Look, I get it. Somewhere between the release of28 Weeks Laterand the fourth season ofThe Walking Dead, the idea of the zombie apocalypse began losing its sparkle. The fact that we had to sit through that absolutely horrible adaptation ofWorld War ZwithBrad Pittdid not help matters one bit. Decades afterNight of the Living Dead, the conceit of the zombies went from being situational, surreal, and terrifying to being a reflection of How We Live Now and the returns have been largely sub-par.
Still, I have a very weak constitution when it comes to horror, and with the release of the trailer ofThe Girl With All The Gifts, which you may peep below, I’m suddenly vaguely interested in this nonsense again. It’s an adaptation ofM.R. Carey’s positively received novel of the same name, which sets up a universe where the world has largely been turned into the undead. All the while, a small contingency of survivors is attempting to create a cure underground, as well as teach the younger infested citizens to behave.
It’s familiar territory, and the trailer suggests a plethora of rote thematic concerns, including institutionalization, disease control, militaristic rule, and, of course, hope in the youth. And yet when that kid takes a big bite out of that poor soul’s neck amidst a ghastly battle between the living and the undead, I get interested real quick. Such is my sickness. The film is directed by veteran BBC directorColm McCarthy, and stars the likes ofGlenn Close,Gemma Arterton,Paddy Considine, andSennia Nanua, who plays the titular youngster who has the disease and yet can resist her nature. The film will be released in UK theaters on September 23rd, and will likely have a US premiere in the months to follow, which I may very well be super excited about for totally shameful reasons.
Here’s the first trailer forThe Girl With All The Gifts:
