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Night of the Living Deb Review

Night of the Living Deb | Repulsive Reviews | Horror Movies

When I was younger, you could not get me to watch a horror film that was laced with comedy. To me, it was impossible to meld the two distinctive genres together successfully. Sure, there was The Evil Dead and Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive, but those were on another level. I have changed my stance on the matter since then, however; Filmmakers have made leaps and bounds in their genre-infusing abilities, especially when it comes to zombie comedies — zom-coms, if you will. Kyle Rankin can now be added to that list of successful directors with his entry into the world of zomedy, Night of the Living Deb.

It’s 4th of July weekend and Deb (Maria Thayer, Accepted) is convinced by her drunk friend, Ruby (Julie Brister, Freaks of Nature) to go and talk to the dreamy, pretty-boy Ryan (Michael Cassidy, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice). Things must have heated up because the next thing Deb knows, she is waking up in mister perfect’s bed the next morning. Feeling he made a mistake, Ryan quickly tries to get rid of Deb, but the two quickly realize that the town has been overrun by zombies, overnight. Now, they must get to their respective loved ones, while being stuck with each other.

While this quick rundown of the film’s synopsis may sound like the run of the mill zombie/virus outbreak flick, Night of the Living Deb is actually on the more lighthearted side of the zombie genre. It is light on the blood and gore, making sure to focus more on the budding relationship between the quirky Deb and her new crush, Ryan. NotLDeb is a cute little romantic comedy that happens to have zombies running around, eating human flesh.

Horror fans have become jaded to the insanely malicious and intricate looking, decaying zombies of TV and film today, thanks to the likes Greg Nicotero and other amazing make-up and effects artists. While Night of the Living Deb‘s undead are much more tame, they still manage to get the job done. With a lot of the focus being on Maria Thayer’s Deb, herself, there really aren’t even that many zombies in the film anyway. I know, I know… some of you are probably turned off to the film at this point, but I still feel that this one is worth your time.

Deb features great acting by its entire cast and a fun script by writer/director Kyle Rankin. Rankin and his team have created a charming little flick that also managed to be a fresh take on the zombie comedy tag team that has been done almost as much as the zombie genre in general. Films like Cockneys vs Zombies, A Little Bit Zombie, and that other, more famous flick from 2004 that everyone loves to mention all the time may rule the roost in this area of ghoulish laughter, but Night of the Living Deb has proven to be an effective accompaniment to them all.

If you are a fan of zombies, comedy, and a little romance, Night of the Living Deb is certainly for you. I wouldn’t recommend it for you hardcore gore freaks out there, but there is plenty of other stuff floating around for you… leave this one for the other guys! Be sure to pick up this romzomcom on Blu-ray, DVD, or Digital Download, available now from MPI.

I give this endearing little flick 3.5 tap-out bullets out of 5.

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