There are zombies, and there is Christmas, but what twist can be added to it? Well, someone somewhere said “let’s combine them and make it a musical!” And when Ryan McHenry made “Anna and the Apocalypse” a short film, director John McPhail made it into a full-length feature.
Anna (Ella Hunt) is a high-school girl that wants to simply get out of Little Haven, the small town she lives in, and has her plan in place to do so. However, before she can get on the plane, Little Haven falls victim to a Zombie Apocalypse causing her and her classmates to have to bash, smash, and behead their way through the streets to get back to their school, where the headmaster has locked in everyone else (including their families).
With an up-and-coming cast and original songs from Roddy Hart and Tommy Reilly, everyone really embraces this fresh mash-up with the chops to stick the landing on the musical part of it to compliment the story itself. I was so impressed that yes, I did purchase the soundtrack between the time that I left the auditorium and got to my car because it is THAT much fun.
There are some of the stereotypical and predictable plot points for something compared to “Shaun of the Dead” meets “High School Musical,” like the enjoyment of the bully character of hunting the zombies or the best friend that has a crush on someone else who does not see him in that way or the lack of awareness of the teens to what is going around them as they listen to their music, but there are also some pretty cool moments that even breaks some of Hollywood’s traditions. This is a fun film that I will not spoil for you, so go enjoy it for yourself!