The idea of a zombie is pretty terrifying. Sure, no one wants to have a world overrun with dead people trying to bite you. But rarely do people think about who the zombie actually is. Would you be ok with killing a zombie who used to be your mother? Or your child? That’s the question at the center of the upcoming horror drama, “Handling the Undead.”
As seen in the trailer, “Handling the Undead” offers a zombie film focused more on the existential dread of living in a world where dead people you knew come back to life as… something else. Even if your mother comes back to life, is that better than just dying? Would you still love your young son if he was a zombie?
The film stars Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Bjørn Sundquis, Bente Børsum, Bahar Pars, and Inesa Dauksta. “Handling the Undead” is directed by Thea Hvistendahl.
We reviewed the film out of Sundance, and in our review, we said, “The horror genre can be so much more than just low-budget slashers and jumpscare-filled supernatural bores. There is room for actual emotion, beauty, and depth to be found in the darkest moments of our lives. The devastatingly bleak story of ‘Handling the Undead’ is a wrenching but beautiful exploration of grief and human connection in the face of something horrific.”
“Handling the Undead” arrives in theaters on May 31. You can watch the trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
On a hot summer day in Oslo, the dead mysteriously awaken, and three families are thrown into chaos when their deceased loved ones come back to them. Who are they, and what do they want? A family is faced with the mother’s reawakening before they have even mourned her death after a car accident; an elderly woman gets the love of her life back the same day she has buried her; a grandfather rescues his grandchild from the gravesite in a desperate attempt to get his daughter out of her depression. Handling the Undead is a drama with elements of horror about three families, a story about grief and loss, but also about hope and understanding of what we can’t comprehend or control.