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TADFF Review: Zombie Christmas Musical ‘Anna and the Apocalypse’ Hits All the Right Notes

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Anna and the Apocalypse

Zombie movies have been a staple in the horror genre for decades. It’s a subgenre that has found wild popularity due to its versatility; you can build a concept with any Mad Libs-style combination of location, rules of infection, emotional tone, character tropes, and creative kills (social critique optional, but always helpful). Despite this – or perhaps because of it – it can be genuinely difficult to create a zombie movie that generates new interest. At this point, what haven’t we seen before?

Enter Anna and the Apocalypse.

Made with equal parts Christmas movie, zombie splatter, coming-of-age tale, and musical comedy, Anna and the Apocalypse stirs in tropes from each genre to serve a triumphant cocktail that’s destined to become a classic.

Think of it as Shaun of the Dead meets High School Musical.

via VVS Films

In the film, a zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – forcing Anna (Ella Hunt) and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.

Written by Alan McDonald and the late Ryan McHenry (who created Zombie Musical, the BAFTA winning short film on which the film was based) and directed by John McPhail, Anna and the Apocalypse is full of all the incredibly catchy songs and theatrical choreography you’d expect from any large-scale musical production.

Zombie elements aside, Anna and the Apocalypse is also just a legitimately good musical. The cast is stacked with talented triple threats that act, sing, and dance their way through fight choreography with pitch-perfect comedic timing. They’re gifted performers who nail the score with soaring harmonies and emotional reprises. A special mention goes to actress Marli Siu as Lisa for her hilarious Christmas pageant performance that puts any version of “Santa Baby” to pearl-clutching shame.

via IMDb

For fans of both horror movies and musicals, Anna and the Apocalypse will hit a lot of familiar beats. There are moments sprinkled throughout that are reminiscent of films like Grease, West Side Story, High School Musical, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Repo! The Genetic Opera, and Dawn of the Dead.

The film reveals an over-the-top, larger-than-life villain in the third act that would be completely absurd in any other setting, but, one should consider the fact that regularly breaking into song and elaborate dance numbers is naturally accepted as part of this narrative. Within that context, a diabolical twist isn’t so outrageous.

Anna and the Apocalypse does have a lot of overlapping genre ideas, however it manages to balance and pace out all of these elements extremely well. Nothing becomes too overwhelming; just when you forget it’s a Christmas movie, you see tinsel. When you start to think that it’s lost the musical element, boom, there’s another song.

Anna and the Apocalypse

via IMDb

Like Shaun of the Dead, the film does embrace its comedic moments, but knows when to take a more somber tone to respect emotional scenes. Similarly, you’re not left in a low point for too long – there’s an ebb and flow with well-timed levity to release tension. Anna and the Apocalypse slides through these emotional points with a graceful choreography.

While it’s true that zombie movies have been losing traction, this has actually been to a great benefit as new contributions to this subgenre have to bring fresh meat in order to get any attention. With its earworm soundtrack, cheeky humor, emotional depth, outrageous kills, and festive focus, Anna and the Apocalypse is definitely unlike anything else – both in the horror genre and beyond – and it’s fucking delightful.

via VVS Films

For more from the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, read our review of Tigers Are Not Afraid or check out the 5 Films We’re Stoked to See.

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“The Lost Boys” – A Classic Film Reimagined as a Musical [Teaser Trailer]

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The Lost Boys Musical

The iconic 1987 horror-comedy “The Lost Boys” is set for a reimagining, this time as a stage musical. This ambitious project, directed by Tony Award winner Michael Arden, is bringing the vampire classic to the world of musical theatre. The show’s development is spearheaded by an impressive creative team including producers James Carpinello, Marcus Chait, and Patrick Wilson, known for his roles in “The Conjuring” and “Aquaman” films.

The Lost Boys, A New Musical Teaser Trailer

The musical’s book is penned by David Hornsby, notable for his work on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, and Chris Hoch. Adding to the allure is the music and lyrics by The Rescues, comprised of Kyler England, AG, and Gabriel Mann, with Tony Award nominee Ethan Popp (“Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”) as the Music Supervisor.

The show’s development has reached an exciting phase with an industry presentation set for February 23, 2024. This invitation-only event will showcase the talents of Caissie Levy, known for her role in “Frozen,” as Lucy Emerson, Nathan Levy from “Dear Evan Hansen” as Sam Emerson, and Lorna Courtney from “& Juliet” as Star. This adaptation promises to bring a fresh perspective to the beloved film, which was a significant box office success, earning over $32 million against its production budget.

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Rock Music & Goopy Practical Effects in ‘Destroy All Neighbors’ Trailer

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The heart of rock and roll is still beating in the Shudder original Destroy All Neighbors. Over-the-top practical effects are also alive in this release coming to the platform on January 12. The streamer released the official trailer and it has some pretty big names behind it.

Directed by Josh Forbes the movie stars Jonah Ray Rodrigues, Alex Winter, and Kiran Deol.

Rodrigues plays William Brown, “a neurotic, self-absorbed musician determined to finish his prog-rock magnum opus, faces a creative roadblock in the form of a noisy and grotesque neighbor named Vlad (Alex Winter). Finally working up the nerve to demand that Vlad keep it down, William inadvertently decapitates him. But, while attempting to cover up one murder, William’s accidental reign of terror causes victims to pile up and become undead corpses who torment and create more bloody detours on his road to prog-rock Valhalla. Destroy All Neighbors is a twisted splatter-comedy about a deranged journey of self-discovery full of goopy practical FX, a well-known ensemble cast, and LOTS of blood.”

Take a look at the trailer and let us know what you think!

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A Boy Band Kills Our Favorite Reindeer in “I Think I Killed Rudolph”

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The new movie There’s Something in the Barn seems like a tongue-in-cheek holiday horror movie. It’s like Gremlins but bloodier and with gnomes. Now there is a song on the soundtrack that captures the humor and horror of the movie called I Think I Killed Rudolph.

The ditty is a collab between two Norwegian boy bands: Subwoofer and A1.

Subwoofer was s Eurovision entrant in 2022. A1 is a popular act from the same country. Together they killed poor Rudolph in a hit-and-run. The humorous song is a part of the film which follows a family fulfilling their dream, “of moving back after inheriting a remote cabin in the mountains of Norway.” Of course, the title gives away the rest of the movie and it turns into a home invasion — or — a gnome invasion.

There’s Something in the Barn releases in cinemas and On Demand December 1.

Subwoofer and A1
There’s Something in the Barn

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