Virus :32 – Shudder Review (2/5)

VIRUS :32 on Shudder is a new horror movie with a zombie plot but in a somewhat different way. A great premise that isn’t utilized nearly well enough. The ending was actually rather irritating because it highlighted where things went wrong. Read our full Virus :32 movie review here!

VIRUS :32 is a new horror movie on Shudder. It’s a Spanish-language zombie movie which is something the world knows (and loves) after [REC] came out in 2007. The latter was even remade as Quarantine in the US in 2008, starring Jennifer Carpenter.

This new Shudder horror movie is a co-production of Argentina and Uruguay and has a very different take on zombies. For one, they don’t focus on “eating brains” (or other human body parts) as much as they simply desire violence. In that sense, they’re more like the zombies of 28 Days Later or – even more directly comparable to – the amazing upcoming Shudder movie The Sadness (2021).

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Continue reading our Virus :32 movie review below. You can find it on Shudder from April 21, 2022.

What’s with the number 32?

Well, the tagline of this Spanish-language horror movie is “32 seconds to live or die”. That’s because the number 32 refers to the time you have to get away from the zombie monsters. Whenever they attack, there’s a window of 32 seconds where they seem to go dormant. You can walk right past them as they recover.

Almost as if they spend 32 seconds recharging and then get back to hunting down people.

Does it make sense? Well, as much as any other element of a zombie story can make sense, I suppose. However, for Virus :32 the real issue is that they don’t utilize this element well enough. The characters quickly discover this window of 32 seconds, but they move so slowly. They always end up truly reacting around 30 seconds in, which makes no sense.

It’s a survival story (as with any zombie or monster movie), but they don’t really use this one main weapon they have.

Shudder movie Virus :32 ending just did not work!

I absolutely loved the premise and was well-entertained during the first third of the movie. During the middle, things started to slide in the wrong direction. Then came that final third act and it all went wrong. I mean really! Some of the developments in this movie are just so irritating that they aren’t utilized nearly well enough.

The ending of Virus :32 on Shudder was actually rather irritating because it highlighted where things went wrong.

A woman is fighting for her child (an 8-year-old girl) but everyone keeps making stupid choices. Including the woman and her daughter, but the child is definitely excused. Certainly to some extent.

To be fair, the reason I can get so damn irritated with the ending of a movie is only that I feel it ruins itself. The premise of Virus :32 is actually very interesting and the characters seem interesting at first. However, so much goes sideways in that final part of the movie that it ruined a lot for me.

Watch Virus :32 on Shudder!

Gustavo Hernández is the director of Virus :32 and he’s also credited with being the co-creator of the story. The idea came from Juma Fodde, who also wrote the actual screenplay. Somewhere along the line, someone should have stepped in and corrected the things that ruin this movie.

Just over a decade ago (in 2010), Gustavo Hernández had his feature film debut with La casa muda (The Silent House) which was hailed for its tension and intensity. I absolutely loved how that movie terrified me. It was one of the very few movies that (despite my handle) did make me scream. Twice!

That nerve and intensity were exactly what this new Shudder horror movie ultimately lacked. The core concept and idea do actually work. And I enjoyed the fact that it played out in Montevideo instead of the stereotypical big city in the United States.

However, from when things begin to go wrong over the middle and over to that ending, it’s difficult to understand why no one realized that this could be done better. From his past movies, I know Gustavo Hernández can do better!

I know, I know… “Everyone’s a critic!” But for this movie, my main complaint is that they had something good and just dropped the ball on it. This could have been a movie that was remade in the US. Hell, it might still be. If that’s the case, I just really hope they fix those many downright stupid decisions and utilize the 32 seconds “to live or die” much better. Then I’m game for more!

Virus :32 Premieres Exclusively On Shudder on April 21, 2022.

Details

Director: Gustavo Hernandez
Cast: Paula Silva, Daniel Hendler, Sofía González