Virus: 32

Streaming on Shudder starting April 21st!

2022, directed by Gustavo Hernandez

TW: graphic on-screen animal death, children in peril, loss of a child, blood and gore, violence towards women, pregnant women in peril, childbirth, infant in peril, flashing lights, on graphic screen gun violence, loss of a loved one, grief and trauma

Zombie movies are almost never the most original premise, but some of them are entertaining nonetheless! Virus 32 certainly delivers on dread, grief, and atmosphere. It makes quick work of its setting, wasting no time throwing its characters straight into an abandoned environment in the middle of a city, and tensions mount from there.

A grieving mother looking to escape her life of loss and pain is now thrust into the chaos and forced to face her fears over and over, the zombies hot on her heels. The zombie plague serves as a reminder that if we do not confront and accept it we will never fully be free of it, it will consume us entirely, and we will be lost to anger and sadness: it will be the end of our world as we know it. And yet, if we face our fears, we can find our strength, move forward through it to heal, and find a “cure” for what ails us. Overall, I find non-US horror cinema tends to leverage emotional connection and empathy for the characters instead of gore and jump scares, and I appreciate it.

Beyond that metaphorical jazz, it’s also just a fun and very fast paced zombie apocalypse movie. Employing a concept of time constraints adds a fresh twist, and makes it feel like a surreal escape room style experience. The sickly green and yellow tones aid in creating an environment of discomfort, and vivid orange tones provide contrast and a sense of warmth, energy, and intensity. And those saturated neons of the finale are absolutely delicious! It is visually interesting and claustrophobic and I always love that aspect of zombie movies; give me close corridors and dead ends and suffocating environments, haha I live for the stress of it!! (Note: you’ll need a fully dark room for some scenes during power outages and dark corridors.)As an added bonus it clocks in at about 90min, which is my personal sweet spot for action-horror, as it keeps things fairly tight and concise. This one’s a great popcorn movie! Virus 32 is a decent modern horror flick, and it’s got plenty to offer the zombie aficionados in our midst.

I received a screener of this for review consideration.

Review by Ellen Avigliano
www.imaginariumarts.com
Letterboxd Reviews
@imaginariumarts on Instagram
@imaginariumartz on Twitter

Review by Ellen Avigliano
www.imaginariumarts.com
Letterboxd Reviews
@imaginariumarts on Instagram
@imaginariumartz on Twitter