Keith Wright/UK 2010/77 mins

The curse of becoming a zombie is given an unexpected new look with Harold’s Going Stiff, a new British zombie crossover film from Keith Wright, that reveals how becoming a zombie affects the victim and those closest to them. Funny and moving, this movie sets new standards for independent British film.

Pensioner Harold Grimble (Stan Rowe) was the first man in Britain to catch Onset Rigor Disease, an incurable illness that turns its sufferers into zombie like creatures. But Harold’s deterioration is slow, and with the help of local nurse, Penny Rudge (Sarah Spencer) the pensioner is able to live a full and enjoyable life. However, when a new treatment is made available, Harold is the only suitable candidate for testing it, which leads to tragic results.

There are thousands of horror movies available anywhere in the world, and while some are good, a vast proportion of them are awful, and what Wright discovered when he was doing the research for Harold’s Going Stiff, is that it’s very difficult to make a new zombie movie different from all the others out there. But while this film is best described as a crossover movie, with comedy, documentary and a love story all being featured, Harold’s Going Stiff shows the transformation from unassuming man to uncontrollable zombie from the point of view of the people closest to him: the best friend and carer, to the doctor treating him.

While this is not the first film to look at the more emotional and human aspects of a zombie story, both I Zombie: A Chronicle of Pain and Colin have attempted this feat before, Harold’s Going Stiff manages to really look at humanity and human relationships, while successfully bypassing the usual blood and gore to focus on the devastating cost of going ghoul. Intelligent, witty, and above all, sensitively handled, the film’s most unassuming shots were the most moving. Filmed entirely on a digital SLR camera, this film shows a real understanding and respect for the zombie genre, allowing it to grow in ways it hasn’t done before. Somewhat political in places, with the ORD outbreak bearing striking similarities to the BSE outbreak of the 90s, Harold’s Going Stiff is one of the most original zombie crossover movies to come out of the British film industry in a very long time.