Director – Jake Jolley (Claymation Zombies, Claymation Zombies: The Dr. Molder Chronicles)
Release Date – 2021
Rating – 3.5/5
My first week in my October horror binge has seen some up and downs with a few non-genre releases sent over for review. I’ve seen a few crime drama centered around drug abuse and one sexploitation flick from the Philippines. With that being said, the horror titles that I’ve seen so far have been very enjoyable.
A few days ago I was browsing Instagram when I saw a post from designer and artist Martian Fartist sharing photos from the premier of his brother’s film Clay Zombies. This is the kind of oddball horror that I love so I had to reach out to them about obtaining a copy. Sadly, there is no copies available but the director Jake Jolley was kind enough to pass over a link to check it out. Thanks Jake!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a doctor trying to reveal to the world that an evil scientist has created clay with the ability to turn those that touch it into clay zombies. This sparks a clay zombie apocalypse resulting in a group fighting to survive while trying to break the news as to who was really responsible for the all the deaths and infected. **Spoiler Alert**
Clay Zombies will not be for everyone and that’s alright. Everyone has their own opinions. After sharing the artwork on social media for the film I found myself overwhelmed by negative comments from horror hipsters. This film is for people who like to have fun, don’t take themselves too seriously, and don’t get high on their own farts. This is for genre fans that like movies like Thankskilling, Poultrygeist, and the like. It was a lot of fun and I could see myself revisiting it again when I can.
The acting in this one is great. The cast is fully committed to their roles and go all in. Some of the characters are a little more enjoyable than others but everyone delivers solid performances. The story for this one is extremely campy but enjoyable. Its your standard zombie story mixed with heavy humor and the fun claymation effects that you just never see anymore. I found the film to be funny but there was a several occasions where the humor didn’t find it’s mark. It was a little forced and fell flat. The action was fun and paced out evenly to prevent boredom but it is extremely cliched which only adds to the fun.
Finally, the film has some bloody moments with a lot of claymation and some visual effects. The visuals are extremely cheesy yet funny and the claymation is extremely funny. Sadly, the film doesn’t have the practical effects that most horror fans love. Overall, Clay Zombies was a fun watch especially during the Halloween season. It has some laughs, cheesy zombie mayhem, and blood. This film is perfect pairing with Inhumanwich and has that late night at the drive in charm. I highly recommend it.
