Herd (2023) Review

Herd (2023) Review

With her marriage on the rocks, Jamie (Ellen Adair) convinces her wife, Alex (Mitzi Akaha – ARCHIVE 81), to join her on a make-or-break canoe trip to her remote hometown in rural Missouri, where her father (Corbin Bernsen – KISS KISS BANG BANG, MAJOR LEAGUE) still lives. But when an accident leaves Alex with a broken leg, things quickly go from bad to worse to unimaginable…

When they finally reach the town, they discover it’s been overrun by Heps – virus-infected humans turned bloody-thirsty zombies that are multiplying by the minute. Even worse…. Alex has been scratched by one of the infected. As panic spreads, violence erupts, and hope turns to horror as the couple find themselves caught between two warring militia groups and the ravenous zombies and must do anything and everything they can to survive.

It’s fight for survival or fight for control as zombies face off with militia in a battle between the unstoppable undead and the cold-blooded commandos… and two women who’ll fight to the very last to make it out alive in this bloody-brilliant zombie fest.

HERD is sold as being an action horror when it plays more like a drama as Jamie and her whining high-maintenance wife Alex head to and arrive at her former hometown. There’s more talking than there is any action or horror and for those tuning in expecting zombie carnage you’ll be short-changed. In a nutshell co-writer/director Steven Pierce has created a horror film that’s ideal for those that don’t like horror movies.

HERD touches upon aspects of horror but sidetracks the zombies to show us that the real monsters are everyday people, just like us – we are the ‘herd’ of the title. Consequently, and in getting this point across, nearly every character interaction is a squabble which does become a little tiring after a while. It also doesn’t help either that occasionally the dialogue resorts to cliches, such as having a character tell everyone around them to ‘stay quiet’ (which I would imagine NO ONE would have needed telling under the circumstances) before doing the opposite of what they asked.

In a nutshell HERD is a polished production, well-lensed and it keeps the momentum ticking over nicely, even if for the most part its people squabbling. It’s ideal for a Saturday night’s viewing but just don’t expect there to be much in the way of zombie action or action.

UK Home Entertainment release 23rd October 2023
Screens Saturday 26th August at 1820 and Sunday 27th August at 1340