Anna has plans and none of them involve University. John’s in love with her but she can’t see it. Chris and Lisa have each other and don’t need anything else, aside from Chris’ Gran. And Steph wanders the halls, looking for the Good Fight. Any Good Fight. It’s Christmas in Little Haven. And the dead have risen.

This zombie rom-com musical (with a Christmas theme) worked its way on to my list of “films to watch that will always bring a smile to my face” the first time I saw it as a screener in preparation to interview two of its stars (and it was no hardship to rewatch it ready to chat with director John McPhail a year later). It was clear from chatting with them that the sense of fun that comes across from the screen was just as evident during shooting.

At times it reminds me of Little Shop of Horrors, with huge production numbers built out of what would be perhaps inconsequential details in a run of the mill movie, as well as smaller moments for the central characters which allows you to invest in them. The songs are enjoyable, and are well used for the characters’ inner monologues and a degree of fourth wall breaking.

Ella Hunt is excellent as the reluctant heroine Anna, but it’s very much an ensemble cast and while it plays into the tropes of the high school (musical), there’s plenty of occasions where things don’t quite go as planned.

It’s out now on a double-disc edition from Second Sight, who have gone to town with the extras. Not only do you get both cuts of the movie – the original festival one and the slightly tweaked theatrical edition, but there’s the short film from Ryan McHenry that started the whole thing off; a terrific commentary from writer, director and composers; a new documentary on its making and beyond; and some alternate takes and outtakes.

Verdict: A fun horror musical that deserves wider recognition, given excellent treatment for home release. If you’ve not yet caught up with Anna, this is the perfect time. 9/10

Paul Simpson

The words cult classic are bandied about a lot but here they are utterly deserved. Alan McDonald and the late Ryan McHenry have crafted a script full of jet black humour, the unique absurd horror of secondary schools and a story about what happens when the world falls and you don’t. It’s by turns funny, heartbreaking, terrifying, weird and pragmatic. It’s never less than great.

A massive part of that is the fiercely strong central cast. Ella Hunt’s Anna is especially great, not just for her determination and strength but for the fact she’s done with this nonsense before the dead rise and twice as done once they do. Anna wants to be gone but that doesn’t mean she’s unaware of what she’s leaving behind. As the movie continues and the bodies drop, it’s Hunt and Ben Wiggins as occasional boyfriend Nick who really show us the damage done. If you liked the third reel of Shaun of the Dead, then get ready to see what happens when it lasts two and a half reels instead.

John McPhail’s direction balances the complex knot of emotions at the core of the story with consummate grace. Hollywood Ending, the first big production number is lunch hall Busby Berkeley, Anna in particular slightly aware of just how weird her situation is. It also beautifully lays out the movie’s plot stall and later numbers pick up on that. Human Voice, about the terror everyone feels when the phones die, is it’s bleak twin and another standout.

Which isn’t to say the entire movie is grim, it isn’t. The central cast are exuberantly great and land every beat asked of them. Sarah Swire’s excellent Steph in particular gets some really fun stuff to do that walks the line between horror and comedy while Malcolm Cummings’ adorable John is mildly rubbish in an endearingly self aware way. Marli Siu’s Lisa gets to deliver a magnificently filthy big band number. Nick’s bravado is revealed to be a shield for something truly horrible he can’t quite face and ultimately can’t not. They’re all good kids. Not all of them make it. Seeing that happen hurts but it never feels cheap.

Verdict: Rounded out by a pair of excellent turns from Mark Benton and Peter Kaye as the token adults, this is flat out brilliant. It’s a story about growing up, about tough choices, about horror, the world ending, friendship and what happens when you don’t. Fellow adolescent trauma escapees while find old wounds aching in sympathy while everyone else will sing along with the excellent soundtrack. Like I say, a cult classic. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart