Troubled young Helen (a sturdy and sympathetic performance by the lovely Briana Evigan) wakes up on New Year's Day in a nightmarish post-apocalyptic world that's been overrun by vicious flesh-munching zombies. As Helen struggles to survive this harrowing ordeal she slowly pieces together the events of the previous evening. Director Darren Lynn Bousman, working from a tight and absorbing script by Steven Niles, relates the gripping story at a breathless constant pace, does an ace job of creating and sustaining an intense and frightening atmosphere of mounting dread, delivers a generous amount of bloody'n'brutal violence, and makes expert use of unnerving sound effects (the zombie neck snaps and jaw crunches in particular are extremely jarring). Evigan effortlessly carries the whole show in the lead; she receives excellent support from Niall Matter as the amiable and smitten Eddie, Zulay Henao as loyal and perky gal pal Christie, and Cory Monteith as unfaithful boyfriend James. The infected people are quite scary and savage. The flashbacks to New Year's Eve add an extra touching human element of pathos and tragedy. The surprise twist bummer ending packs a really wicked, yet still oddly moving punch, with a very cute and sweet central message about "undying" love. The fierce rapid-fire editing, John Spooner's shadowy cinematography, and Charlie Clouser's ominous score all further enhance the gloomy mood of this effective and unsettling episode.
Review of New Year's Day
