"DIE ALONE" (2025) Has Promise But A Meandering Pace Kills The Vibe. (REVIEW)

Lately, there haven't been many zombie movies shambling into theaters or across your favorite streamer. Previously the reigning “flavor of the month,” this sub-genre has been quiet recently, letting nunsploitation, possession, and slashers have their minute. Absence makes the decrepit heart grow fonder, and we admit we’re ready to see some decaying flesh again. When we discovered that Canadian filmmaker Lowell Dean of “Wolfcop” fame was releasing a new film, it piqued our curiosity. When we found out it was a new take on zombies, it had our attention. Taking a break from the horror/comedy films that have been his wheelhouse for the last few years, Dean tries his hand at the emerging plant-based zombie film, which has grown in popularity since HBO’s “The Last of Us” debuted in 2023. “Die Alone,” starring Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix”), Douglas Smith (“Big Love”), and Frank Grillo (“Captain America: Civil War”), is an interesting take on a man, Ethan, (Smith) who wakes up with amnesia, desperate to find his missing girlfriend, Emma (Kimberly-Sue Murray), in a world run amok. Nature has had enough of humankind and is culling the cause of its demise. The premise is intriguing, but does Dean deliver enough thrills and chills to reignite a new zombie renaissance or do these vegetable monstrosities wilt in the sun? Read on for our take.

WHAT WORKS:

This is a film that is short on narrative but long on craft. Cinematographer Mark Dobrescu (“Our Big Punjabi Family”) does a great job making this indie feel more significant than it is with inventive camerawork and gorgeous exterior shots. Creative lighting in some of the earlier action set pieces reminded us of the playfulness in “Creepshow,” with lots of reds and greens to set a mood. The acting is solid throughout. Moss is making the most of her role as a survivalist, coming to the end of her rope, and Smith carries the plot forward as a young man with amnesia, frantic to find his missing girlfriend. Grillo adds his patented charisma in a scene that amounts to little more than an extended cameo, but it’s a welcome and compelling scene. We won’t spoil anything here, but the last five minutes of this film are almost worth the previous eighty-five. On the Special Effects front, Casey Markus does some great work here. Stick around for the end credits to see some beautifully haunting work. It’s a shame the film doesn't entirely come together because almost all the elements for a successful, entertaining movie are here.

WHAT DOESN’T WORK: 

The script is the culprit here. The amnesia angle is compelling…at first. It’s ultimately the weakest part of the script, even though it’s the lynchpin upon which the plot twists depend. As the credits rolled, we couldn't help but think that this would have made an incredible short film. Although the concept of an amnesiac searching for his lost love in a zombie apocalypse is intriguing, its handling can’t sustain a feature-length narrative. After a clever mid-point plot twist, the movie shifts in tone, and everything seen previously changes dramatically. Again, it is well thought out, with dramatic stakes, but it still comes up short narratively. Essentially, the film has a great twist, two actually, but those twists land in the third act, and after a solid start, the film lags into familiar set piece tropes and becomes tiresome. It’s as if Dean is running out the clock until he can get to his big reveals. 

This film goes against the screenwriting cliche that if you have problems in your third act, you really have problems in your first. That’s not the case here at all. The opening and closing acts of the film are solid, emotional, and well crafted. The second act of this movie brings the whole production down. Jettison those forty minutes and you have a beautifully shot, creative short film.

We need to talk about this movie’s marketing. Take a look at the poster above. None of that happens in the film. It’s not set in a dilapidated city. Frank Grillo is not a supporting character; this is a guns-a-blazing actionfest. It’s an odd choice that doesn’t feel like the director's. This is a small film with a somewhat unique take on a plant-based virus turning the infected into ravenous, plant-human hybrids of their former selves. This movie has a slower pace than that advertising suggests. People looking for a variation of “The Last of Us” will be disappointed. 

SUMMARY:

We’re fans of Lowell Dean’s work. The fact that this outing didn’t land for us is far from a deal breaker. The fact that he took a chance outside the films that have established him should be commended. He gets fine performances from his entire cast and the movie is extremely well shot. If not for that cumbersome, bloated middle, this would be an exciting new entry into the emerging plant-based zombie sub-genre.

Stay up to date with “The Dark Side Of Pop Culture” by following Macabre Daily on Instagram, Facebook, and BlueSky!