Fido (2006)

Fido: Directed by Andrew Currie. With David Kaye, Jan Skorzewski, Kevin Tyell, Andy Parkin. Space radiation turns the dead into Zombies. Zomcon fights zombies and finds ways to pacify and use them. On pre-teen Timmy’s (Kesun Loder’s) 1950s suburban street, they all have a zombie doing menial chores. Timmy’s zombie becomes his pet and friend, and is named Fido (Sir Billy Connolly).

“A year or so ago, I was watching the TV news when a story was broadcast about a zombie movie being filmed in my area. Since then I have paid particular attention to this movie called u0026#39;Fidou0026#39; as it finished production and began playing at festivals. Two weeks ago Fido began playing in my local theater. And, just yesterday, I read a newspaper article which stated Fido is not attracting audiences in itu0026#39;s limited release, with the exception of our local theater. In fact, here it is outdrawing all other shows at The Paramount Theater, including 300. Of course, this makes sense as many locals want to see their city on screen or spot themselves roaming around in zombie make-up. And for any other locals who havenu0026#39;t seen Fido yet but are considering it, I can say there are many images on screen, from the school to city park to the forbidden zone, that you will recognize. In fact, they make the Okanagan Valley look beautiful. Thatu0026#39;s right beautiful scenery in a zombie movie! However, Fido itself is a very good movie. Yes, despite its flaws, it is better then most of the 20 other movies playing in my local market. Fido is best described as an episode of Lassie in which the collie has been replaced by a member of the undead. This is a clever premise. And the movie even goes further by taking advantage of the 1950u0026#39;s emphasize on conformity and playing up the cold-war paranoia which led to McCarthyism. Furthermore, it builds on the notion that zombies can be tamed or trained which George Romero first introduced in Day Of The Dead.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eKu0026#39;Sun Ray plays a small town boy whou0026#39;s mother (Carrie-Ann Moss) longs for a zombie servant so she can be like all the other house wives on her block. However, his dad (Dylan Baker) is against the idea as he once had to kill his own u0026#39;zombie fatheru0026#39;. Eventually, the family does acquire a zombie named u0026#39;Fidou0026#39; (played by Billy Connolly), and adjusts to life with the undead. Billy Connolly was inspired casting. He is able to convey Fidou0026#39;s confusion, longing, hatred, and loyalty through only his eyes, lumbering body, and grunts. Connolly shows that he can play understated characters better than his outrageously comedic ones. This is his best role since Mrs. Brown.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFido follows in the footsteps of other recent zomcoms such as Shawn Of The Dead and Zombie Honeymoon. Being someone who appreciates Bruce Campbell and Misty Mundae movies more than Eli Roth and Jigsaw ones, I prefer humor over gore in my horror. However, I understand the criticism of those horror fans who feel there is not enough u0026#39;undead carnageu0026#39; in Fido. Yet, I am sure patient viewers will be rewarded by the films gentle humor.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe movie does break down in itu0026#39;s third act. Itu0026#39;s as if the writers were so wrapped up in the cute premise of domesticated zombies in the 1950s, they forgot about the story arc. However, given my interest in horror comedies and my appreciation for seeing the neighborhood on screen, I rate Fido 9 out of 10.”