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Handling the Undead

R Released May 31 1h 37m Horror Drama Mystery & Thriller TRAILER for List
75% Tomatometer 80 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
On a hot summer day in Oslo, the dead mysteriously awaken, and three families are thrown into chaos when their deceased loved ones come back to them. Who are they, and what do they want? A family is faced with the mother's reawakening before they have even mourned her death after a car accident; an elderly woman gets the love of her life back the same day she has buried her; a grandfather rescues his grandchild from the gravesite in a desperate attempt to get his daughter out of her depression. Handling the Undead is a drama with elements of horror about three families, a story about grief and loss, but also about hope and understanding of what we can't comprehend or control.
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Handling the Undead

Handling the Undead

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Critics Consensus

A grounded zombie picture with emotional bite, Handling the Undead shuffles along at a patient pace but succeeds as a poignant and thoughtful addition to the genre.

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Critics Reviews

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Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com Hvistendahl treats the audience with respect, her and Lindqvist’s reworking of the latter’s source material respectful, intelligent, and overflowing in empathy. Rated: 3.5/4 Jun 9, 2024 Full Review Randy Myers San Jose Mercury News Composer Peter Raeburn’s beautifully sad soundtrack along with Pål Ulvik Rokseth’s cinematography contribute to creating a tragic mood that’s hard to let go of after the film’s sad conclusion. Rated: 3/4 Jun 6, 2024 Full Review Brent Simon AV Club The cooking comparison for Handling the Undead would be a sauce that’s broken, its elements having separated. There’s a genuine sense of lived-in sadness here, but this would-be elegy doesn't offer quite enough mesmeric insights to justify its somberness. Rated: C- Jun 6, 2024 Full Review Rich Cline Shadows on the Wall The downbeat tone means that this isn't an easy film to watch, and it holds its nerve by never offering much hope. Rated: 3.5/5 Sep 17, 2024 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews An uneasy and somber atmospheric zombie tale on grief. Rated: B+ Aug 23, 2024 Full Review David Griffiths Subculture Entertainment Slow at times but a real game-changer in the genre. You don't normally associate a zombie film being thought-provoking and an emotional ride. Rated: 3.5/5 Aug 17, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Cain M Really great. Thought provoking. Wonderful acting and directing. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/09/24 Full Review Audience Member If there was an Oscar category for the most boring zombie movie ever, this one would win by a landslide. I would rather watch paint dry. If you suffer from insomnia, watch this movie and you'll be cured. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/01/24 Full Review Audience Member Calling this a horror movie is being very generous with the term “horror”. The director expects us to form an emotional connection with characters that don’t speak and sit in silence over lo by drawn out shots. If you like 30 second shots of people brushing their teeth, drinking wine, or boarding a train I’m sure you’ll enjoy it this very artsy self obsessed film. For everyone else watch the last 20 minutes, you won’t miss anything and you’ll have saved yourself 70 minutes of nonsense. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/01/24 Full Review Audience Member This deliberately slow paced zombie film is like nothing seen before. More focused on grief and compassion for the families left behind. Artfully crafted! Highly recommend! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/25/24 Full Review Michael S This is an extremely morbid movie. Very little dialogue and long shots of a bleak, depressing Oslo. The acting was top notch and the players succeed in showing what depression looks like. It was hard to watch the reanimated corpses as the minimalistic fx were a little too realistic. If the director was looking to create a cold, bleak movie, they succeded. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/25/24 Full Review Horror fan 4 This is a slow starting movie with very little dialogue. If it wasn't for the third act this would've been a 1/10. Tim Treakle Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/22/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Handling the Undead

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis On a hot summer day in Oslo, the dead mysteriously awaken, and three families are thrown into chaos when their deceased loved ones come back to them. Who are they, and what do they want? A family is faced with the mother's reawakening before they have even mourned her death after a car accident; an elderly woman gets the love of her life back the same day she has buried her; a grandfather rescues his grandchild from the gravesite in a desperate attempt to get his daughter out of her depression. Handling the Undead is a drama with elements of horror about three families, a story about grief and loss, but also about hope and understanding of what we can't comprehend or control.
Director
Thea Hvistendahl
Producer
Kristin Emblem, Guri Neby
Screenwriter
John Ajvide Lindqvist, Thea Hvistendahl
Distributor
NEON
Production Co
Einar Film
Rating
R
Genre
Horror, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Norwegian
Release Date (Theaters)
May 31, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 18, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA)
$19.7K
Runtime
1h 37m
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