Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films,
2017
Images from the Internet
Night Zero
Written
and directed by Mark Cantu
Lost Empire; Cineworx; Tredd
Productions;//; Dreaming Droids Productions; MVD Visual
81
minutes, 2017
First
of all, right off the cudgel let me posit that Night Zero is a great title. For those who don’t know, when the
word “zero” follows a noun, it usually means “where the destruction began,”
such as the first known to die of AIDS being called “Patient Zero.”
As
the prologue shows, there is some kind of explosion that releases a chemical
gas – it’s ambiguous by whom – with a toxin that increases the person’s rage,
and also takes away all inhibitions. Thereby, the infected becomes extremely angry
and violent without the compulsion of socially constructed guilt. One might
think from the trailer that this is yet another zombie movie, but rather it’s
more insanity with the blood lust, without the need to consume said blood or
body parts. Just Me Smash!
 |
| Dawnelle Jewell, Monisha B. Schwartz, Katie Maloney |
For
the meat of the film, we are introduced to three couples who come together to
celebrate the moving away of Sophie (Dawnelle Jewell) and Eric (Vincent Bombara)
from a small-ish town in Pennsylvania (more on that in a sec) to Boston.
Joining them are interracial couple Monica (the fabulously monikered Monisha B.
Schwartz) and Danny (Umar Faraz), and the two main protagonists who are on the
verge of separation, Nina (Katie Maloney) and CJ (Eric Swader).
For
the first 20 minutes or so, we get to hang out with these three pairs, as they
talk, argue, talk, argue, celebrate, and then talk some more. For an action
film, there is a lot of conversation at the onset, but I have come to believe
that when cinema historians look back on the horror genre of this period, they
will come to the conclusion that the first 20 minutes of most films is basically
lead-up time and exposition.
This
all takes place in a burg about 20 miles away from Pittsburgh (actually filmed
an hour south of Steel City). Of
course, Pittsburgh is a touchstone town for this kind of story as most of the …of the (Living) Deads took place in
that area, thanks to the godfather of the modern zombie and violently looney
genres, George A. Romero.
There
are many film references and hallmarks that are reminiscent of others that came
before. Let’s start with the local, mainly being the trapped in the house as
the infected try to get in of Night of
the Living Dead (1968), and the diseased violence of the Crazies (1973). But here, those effected by the gas can run
(though we don’t see much of that), such as in 28 Days Later… (2002). Like 28
Days, neither that nor this is a zombie film per se, but rather both pertain to a disease or infection, and this
is certainly closer to 28 Days than
to NotLD. There is also the
cabin-in-the-woods claustrophobic feel and fear of Cabin Fever (2002), and the last is the slow, inevitability of On the Beach (1959).
 |
| Eric Swader and Umar Faraz |
Especially
once the film gets on its hind legs, there is a lot to like about it. For
example, whether you like them or not, the main characters feel like real people;
they make good or bad choices, but mostly it feels realistic, such as Monica
wanting to go home even though there is extreme danger in the streets and a
greater possibility of absorption of the gas. They also turn on each other out
of fear, even after years of friendship, which also feels accurate to me. But
on a more subtle note, the audience begins to wonder about how much of the
anger this group exhibits among itself is the onset of the toxin, or just righteous
indignation and anxiety.
What
especially impressed me was that while the cast is certainly attractive, they
also have more of an everyday look, rather than as if their second jobs are
models. For example, while low on role credits in IMDB, Maloney would be more
believable to me as Tonya Harding in the new film, I Tonya, than poster queen Margot Robbie (plus, I believe Maloney
would do a great job of it).
Writer
(and director) Mark Cantu wisely adds two characters later on: a cop (Mike
Dargatis) and a scienist (in this case, the ironically named Tom Mirth), who
both help with exposition and to be the connection to what is happening beyond
the door – which is locked, but never barred, even with all the glass.
Going
against the grain, I’m guessing in part due to direction and budget constraints,
this is more of a thriller than a gorefest, into which it could easily have waded.
There is some violence, and there are spurts of the salty red stuff, but it’s
kept at a minimum and is not a key part of the zestiest. It’s more about how
the characters interact with each other and their situation that is the locus focus.
For
me, the one flaw is that the protagonists are trying to avoid being seen by
whomever is out there, yet walk
around with flashlights on making themselves targets. Me? I would turn off all
the lights to avoid attraction, but they’re swinging the huge torches around,
even when not needed, such as waking through the center of town.
Despite
the budget and a few of the actors with limited credits, the cast is quite
strong and work together well. With a mixture of good writing, editing that isn’t
in hyper speed, and a wise use of the unseen (such as being able to hear the
screams and sirens from outside without needing to drive the audience into it),
Cantu comes up with a film that is subtle and one that becomes more interesting
as time passes over its single night.
