Handling the Undead

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Ben D Twists have been done before in the zombie subgenre, but I’ve never seen one quite like this. Here, the zombies are the polar opposites of the berserking creatures from the 28 Days Later variety (ironically, because “berserking” was a Nordic-Viking phenomenon), and have returned from their fresh graves to… just kinda exist. It’s the unease that gets to you in Hvistendahl’s movie. For the most part, the undead are relatively fresh and the characters we meet are still mourning their losses. When their loved ones return, they are overcome with happiness, but also concern that what has returned to them is still… them. Had the film just continued on this trajectory, however, it would overstay its welcome and be relegated to a thought experiment, the zombies themselves resembling something more out of the original concept of “the zombie” — more about mindlessness and mind-control — than the groaning, mewling, sometimes sprinting masticators of warm flesh. Instead, the final thirty minutes, the most poignant of the movie, welcomingly descends into something familiar, if not still heartfelt. Not usually a “trigger warning” guy, but there’s an unpleasant scene around this time concerning an adorable bunny. Handling the Undead is beautiful and morose to look at. If color exists in Oslo, you don’t see it here. Its 99-minute run-time is to its detriment. With three parallel stories, we needed more time to get to know these characters. Anders Danielsen Lie is becoming one of those actors that I now perk up when seeing after his performances in The Worst Person in the World (82) and more recently (for me) The Night Eats the World (89) (another excellent, inventive zombie flick). Rarely do I bother reading a book after I’ve seen the movie — and hold out on the movie before reading the book — but because of Hvistendahl’s vision, I’ve added the novel to my reading list. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/25 Full Review Spike D Somewhere in this meditation on grief are interesting questions about the nature of existence, death, and the soul, but the whole experience is too subdued to tease them out. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/20/25 Full Review Logan D When deceased loved ones begin to return from the dead, families deal with emotional dissonance. Based upon a novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Let the Right One In), this film is about the emptiness we feel while grieving. I think many went into this film expecting zombie horror but the horror of losing someone involves reality, not fiction. It's very deliberately paced, poignant, and I found it engaging, especially the performance by Renate Reisve as a bereaved mother. This makes 3 for 3 of excellent adaptations of Lindqvist's works. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/15/25 Full Review Tomas T The premise of the film wouldn't be bad, but that's about it. The rest of it is an uninteresting bore, a totally unpolished boring movie. Perhaps only the beginning of the film is at least a little interesting in the sense that you wait for what happens, but nothing comes. For me a big disappointment. Moreover, if you are expecting a horror film as written, forget about horror, this film has little to do with horror. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/02/25 Full Review Anna M Perfectly captures the unsettling and sad mood of the novel, even though it leaves some of the storyline behind. It's hard to watch, but in a good way. Watch it, but don't expect your usual zombie action movie. It is slow, and should be that way. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/27/24 Full Review Christina L Oh my goodness this is an absolutely awful movie! It is slow, boring and the acting is lackluster! There is no plot and the people are doing the dumbest thing which is sitting around and staring at their dead love ones!! I am not sure why some people are giving this a good review but don’t waste your time! Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 12/09/24 Full Review Read all reviews

Handling the Undead

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