Anna and the Apocalypse

Anna and the Apocalypse is rough around the edges, but this endearing Scottish Christmas zombie musical has some toe-tapping tunes and characters you care about

Film Review by Jamie Dunn | 27 Nov 2018
Film title: Anna and the Apocalypse
Director: John McPhail
Starring: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire, Christopher Leveaux, Ben Wiggins, Marli Siu, Mark Benton, Paul Kaye, Ella Jarvis, Janet Lawson
Release date: 30 Nov

Cross High School Musical with Shaun of the Dead and you’re close to the demented flavour of Anna and the Apocalypse, which as far as we’re aware is the first film in the sub-genre of Christmas zombie musical comedy.

Anna’s as scrappy as one would expect from a low-budget Scottish B-movie – all untidy editing and ugly lighting – but the cheesy soundtrack and forceful characters are a cut above. As infectious as any zombie plague, the toe-tappers range from a shameless Hall & Oates rip-off to an arena rock number sung by the school jock boasting about his zombie-killing prowess.

These are easy characters to root for, and pleasingly they don’t conform to the worst of horror’s gender conventions. The women – the titular Anna (Hunt), spiky American lesbian Steph (Swire) – are unflappable and kickarse while the men – Anna’s best pal John (Cumming, who’s MVP) and zombie film-nut Chris (Leveaux) – are the goofball scream queens. When some of them don’t make the film’s end with their intestines intact, it proves genuinely moving.


Released by Vertigo