A 50 minute zombie-fest from 2012 that sets new standards for cinematic outrage. ABED’s basis was the notorious 1992 short story of the same name by Elizabeth Massie. Initially published in—and in my view the highlight of—the splatterpunk anthology BOOK OF THE DEAD 2: STILL DEAD (and republished as a standalone e-text in 2011), the story is a rare example of zombie erotica that holds up beautifully.
This adaptation was scripted and directed by Ryan Lieske (of the short films CLEAN BREAK and DOWN TO SLEEP) and co-produced by the late novelist/journalist/screenwriter Philip Nutman (of 2007’s THE GIRL NEXT DOOR and 2011’s SURVIVOR TYPE). It was lensed in Leiske’s native Michigan for a reported $5,000, and after winning numerous film festival awards was briefly made available for on-demand viewing on Vimeo (which it doesn’t seem to be any more).
As ABED begins we’re plunked down in a Midwestern American town during a worldwide zombie outbreak. Here a young woman named Meggie is held prisoner in her mother-in-law’s suburban home. Meggie’s husband Quint was killed in the early days of the outbreak, but his undead corpse is being kept around by his mother, who’s hoping he’ll sire a grandchild with Meggie. How this process is accomplished takes up much of the film’s final twenty minutes, and is every bit as grotesque and outrageous as you might expect.
Graphic? Uncompromising? Yes and yes, but there’s no other way to properly depict this material, which even by traditional splatterpunk standards is extreme—and extreme is indeed the word for this film, whose jaw-dropping grotesquerie is pivotal to its overall effect.
It certainly looks good, with a fine, atmospheric visual sense. Also on display is a good grasp of tone; as in the Elizabeth Massie source text, Ryan Lieske avoids comedy and traditional scary movie trappings (both of which would have been quite easy to do, and would have probably doomed the film) in favor of a straightforward, naturalistic depiction of a world in which traditional morality has been horrifically inverted.
Not all the acting is up to snuff, although Rachel Finan (of Michigan’s Super Happy Funtime Burlesque show) is quite strong as Meggie. Hers is certainly one of the most daring lead performances in horror film history, incorporating acts I strongly doubt too many mainstream actors would be willing to perform onscreen.
Vital Statistics
ABED
Familiar Productions
Director: Ryan Lieske
Producers: Philip Nutman, Jenny Lasko
Screenplay: Ryan Lieske
Cinematography: Benjamin Strack
Editing: Jim Kraft
Cast: Rachel Finan, Vicki Deshaw-Fairman, Daniel E. Falicki, Marci Stembol, Jeffrey Goodrich, Chris Eddy, Rick Reed, Matt Simpson Siegel, Lisa Mueller, Philip Nutman, Jenny Lasko