Festival Of The Living Dead is a Tubi original horror flick directed by the Soska Sisters, Jen Soska and Sylvia. It is written by Miriam Lyapin and Helen Marsh. It serves as a “spiritual sequel” to the original 1968 theatrical Night Of The Living Dead.

Fifty-five years after the initial zombie infection, Ash (Ashley Moore) is the granddaughter of Ben, who is now hailed as a hero. To celebrate her birthday post-high school, her boyfriend Kevin (Gage Marsh), her high school friends, and his brother Ty (Andre Anthony) want to take her to the Festival Of The Living Dead, a Burning Man-type event that commemorates the previous incident. At first, she declines to attend because she has to babysit her brother Luke (Shiloh O’Reilly), but her best friend Iris (Camren Bicondova) and her crush Blaze (Christian Rose) offer to stay instead. When Ash and the others arrive, they soon discover that a new infection has arrived after some meteorites crash near the event. History repeats itself as authorities block off the area and Ash must survive, especially after Irish arrives with her brother.

I am a huge fan of the original Night Of The Living Dead from director George A. Romero, so my interest was peaked when I heard that the Twisted Twins themselves were directing a sequel.

There was an undercurrent of dark comedy within this movie and at times, that humor felt a bit flat and forced at times. This was the only thing I did not care for in the plot as it caused a little bit of unnecessary melodrama. Because of this, I doubt the stuffed shirts called mainstream critics will like this, but you can tell, this one is made for fans of the zombie genre, not critics in front of a computer screen.

With this in mind, the cast does a good job. I felt that everyone was rightly placed. They accurately portrayed the recent high school graduates who think they are engaging in harmless fun, only to find themselves in a dangerous situation with very little hope. The directors have a cameo at one point in the movie, so keep your eyes peeled.

I had a good time with this movie. The plot is loaded with gore and that made it so much fun. The original film did not have a lot of blood as it was more of a thriller than an actual work of horror, but this one dives right into the flesh-eating zombie fest head first. It pays homage to the original, but also has its own unique spin as a sequel of sorts. Even if you have not seen Night Of The Living Dead, but enjoy some zombie action, you will have a roaring good time.

Bottom line, Festival Of The Living Dead is the perfect horror flick to pop some popcorn, grab a beer, and have a good time.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Strong foul language, Gory violence, Substance abuse

FAVORITE QUOTE: Tell me you’ve never played a single video game without telling me you’ve never played a single video game.

Check out the trailer below:

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