Zombie Hamlet

There are certain things one would consider buying only when there is a gift card involved.  (Thanks, Kathy!)  That was the case with this post.  With money to kill at Amazon, I searched through the DVD section for Hamlet.  What surfaced--way down the list--was a relatively recent something called Zombie Hamlet.  With free money in hand, I figured it had to be worth a shot.  Surprisingly, it turned out to be a lot of fun!

The film is less an adaptation of Hamlet than a film about someone making a (very loose) film adaptation of Hamlet.  It follows the latest venture from director Osric Taylor.  The title:  Hamlet, Son of Richmond.  It's a version of Hamlet set during the Civil War.  Aside:  As a Civil War buff, this combination of Hamlet and the Confederacy grabbed me immediately.  Seriously, I think it actually has potential....

The film hits obstacles from the outset.  The budget is reduced significantly.  While scouting locations in Louisiana, all financial backing is pulled.  A reclusive author and owner of the plantation that becomes the film set offers to pay for the film.  There's a catch.  Osric has to add zombies.  They're hot in the current film-making climate, after all.  When Osric objects, the Louisiana District Attorney responds, "Who'd even pay to see a movie about Shakespeare?"  The zombies stay and suddenly it's Hamlet meets Ken Burns meets The Walking Dead, starring the second worst actor who could be cast in a Shakespearean role (right behind Hulk Hogan).  Then the financier dies.  What to do?  It must be seen to be believed.

What follows is a story of bodies alive, dead and undead; carnal, bloody and unnatural acts; and voodoo loan sharks.  This is no highbrow movie by any stretch.  It is an entertaining ninety-minute diversion, though.  The casual slaughter of Shakespeare's masterpiece ("To not to be or to not not to be...") is good for plenty of laughs.  In the end, even the mindlessness of social media and viral video plays a part.  As the curtain falls, Osric is off to his next several projects, including Romeo and Ghoul-iet.  (Yes, really.)  If that's not enough, the worst actor who could be cast in a Shakespearean role gets his chance as Vampire Macbeth.  To quote that Martin Sheen classic, Acapulco Now, "The horror, the horror!"