"In the Future... The Dead Rule the Earth..."	Year of Release: 2002 Directed by: Andy Koontz Running Time: Approx. 10 minutes Rating: Not Rated Listing on the A.K.A. Page: Nope! A Second Opinion: Arrow in the Head Reviews Buy it on VHS at: Horror on Film Visit the Offical Page: Horror on Film (Zombie Dawn) My Rating:

Elite Government Squad- Andy Koontz and friends! A trio of soldiers who end up in zombie central. One is torn apart and devoured by zombies, another becomes a zombie (in a very cool scene I might add), and their Captain commits suicide before he can suffer a fate worse than death.

The "Zombie Hell Hound"- A friendly pooch that's bathed in fake blood. It gives one of the squad members a hard time and is shot.

The Zombies- The shambling undead who thirst for blood, played by Andy Koontz's friends and (possibly) neighbors. Some of the zombies are dispatched of, but in the end, they overtake the government squad.

Frightened Girl- Chris Koontz! Andy's sister who is discovered inside a zombie ridden building. She makes it to safety and hides while her would be rescuers get munched.

You know, zombie movies have always been a favorite genre of mine. There's just something about the shambling, flesh-eating undead that makes me grin with twisted joy. And thanks to independent film makers like Andy Koontz, I can experience that joy on a multitude of levels. Some of these low/no budget zombie flicks are great and some aren't. So where does Zombie Dawn fit in amongst these other zombie flicks? It stands somewhere in the middle ground. Though there isn't much of a plot, and despite the low budget nature of this short, I still enjoyed it quite a bit.
After a brief (and humorous) introduction by director Andy Koontz and cameraman Scott Philips, we're treated to some stock footage of some old Hydrogen bomb tests (could be atomic bomb test footage though). We also get the entire plot summary from some on screen text. Apparently there has been a nuclear war which has wiped out millions of people worldwide. What's even worse is that chemical, biological, and germ warfare has also been used. Many of the survivors have fled to underground bunkers, but some have decided to continue to live on the streets above. But that is a terrible idea since all the aforementioned warfare has apparently created millions of zombies.
Now it's up to an elite squad of government soldiers to find any survivors and bring them back, with the hope that a possible cure can be found for the zombie plague. And now that I think of it, this film reminds me quite a bit of The Terror Within, except with zombies. As you may recall in that film, a virus has wiped out most of humanity. Those that do survive hide out in military bunkers and bases, while others are turned into hideous mutants. So maybe this is where Andy found some inspiration for Zombie Dawn? Anyway, there's the plot folks, now onto the action and gore! A trio of soldiers are dropped off at a home via helicopter (which isn't seen, just heard). They run into the house and fend off a few zombies (including one zombie dog). Though the squad defeats the zombies in the house, and discovers a survivor (Andy's sister Chris, whom is referred to as a male by the soldiers. I wouldn't hold it against them though. It was dark and there were zombies all around them!), their efforts prove fruitless and they all die.
However, the girl escapes certain death by hiding from the ravenous zombies. And that's all there is to it! It's short, it's sweet, and the zombies eat meat! Zombie Dawn was a real blast to watch. Despite it lacking things like, lighting (which worked in the movie's favor I think), character development, and some actual dialogue (sure the soldiers shout stuff to one another, but we never learn anything from them or about them), it doesn't really matter. It officially clocks in at about ten minutes (and that's counting the end credits and introduction), so a well written script and any character development seems useless.
In regards to the special effects, Andy did a great job. Instead of using blank bullets or even CGI to supply muzzle flashes for the guns, Andy used some good editing (done by Scott Philps), strobe lights, and empty bullet shells to complete the illusion. Also the gore effects were well done and bloody, and the music was appropriate to say the least (the main music was performed by Loveburger. Wait a minute! Wasn't that the name of the band in Can't Hardly Wait?!). My only gripe with the music is that it's just one song! I would've appreciated some more variety but again, it's a short film so that isn't a big issue. All in all, this is one of the better zombie films I've watched recently and I recommend it for anyone who needs a quick dose of zombies and gore! Now go on over and read my review for Andy's even better zombie film, Them Damn Zombies!

Squad Member: "Stay down you f*cker!"
(Reviewer's Note: The squad guy says this after he and his fellow soldier finally take down a zombie after pumping bullets into it for a few minutes. Why aren't there any other Memorable Lines you might be wondering? Well the dialogue mainly consists of "Go, Go, Go!" and "F*ck, F*ck, F*ck!" so there wasn't much to type here really.)