Harold's Going Stiff

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David W Inventive, defiantly northern British, funny and very enjoyable. Never seen anything quite like this before or since. Unique. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/20/25 Full Review Audience Member Harold Gimble was the first man to be infected with Onset Rigors Disease and unliked everyone else, he hasn't become a zombie yet, unlike everyone else. He's just growing old, but inevitably, he's going to become one of the undead, unless a nurse helps him. Or the scientists trying cure after cure. Or, most probably, he's beaten to undeath by a gang of vigilante zombie killers. This is a movie that really stands out in the zombie genre, using it to tell a story about how we treat the aging, how nationalism destroys the innocent and about the inevitability of death. The fact that it does this within a humorous zombie film is a major achievement, breathing some life into what has become a moribund collection of films. Director, writer and editor Keith Wright hasn't made anything since this movie. Here's hoping that he's planning something else, because I ended up really enjoying this. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member This low-key film is a poignant and endearing comedy drama, with ample helpings of silliness and black humour. It's a quirky twist on the zombie myth - in fact I'd say the zombie aspect takes a backseat as more of an analogy for dementia, or a similar degenerative disease. At times I was reminded of the recent series In The Flesh, also set in a rural Northern English town, utilising the zombie theme to deal with wider social issues. The relationship between Penny and Harold is so natural and believable it's heartbreaking. It's what Gervais wishes he'd managed in his series Derek. The way it was handled was artful. And the performances were, on the whole, brilliant. Sarah Spencer (Penny) and Stan Rowe (Harold) in particular were wonderful. They managed the naturalistic style of acting exceptionally well. I'd guess a lot of the low scores are a result of people expecting some Sam Raimi spectacle with blood and guts everywhere. Providing you don't go into this expecting another Shaun Of The Dead, and instead expect a very small-scale, character-driven comedy drama on a shoe- string budget, I think you'll find something to enjoy. This is meant for the small screen! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Harold's Going Stiff is delightful. It has very little in common with other zombie comic-horror flicks. Yes, others of its ilk are funny, but this is very funny. Yes, other films involving the undead can be satirical, but this film is cleverer about its satire. The film lifts itself above its group in other ways too. Never in a zombie film have I seen the process of turning into a zombie tackled, I've also never seen such likable characters either; and I've never seen such naturalistic performances in other zombie films. Harold's Going Stiff is wonderfully original, extremely funny and very, very enjoyable. What a breath of fresh air! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member superb! funny, romantic, Oyeah - there's zombies too! :) Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Decent, low budget horror comedy fare. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Harold's Going Stiff

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