I, ZOMBIE (1998)
There is some "mockumentary" window dressing around I, Zombie (the film opens with supposed interview footage), but the gimmick is dropped almost immediately. It pops back up later, but there is no real cohesion. Truth be told, this might have been a more rewarding sit as a full-on mockumentary. What we have here is a zombie character study. I'm not so sure those words should ever appear in a sentence together. There is plenty of grue to go with it, and the low-budget makeup effects are exquisite at times. At times. Where did I leave my synopsis? Mark is bitten by a zombie. He tries to make sense of it all as his skin becomes sallow and he develops a hankering for human flesh. Essentially, you watch Mark decompose for 79 minutes. Does that sound...fun?
There may be something valid in wanting to create an intimate, small-scale zombie rager, but I don't know that I would have chosen to go that route for the first release on my video label. That's what Fangoria did. I was a subscriber to the magazine in the late 90's, and I remember seeing ads for I, Zombie (as well as its follow-up, 2001's Dead Creatures) all over the place. I didn't take a chance on it until 2026. Um, I don't know if that's a reflection of the ads or the film itself, but either way, I can't say I had a blast spending time with ol' Mark. At one point, he rips off his putrescent penis during a cheerless masturbation session. Yeah, that was a choice. At best, it's a good example of a questionable decision made by writer/director Andrew Parkinson. All ribbing aside (pun intended?), there is obvious talent behind the camera, but I don't see myself revisiting I, Zombie. Like, ever.
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