joke? The dialogue is clunky too. Conversations don’t feel like people talking, they feel rehearsed and scripted. It took me out of the experience again.

Vince Romo plays Monstro. It feels like most of his lines are ad-libbed but he needs more practice at improv. Loretta Vamps plays Vamps, Monstro’s wife. Lilith Vamps Monstra, their daughter. Carlos Carrasco plays Smiley, a friend. Wilson Ramirez plays Payaso, Monstro’s rival. Brian Eric Johnson plays Sheriff Tom. The rest of the acting is inconsistent. Some of the performances are over-the-top cooky while others fall flat.

Overall, due to the low production value, sloppy writing, and abysmal acting I didn’t find Cholo Zombies: Monstro very enjoyable or entertaining. Each conversation feels like a comedy sketch that goes on far too long. That’s the best way to describe this film. A live-action cartoon series of comedy sketches loosely connected creating an incohesive narrative lacking comedy. I know I’m not the target audience so perhaps some humour went over my head. Regardless, it’s the writers’ job to appeal to the broadest audience possibly because some situations are universally funny. It touches on themes of prejudice, social inequality, and the pressures of parenthood, however, this flick hardly takes itself that seriously. It reminds me of a less witty version of Shaun of the Dead or Zombieland without the biting social commentary. Pun entirely intended. I wouldn’t recommend this but the best way to judge a film is to watch it yourself. Just because it wasn’t my cup of tea doesn’t mean you won’t like it. It just wasn’t for me. It’s available now, for free, on Tubi. And remember, to become a thriving Zombie it takes…. Dead-ication.

5 out of 10