Fridae

Fido is the freshest, most original zombie flick we've seen in a long time. It combines horror, humour and melodrama to such ingenious effect that it has to be seen to be believed. If zombie maestro George A Romero (director of the Living Dead films) were to go to bed with 1950s melodrama queen Douglas Sirk (who directed most of Rock Hudson's melodramas), their baby would be Fido.

The story is set in a pleasant little town in the 1950s, where humans have learnt to live side by side with zombies. Basically, a company called ZomCom has created a special collar that transforms ravenous, flesh-eating zombies into obedient domestic helpers. The collared zombies now tend the gardens, serve the drinks and even play with the kids.

When a lovely family decides to get a collared zombie to help with the household chores, everything seems fine at first. Young Timmy (K'Sun Ray) becomes good friends with the zombie whom he calls Fido, Dad (Dylan Baker) is proud to have a zombie as part of the household, while Mom (Carrie-Anne Moss) has grown very affectionate of Fido.

So when Fido's collar malfunctions and he starts to eat the neighbours, you can imagine the family's confusion...

Written and directed by Andrew Currie, Fido is delightfully entertaining. Not only does the story surprise you with its fresh take on the genre, the performances by the cast are commendably strong. Everything from the faux-Technicolor cinematography to the handsome production design to the cunning satirical messages work their appropriate charm.

Sweet, schlocky and subversive all at once, Fido may just inspire a cult following along with other B-grade camp classics like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and Plan 9 From Outer Space.