Nerd-dom comes in many forms. You may think that Star Wars and Friday the 13th don’t have a lot in common, but going to just one convention tells a different story. You’ll see no less than 10 characters from each franchise — super fans cosplaying as their favorite IPs. In ZombieCON Vol. 1, horror and sci-fi fandoms collide when dress-up devolves into crazy carnage.
A group of cosplaying friends trigger a zombie apocalypse and are forced to traverse a zombie-infested Los Angeles to save their loved one.
ZombieCON Vol. 1, IMDB
Even winning a cosplay-dance competition doesn’t lessen the sting of people making fun of your hobby. After getting beat up by ruffians making fun of their costumes, Rocket (Manny Luke) is fed up with the assholes of the world, always giving others a hard time for liking something different. Friends Claire (Erin Áine), Javi (Christian Casillas), and Punkie (Punkie Johnson) try to make the best of the situation, but anger is infectious; with a mysterious stone and their combined frustrations, zombies give them a reason to come together, forget the assholes of the world, and be the superheroes they really are in their hearts.
ZombieCON is a fast-paced extravaganza filled with nerdy one-liners and plenty of dark red zombie blood. The storyline is clear and makes sense, making sure to leave plenty of room for fight scenes that leave everything but the camera drenched in blood. While the group was perfectly wardrobed for a realistic, down-to-earth cosplay community, the zombies themselves were plainer than I would have thought. But don’t let that deter you; it actually works in their favor by maintaining some humanity in the “assholes” and making it believably harder for the friends to kill them (at first). And even though the zombies are lacking in an overload of grotesque prosthetics, they still have this awesome eye-shine, deepened demonic voices, and little glimpses of the electrifying magical stone buzzing from their bodies.
Immediately you feel close to the protagonists, easily identifying traits you may see in yourself. Rocket is the frustration in being labeled “weird.” Claire is the good. Punkie is the strength, and Javi is the determination. And with these powers combined, you have a rad-ass group that is more than capable of chopping heads off of the undead. Even if you aren’t part of the cosplay and convention community, it feels like you know these people and have no issue rooting for them.
ZombieCON Vol. 1 was not only bloody, it was heartfelt and funny. From the convention stage, to their apartment, to the tunnels beneath LA and finally Rocket’s mom’s house, this adventure turned a devastating battle against the unrelenting undead into an action-packed, video game-like film enough to restore your faith in humanity. Just as violent as it is warm and inspiring, ZombieCON unites fans of all backgrounds under one big awesome umbrella.
For more ZombieCON, check out their website and Instagram. Currently available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and more!
