Popcorn Frights 2024: Michael Varrati’s ‘There’s a Zombie Outside’ is gooey, meta-gold

Taking self-referential and genre cues from the likes of 1985’s The Return of the Living Dead, filmmaker Michael Varrati delights with a uniquely gay zombie spin in his brand new feature. Making its world debut at this summer’s Popcorn Frights, There’s a Zombie Outside finds the writer/director shoveling out loads of sticky, flesh-dripping images with a deft horror pen that excavates apocalyptic graves in a way that pays tribute to the past while not getting lost in its meta treatment. In the way Scream reconfigured slashers, Zombie reassesses walking dead lore on its own terms. Varrati isn’t concerned about retreading conventions. He exchanges tropes and cliches for an emotionally rich currency that makes viewers fall in love and relish the tragic beauty.

The film tells the tale of Adam (Ben Baur), a fledgling filmmaker whose vivid fiction bleeds into boring reality. During a camping trip with his lover Ollie (Ty Chen) and friends Louis (Francisco Chacin) and Zeke (William Lott), Adam notices a mangle-toothed corpse (Danny Plotner) outside the cabin, looking on from the nearby hedges, and freaks out. His comrades don’t believe him, chalking it up to stress and an unwillingness to accept reality. But as time progresses, and Adam returns to his normal life back in Los Angeles, the zombie stalks closer and closer and sends aftershocks rippling through every aspect of his life. His best friend Taryn (Phylicia Wissa) questions his sanity after barging over to his apartment. She pleads to understand why he’s so withdrawn and barricaded himself off from the world. Adam litters his apartment with empty food containers, dirty laundry, and yellowed script pages. His life could not be more in shambles. The zombie’s looming presence bares down on his shoulders, and he’s left with little wiggle room to make sense of it all.

There’s a Zombie Outside leans firmly into the unexpected in every conceivable way. Varrati sculpts the story with great attention to giving Baur room to play and improvise with his character. For his part, Baur fleshes out Adam’s story with sharp clarity, startling nuance, and real emotional weight. When his lip isn’t quivering, his eyes burrow into the soul and swing a tremendous anvil right for the heart. The narrative takes a hard left mid-way through, and it’s a well-earned choice to guide the audience through the remainder of the film. It’s a bold creative decision but one that works well to keep the viewer hooked and entertained for 70 minutes.

In its technical aspects, the film excels on all fronts. Cinematographer Andrew J. Ceperley supplies some stunning crystalline framework, color temperatures, and static shots –positioning the characters within each take as it relates to themselves and their emotional arcs. Ceperley also serves as editor and music composer, two other conduits of expression that boost the film even further into the stratosphere. From visually compelling cinematography to a banger score, Zombie Outside doesn’t just walk. It damn near sprints to allow the audience a full-bodied experience in Varrati’s vibrant world. There’s even zombie sex to fulfill the gay quota! If that is your sort of thing, of course…

There’s a Zombie Outside succumbs to meta-ness but neither feels overwrought nor undercooked. It sits snuggly in the eyeballs with Michael Varrati re-confirming his place as one of today’s brightest queer voices. He’s a genre craftsman with a keen awareness of character, style, tone, and body mutilation. Zombie Outside arrives as one of Popcorn Frights’ best entries and a surefire classic in the making. You’re not gonna wanna miss this gem of indie filmmaking.

There’s a Zombie Outside made its world premiere at this year’s Popcorn Frights.

Follow B-Sides & Badlands on our socials: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram