The face of the modern zombie movie is changing. We’ve all seen the same zombie stories of a group of people from different walks of life struggling to survive in a world turned upside down. But at some point, that formula becomes, well, formulaic, and these films we love must either evolve or die.

I personally believe that we are currently experiencing a renaissance of the genre (just look at our list of upcoming zombie movies if you don’t believe me) and Awaken the Dead is part of that renaissance. That’s not to say it’s a oscar-winner (it doesn’t try to be) but what I am trying to say is that writers and directors are finally taking zombie films to new places.

Awaken the Dead centers on a priest, Christopher (Gary Douglas Kohn) and the daughter of his old friend, Mary (Lindsey Morris). They each receive mysterious letters telling them to meet at the old house. As they wait for further instruction, chaos unfolds in the streets. Zombies are everywhere, and the pair defends themselves and manages to rescue a few of the neighbors as well. The characters’ histories are revealed as they discover the house’s defense system. Christopher was a former assassin who served with Mary’s father Jeremiah (Michael Robert Nyman). Mary has a similarly dark past as a prostitute and drug addict. The two share a common search for redemption and work together to save both their lives and souls from the undead masses.
The story is interesting and feels like something out of Japanese anime or a comic book. The characters are sensationalized - these aren’t people we would meet in normal life but that’s what makes the story interesting. The dialogue is well-written and the acting performances are on the whole fair.

Where Awaken the Dead stumbles is in the direction. As an independent film (as well as Jeffery Brookshire’s directorial debut) it’s understandable that there are going be rough spots. Brookshire takes some stylistic choices that some might find obnoxious - much of the film has a grainy, muted appearance that gets old quickly. Sound production could use some work and in some scenes it is difficult to understand the dialogue. The pacing of the film, particularly near the beginning of the film, could also use some work as it really seems to drag in parts.

These annoyances aside, once the zombie killing starts the movie builds steam. It’s not an all-out-gorefest, but I was sufficiently pumped up about it. For a movie that focuses more on story and character development than action the zombie the fighting scenes were surprisngly good.

Awaken the Dead is ultimately a movie about redemption. The characters are looking for redemption, and the movie ultimately redeems itself by leaving me satisfied and pleasantly surprised. Will Awaken the Dead revitalize the zombie genre? You’ll have to wait until it is released on DVD in November to find out for yourself.

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