It’s amazing to think that there was ever a time where ‘zombie movies’ weren’t completely mainstream. Nowadays you can find a dozen of films that all end ‘…of the living dead’ in ever bargain bin of DVDs (or if you scroll down the ‘horror’ section of various online streaming services). Now the market has been totally oversaturated and we probably all know what to do in the event of an undead uprising. However, all those years ago in 2008, even though zombies had started to make a comeback, there weren’t that many of their number out there (besides the classic Romero franchise, ‘Resident Evil’ lot and ’28 Days Later’). Maybe that’s why the UK’s TV miniseries ‘Dead Set’ worked so well.
Maybe if you’re new to it a
nd watched it today, you may not see what all the fuss was about and consider it just another movie in the zombie genre. However, if – like me – you watched reality TV take over our TVs in the early 2000s and wanted to make a protest about how every programme seemed to come complete with a ‘public phone vote’ then ‘Dead Set’ provided the ultimate (metaphorical) ‘two-fingered salute.’If you love zombie movies then you should definitely watch this. However, if you love zombie movies, hate reality TV and are from the UK with at least a basic knowledge of ‘Big Brother’ then you’re going to get so much more out of it. First of all, if you’re lucky enough to still believe that ‘Big Brother’ is something to do with the excellent George Orwell book, then you’re in for a shock. The term has now been forever associated with a reality TV show of the same name where a group of fame-hungry idiots sit in a specially-built studio/house and perform tasks for us – the viewers’ – entertainment. Then we can phone in to say which one gets the boot from week to week. Anyway, while such a group of wannabes are incarcerated for our enjoyment, the dead begin to rise.
The cast all do well. Some are more developed than others, but at least it isn't too clear who's going to end up as 'zombie chow' and who's going to live happily ever after. There aren't any big star-power names here and you'll probably be saying things like, 'Oh, I know him from that other show...' But, like I say, they all do well and you'll eventually root for - at least some of - them in their plight to defend their sanctuary from the undead hordes.
Now, many zombie movies never really go to great lengths to explain exactly why the dead are returning to life and attacking the living. They just do. ‘Dead Set’ is no different, so don’t go expecting anything other than it happens and the world goes to hell. However, our housemates are blissfully unaware of the apocalypse happening outside their walls – until it’s literally beating their doors down.
One of the main reasons George A Romero’s zombie films have help up over the years is because he often mixes social commentary with his horror. Here, ‘Dead Set’ does that perfectly as its writer Charlie Brooker is a television pundit and has always been a fan of the zombie genre (even using ‘Dawn of the Dead’s ‘Gonk Song’) in many of his TV shows. His scathing commentary on the state of reality TV and those who thirst for it is there for all to see.
But, you don’t have to simply hate reality TV (as much as I do!) to appreciate ‘Dead Set.’ It really does offer everything from social commentary, satire, gore and humour. I wouldn’t claim it’s that scary, but it’s definitely a worthy addition to the genre. It’s probably worth noting that some ‘zombie purists’ believe that zombies should never run under any circumstances. Therefore, you should probably be warned that these creatures are the ‘running type’ made most popular in ’28 Days Later.’ In fact, ‘Dead Set’ is filmed in that same ‘gorilla-style’ way of filming that ’28 Days Later’ employed, making the whole thing feel like a spin-off that’s happening at the same time as the events in the film. Anyway, that’s just a by-the-way point. If you don’t mind running-zombies, you should love this.
8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one
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