La Horde

The Horde was preceded by the reputation of a much anticipated zombie massacre in the style of the French new wave of horror, which means uncompromising carnage with lots of blood and good gore. But after the trailers arrived, my expectations dropped significantly, the film didn’t feel all that likeable anymore. Now I finally had the chance to watch it and the truth lies somewhere in between. There is proper carnage, The Horde doesn’t waste time with a mandatory introduction, the killing starts basically from the get go. The gore is good, the make-up of the undead is nothing extraordinary but realistic enough, and the film overall is dirty, gloomy, harsh and bloody, but the protagonists didn’t let me enjoy it to the fullest. They were so annoying that I prayed all the time for the zombies to dispatch them so the story could move somewhere else, very far away, if possible. It’s a personal complaint, I know, but I believe I won’t be the only one. I’d much rather watch a family hiding from zombies somewhere for an hour and let themselves be eaten in half an hour than this unlikeable bunch of pumped-up characters mowing one zombie after another (and each other). Technically, The Horde is flawless, but it doesn’t have any memorable scenes. The rating is between three and four stars, I will still think about the final verdict. Edit: Three it is, it’s fizzled out already… (21.05.2010)

Given the fact that The Horde is a B-movie, its well-cast actors in the roles of tough guys deliver decent performances and the backdrop of a dark high-rise tower in which the film takes place impressive. But the film has nothing to surprise us and just recycles old, well-known zombie elements that we’ve already seen a billion times in better packaging. (02.01.2011)