Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies is funny and bloody, but could easily have been better. Still, if you love zombies and horror-comedy, then this could be perfect for you!
Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies definitely has its title going for it. I mean, the pitch is right there in the actual title.
And really, if you love the horror-comedy genre (and I really do!), then Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies should be good entertainment.
If you speak German or have been to Germany, then you’ll probably find this even more amusing. And if you’re Danish – which I am – then there’s an added bonus of getting some dialogue that wasn’t translated.
But the observant reader will probably have noticed my extreme use of the word “if”. And that’s never really a good thing for any movie. Including Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies.
Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies is silly but honest
You have to forgive a lot when it comes to horror-comedy. The story is rarely very big and the characters will do silly things. But at least it’s honest. Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies never tries to be anything more than what it is.
And really, this saves it in many ways.
Unfortunately, its demise is something as simple as a love story. I want fun and zombies. Blood and crude jokes. I don’t need a love story.
And if I get it anyway, then you better make it crude or somehow off-beat. This is somewhat attempted in Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies but isn’t followed through.
Interestingly enough, this is exactly where the brilliant zombie horror-comedy Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse worked perfectly.
In Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies, a pretty serious “if we survive this”-talk just pulled all the energy and humor out of the story for me.
The funniest characters save the day
For me, the heroes of the movie are the characters who remain silly and focused on the humor. I think all the actors do what they can, with the material they’re given, but the winners are the ones with the best one-liners.
This is for the simple reason that humor and jump scares need to drive the story forward in horror-comedy. But if the jump scares aren’t really there (and they’re not!), then the humor really needs to work.
Dominik Hartl has directed a few shorts and one feature film before this one. The runtime and direction does work well, but the story is too thin. Unfortunately, because it has its moments. But really, those moments would’ve been better off in a perfect little short film.
Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies premiered at Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival back in April, 2016. Out on VOD and in select theaters in the US from January 13, 2017.
Details
Director: Dominik Hartl
Writer: Armin Prediger, Dominik Hartl
Cast: Laurie Calvert, Gabriela Marcinková, Oscar Dyekjær Giese, Margarete Tiesel, Karl Fischer, Patricia Aulitzky
Plot
Zombie action in the Alps: a group of young snowboarder is stuck in a remote mountain ski resort, where an all-night aprés-ski party soon turns into a hellish nightmare of zombie mayhem.
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