Survival is a French Horror/comedy and was the thirteenth entry at the Horror-Rama Film Festival. It starts by showing the day in the life of young store clerk Zak. Suddenly a small tick lands on the back of his neck that continues to grow. After his probationary period, Zak is offered a full-time position. He turns it down to care for his terminally ill mom and pursue his dream of songwriting. Later it shows tensions are high in his housing community. After a home invasion, Zak is stuffed in a trunk by his neighbours as they drive away. They take him to the woods and beat him up, for example.
Director Phillipe SFEZ uses impressive aerial shots to show off his homeland. He does a good job of showing what life is like on the other side of the world. The horror elements are downplayed until the stunning finale. Good practical effects for the tick are good too.
The entire ensemble cast does well at making their public housing complex feel like a shared, lived-in community. Each one has a story arc, all of them going in and out of Zak’s life. By doing this, the statement made is we’re not so different than those across the pond. What it lacks in horror it makes up for in strong character development. Unfortunately, this is when this gets messy because the story meanders before getting to the point. Only a handful of the subplots end up mattering too.
Overall, I enjoy a good slice-of-life movie, and adding a horror spin to it is refreshing. While the humour didn’t sit well with me there’s a running gag involving the song “I Will Survive” that’s used humorously. It’s noteworthy how the audience laughed out loud several times. By the end, they clapped and cheered at this crowd-pleaser. It’s also left open for a sequel so I’m curious how the story will continue. It has its flaws but it’s outweighed by its undeniable charm. I recommend this for fans of horror comedies and slice-of-life films. And remember, at one point Zak says things took a weird turn…that’s an understatement.
