One Cut of the Dead is certainly a strange found footage horror film, because, at first, you will probably be wondering what all the fuss is about when you start watching it – a low-budget zombie movie about a film crew making a horror film in an abandoned buildingdoesn’t sound that great, and the first few minutes also will not exactly scream “one of the most loved horror comedies of recent years”.
The film is ridiculous in all of the best ways though, and that is exactly where the charm of One Cut of the Dead comes from, because this film takes something that sounds completely silly and turns it into a warm and entertaining story about making movies, dealing with problems, and people trying their best even when everything goes wrong.
Give It Time Because It Is Not What It Looks Like
The hardest thing about recommending One Cut of the Dead is that the less you know, the better, where the first section is probably going to confuse some people, where it is messy, the performances are strange, and the whole thing looks like it was made with very little money, but there is a reason for that – the movie is setting things up, and once you understand what it is doing, those earlier moments become much funnier and more enjoyable.
It is one of those films where scenes that seemed pointless suddenly have a completely different meaning later on, and that is the real trick of One Cut of the Dead, it asks you to trust it, and that trust will payoff.
You might also expect the zombies to be the main attraction here, but they are actually not what makes this film so memorable, as the real fun comes from watching the people behind the movie, and anyone who has ever worked on a project with other people will probably recognise some of that frustration on show, except the difference here is that the problems involve zombies.
A Heartfelt Horror Comedy
The thing that surprised me the most about One Cut of the Dead is how much heart it actually has, because underneath all the mayhem and ridiculous situations, there is a genuinely sweet story about people working together and putting everything they have into something they care about – it is very easy to forget that behind every movie there are usually dozens of people trying to make everything work – actors, directors, crew members – everyone has to deal with problems and pressure, and this film takes that idea and turns it into a zombie comedy, where you end up actually caring about the characters, like, really caring.
One thing you also cannot ignore about One Cut of the Dead is how much it achieves with such a small budget, and this is not a film with huge action scenes, expensive effects, or a massive cast, but it also does not need any of that.
The movie is built around a simple idea, and it gets a surprising amount out of it, where it uses its limitations as part of the overall experience, and there is something very likeable about a film that clearly does not have much money but still manages to be creative and memorable.
It feels like a movie made by people who genuinely love movies, and I also include the cast in that statement as well, as they are mostly brilliant, especially Takayuki Hamatsu, who is great as Higurashi because he could have become a very very annoying character, to watch but Hamatsu gives him enough personality that you actually understand where he is coming from – he is not just a crazy filmmaker chasing a ridiculous dream, he is someone who genuinely wants to create something special.
The movie really depends on you caring about this group, and thankfully, it gives you plenty of reasons to.
Final Thoughts
One Cut of the Dead is a film that will probably test your patience at first, where the opening might not convince everyone, and some viewers may wonder why it has such a strong reputation, but once everything starts coming together, it becomes clear why so many horror fans love it – it is funny, clever, emotional, and completely different from what it first appears to be – a movie about making a movie, and that makes all that much better.
Trailer
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