Aussie siblings Kiah and Tristan Roache-Turner put themselves forward as highly competent creatives with outback horror film Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead, delivering a no-bullshit, slightly satirical, zombie film that is speedily climbing it’s genre, standing upon the pile of dead or decaying carbon-copies while heralding something unique and supremely entertaining.
Kiah directed and Tristan produced, while both took charge of the screenplay. It’s obvious this duo have a deep and thoughtful love of zombie films, giving us an entry that takes a no-bullshit approach the zombie apocalypse while still putting enough spin on it to give it that necessary distinction. The Australian-ness of it all is amplified by a great cast which includes Jay Gallagher as main guy Barry and Leon Burchill as Benny. Gallagher in particular does well in portraying a man who loses everything at a rather breakneck speed, quickly sucking out of depression and flinging himself at the new landscape of zombie-infested NSW. Burchill knows when to stop playing up the comedic relief routine just enough to remain a serious and thoughtful character. It’s mainly these two out in the open as they survive with no clear objective besides Barry finding his sister Brooke (Bianca Bradey) alive.
While Barry and Benny are more on-ground in the zombie world, Brooke is quickly placed into an intense situation where she is experimented on by cruel military types the Captain (Luke McKenzie) and a disco-loving mad doctor (Berynn Schwerdt). This leaves Brooke with the bizzare power of mind-control over the zombies and ties back into the original conception of the undead in popular culture, in that they were controlled by voodoo. It’s a nice concept that hasn’t really been revisited by modern zombie films, and the Roache-Turner brothers have found a way to incorporate it into the film without it coming across as too jarring.
Mayhem and ridiculous action is what Wyrmwood goes for in it’s admirable blend of Mad Max and Evil Dead inspiration, never taking itself too seriously and giving viewers something incredibly fun to watch. Whether it’s the quite bizarre idea that zombie blood can be used as a substitute for petrol, or the entire look of the film, there’s always a fresh idea to keep you engaged when the lack of an interesting overall plot starts to dry.
The look of the film is particularly notable and a big reason for it’s success. The Roache-Turner brothers have gone for a middle ground between gritty reality and a comic book aesthetic, coating many scenes with hyper-bright, loud colour schemes and glowing neon to go along with the hyper-violence that taps into the best parts of tarantino.
While the crude distinctly Australian humour can feel a bit overdone at times, Wyrmwood is consistently fun throughout and something that will undoubtedly enter in cult-favourite status soon enough.
Review Score: FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Running Time: 98 minutes
Wyrmwood has a limited release in Australia. The film is screening at Moonlight Cinemas in Sydney on Friday 6th February (details HERE) and will enjoy a one-night-only release in cinemas on Friday 13th February. For more information on the film and how fans can demand extra screenings head to their Facebook page HERE
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