Remember how in the early seasons of The Walking Dead there were always those plucky survivors doing their darnedest to cure whatever was turning people into zombies? They had a dream that with a simple potion or pill they could bring back a beloved family member from a mouth foaming brain eater. After a while the smart people realized that there was no hope of recovery and the delusional scientists would eventually find themselves eaten by the relative zombie. But what if there was a way to bring the undead back to the realm of the living and the rational? What would society think of those who had once been a brain crazy zombie? The Cured digs deep into a world science found a solution. But can society deal with them? Can those that had turned be able to return to normal?
Maze virus turned a large chunk of Ireland’s population into killing zombies, but a cure was found that was able to convert nearly 75% of the victims. Senan (Sam Keeley) has been brought back to the living and now lives with his sister-in-law Abigail (X-Men‘s Ellen Page). He’s doing his best to adapt to the real world, but it’s tough. Turns out that while he acted like a mindless killing machine, he still has a lot of memories of his time attacking and killing people. He does his best to help out at a facility that’s looking for cures for the 25% that are still stuck with the virus. But life gets more difficult when he runs into his old zombie buddy Conor (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor). He seems like he misses his old life when he didn’t have to worry about laws and and being nice to people. Even though he’s cured, people worry that he’s not fully human and refuse to trust him. And maybe there right. Maybe he’s not fully human. Things get intense when Senan gets word that the government might give up on the uncurable 25%.
In world that has been clogged with zombie movies and TV shows over the last decade, The Cured stands out. Would someone feel a lot of guilt if they were brought back? How would you deal with memories of eating someone’s face away? Would you feel comfortable near a reformed zombie? What do you do with yourself after you’ve tasted brains? The Cured gets deep into a George Romero zombie world without losing it’s Irish feel.
The video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The film gives a blue haze to Dublin during the struggle. The audio is 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio Surround so you can hear the zombies running up on you. There’s also a 2.0 mix in case you want to keep your attacks at the front of the screen. The movie has English and Spanish subtitles.
Behind the Scenes (6:17) shows how director David Freyne was able to make a zombie film that’s more than just “who will survive.”
Theatrical Trailer (2:26) does a fine job setting up the fears on both sides.
Scream Factory presents The Cured. Directed by David Freyne. Screenplay by: David Freyne. Starring: Ellen Page, Sam Keeley, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Stuart Graham, Paula Malcomson, Hilda Fay. Rated: R. Running Time: 95 minutes. Released: July 3, 2018.
