August 28 2017
As Seen In, The Daily Mississippian
A music festival gone wrong, a deadly herbicide and a small town quickly going haywire.
These themes perfectly meld in “Kudzu Zombies,” a new zombie film that will be shown at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. this upcoming Tuesday at King’s of Oxford steakhouse.
“Kudzu Zombies” blends horror, comedy and action elements to offer a unique film. On top of its original storytelling, the film’s plot, cast and setting are all local to the beautiful state of Mississippi. Set in Charleston, the movie was kept local intentionally, as well as inclusive.
“The movie was filmed in Charleston, a town that is kind of struggling economically. We hired a lot of local talent,” executive producer Daniel Wood said. “We kept everything local production-wise, too. We did our best to be inclusive – the movie includes a gay and an interracial couple.”
“Kudzu Zombies” depicts a small town affected by a nasty herbicide that is turning people into ruthless zombies. At first, the herbicide only affects plants. However, things spiral out of control when a goat eats the plants and people eat the goat. After the afflicted humans share a pipe with uninfected people, the virus spreads.
The Kudzu plant is considered an obnoxious weed that destroys trees by overgrowing and engulfing them in so much shade that they can’t receive the necessary sunshine to stay alive. Throwing shade? More like growing shade. Zombies tend to encompass all things obnoxious, dark and shady themselves, and in “Kudzu Zombies,” they most definitely live up to their reputation.
Even if you’re not the biggest zombie fan or haven’t seen every single episode of “The Walking Dead,” “Kudzu Zombies” doesn’t fit into the stereotypes and tropes of the usual films in its genre. Wood described the movie as “a mix between ‘Shaun of the Dead’ and ‘Zombieland.’”
Though it does make a few references to other zombie movies, “Kudzu Zombies” is anything but just a stereotypical zombie movie. It is witty, conscious and unique. It can be easy to get caught up in the humor and nonstop action, but “Kudzu Zombies” carries a deeper theme than simply blood and gore. The film even makes a case for veganism and a healthy lifestyle – it’s a bit more involved than undead monsters seeking to make dinner out of the living.
“It’s subtle, but it’s supposed to make the viewer more conscious about what they eat,” Wood said. To secure a seat, tickets are available for purchase for $5. Some of the creatives behind the film will be in attendance, so the screening will give fans the opportunity to chat them up, ask questions and learn a bit more about special behind-the-scenes details. The screening is open to all ages and has a run time of 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Trichelle Works 