In Review: ‘ZombieCON Vol.1’ by Kyle Valle

Heroes Will Rise. Undead Will Fall.

ZombieCON Vol. 1 is a wild horror-comedy where fan convention chaos spirals into a full-blown apocalypse.

Setting the Scene

The film starts at a mid-sized convention hall full of enthusiastic cosplayers, pop-culture fandom and bright signage. Here we meet a a tight-knit group of friends: Rocket (Manny Luke) and his close-knit group of friends, Claire (Erin Áine), Javier (Christian Casillas) and Punkie (Punkie Johnson), who are there to celebrate their shared geekdom and where they win top prize for their cosplay efforts.

The fun dissolves when, after the convention, the friends are picked on by a group on a-holes who make fun of their cosplaying. An altercation occurs and the bullies give Rocket a black eye and break the group’s trophy from the convention. This interaction makes Rocket quite upset which he ends up taking out on his friends. Back at home, the friends are trying to decompress but Rocket is still angry. He gets into a fight with Claire. Rightfully upset, Claire goes to her room where she ‘by mistake’ wishes on a magical talisman that “all the assholes in this world would just turn into zombies.”

Voila! This ‘simple wish’ brings on the zombie apocalypse. Quickly enough, they realize the danger is real and that their beloved Mama Bear (Nichole McAuley) is stranded in Los Angeles. It is then the group decides to become the heroes they revere, put on their cosplay armour and collectable katanas, and traverse a zombie-infested Los Angeles to save their Mama Bear.

The film moves swiftly into full action mode; leaving us rooting for the crew throughout.

Hye’s Thougths On The Film

ZombieCON Vol. 1 knows is a fun ride that includes a lot of references that genre fans will appreciate, which I appreciate. The cast brings great energy into their roles. Part of the film’s strength lies in its pacing; it doesn’t linger overly long in setup, and once the zombies come into play, things pick up quickly.

Director Kyle Valle and crew use a mix of sharp practical effects, dynamic camera work, and tongue-in-cheek dialogue that keeps things lively even when the blood curdles around. The movie goes from playful convention scenes to in-your-face zombie encounters in a way that gives horror moments a punch of surprise that will please genre fans in my opinion.

The blend of horror and comedy works well since the tone never pretends to be more serious than it is. ZombieCON Vol. 1 is more about the joy of the ride, the inventive use of cosplaying to defeat the zombies and the camaraderie of the cast. I had a great time watching this film as a genre-bending thrill ride and a love letter to fandom. It captures the essence of cosplaying with friends, heading out to conventions but the spicy side of it is its turn into a zombie frenzy film.

For more insight into the film, I share my interview with director Kyle Valle and co-writer and partner in life Erin Áine.