Edges of Darkness (2008)

The undead roam Earth after a global apocalypse in this collection of three films, each following survivors' tales as they battle flesh-eating zombies, vicious vampires and crazed holy men bent on finishing God's judgment. While a girl captured by vampires discovers her own way to fight back, a lonely writer uses a macabre energy source to power his computer, and a survivalist protects a boy who manifests a whole new kind of evil.

Just three little sentences to sum up this film. 1) Terrible acting. 2) Bad scriptwriting. 3) Horrid camera work and even worse editing. With that being said, Edges of Darkness can best be described as if a high schooler with zero talent came across a video camera filmed a bunch of random acts of gory violence & crappy "acting". This film if you can call it that is beyond terrible even for a sub par zombie flick and I've seen some bad ones, but whether bad (this one) or good (Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland or any Romero one) I'll watch it and add it to my collection. The only good thing I can say about this piece of trash is that the special effects weren't half bad for low (and I mean, really LOW) budget. Although, having a plot as deep as the shallow end of a kiddie pool and the worse acting I've ever seen in my life, the premise could have worked. I liked the idea of a zombie apocalypse told through the eyes of survivors from different walks of life. A guy attached to his computer paying no attention to his lady, a vampire couple trying to find a "clean meal" in a world of infected and a tough as nails, bad ass chick fending off the undead in hopes of saving a boy who may not be what he seems. Interesting, yes. Crappy, unfortunately.

Every now & then, you can come across an indie "B" or a "B-" movie and it turns out to be a gem. This ain't it. The concept is cool: the end of the world, with three tales intertwined. The whole story is complete with zombies (good creature make-up), vicious vampires (who's story doesn't make a lot of sense), and a female warrior saving Marcus, a young boy who is the anti-Christ who's sole mission is to save the corrupt world from the wrath of the Lord. Actress Annemarie Pazmino is really the only one who can act. You are not sure if she is a good guy or bad guy, but she has an appeal. The young boy who plays Marcus is not a bad actor, either. The rest of the cast should find new careers. They couldn't act their way out of a paper bag. The story was not woven together or explained all that well, and the writing and directing was choppy. There was no backdrop to the plot. This falls directly on the directors, Blaine Cade and Jason Horton, both of whom wear multiple hats. The camera work was amateurish at best, and more holes in the story line than Swiss Cheese. There is a computer creature that just appears in the mail for one guy, and it just exists within the plot without any explanation. If there was better acting, camera work and better writing, I would have given it 3 stars. I gave it two stars for the creature make-up and for Pazmino. All in all, skip this flick, and watch C-span or the paint dry.


**/*****

2/5 Stars