Quick Review: Rammbock (2011)

"Quick and fun, Rammbock is a great infected-way to kill an hour of time..."

So the Germans -my forefathers- decided to throw their hat into the Zombie/Infected Apocalypse ring, eh? It figures. Who isn't doing these types of movies these days? At least Rammbock puts a different twist on things... mainly because it's set in Germany?

Der Hinterland is overrun with hordes of infected, and a group of Deutsch losers decide it best to hide in their apartments, rather than karate fight their way out of Berlin.

You already know the story; humanity is overrun with a mysterious virus that zombifies people and makes them angry and bitey, an assorted cast of dumb asses die one by one, and camera flashes hurt the Zombies... ok, that last one may be new.

"Nein photographen!"

Our main character, Michael, spends most of the movie pining for his ex-girlfriend, who is missing somewhere out there amidst all of the kraut Zombies, which gets a little old after a while. I mean, she dumped you, the world is essentially ending, and you need to find her? Meh. Focus on living, and let her new man worry about saving her dirty, cheating ass.

He is overcome by love... German love.

...and so is she, apparently.

Aside from that lameness, the Zombies/Infected are pretty neat for the most part, although if you don't like the fast 28 Days Later type of "Zombie," you may not like them so much. I'm to the point now where it doesn't bother me so much anymore, although old school Fulci-style Zombies are my sentimental fave. Then again, these are Infected, and not truly Zombies, so maybe it's all just pointless to argue about. Whatever. Stop being so picky, you Horror snobs!

The fast movers do add a certain excitement that the slow moving plodders can't quite muster though, and thus you can take the story in different directions because of that. It certainly can make for all kinds of tense moments, especially towards the end of this one when the survivors make a break for it, using cameras as weapons... sure it sounds lame, but it was actually kinda cool.

It's a light, dummkopf! Stop staring and run!

Clocking in at a little over an hour long, Rammbock manages to be pretty fun, and while not an instantly classic movie, is certainly a worthy addition to the Zombie/Infected genre. Make sure you go check it out when it hits an AMC Theater near you!

B

More like Ramboner, am I right?

DVD Review: Dead in 3 Days (2009)

The Austrian version of I Know What You Did Last Summer... Interesting.

Cast Members of Note- Sabrina Reiter and a bunch of other Austrians that I don't know.

Flashback: In Austria, pond hockey kills. It also makes people go insane and kill high school kids in horrible ways.

That is one evil hockey puck.

Five friends, just about to graduate from Austrian High School, run over a deer while partying at high speeds on the Autobahn. Soon after, they receive text messages that say "In 3 Tagen bist du tot," which I thought meant something like "During lunch, you can have 3 of my tots..." boy was I wrong. It means "You'll be dead in 3 Days" in Austrian. Soon enough, the Gorton's Fisherman comes along and kills one of them, getting revenge for his deer friend! See what I did there?

She is doe-eyed no longer.

One by one, the kids begin to drop in increasingly painful ways (as the pic above clearly shows.) Fed up with the fisherman's hi-jinks, the remaining friends set out to uncover his identity, and put a stop to the hockey-inspired killing once and for all!

I won't spoil what comes next for you here, as it would be unfair of me to ruin it for you, but suffice it to say that revenge is served wet and cold, and with a side of tartar sauce! Also, things get pretty creepy towards the end.

Is Kenny Rogers the Gorton's Fisherman? Watch and find out!

I have to admit that DI3D was my first Austrian Horror flick, and I liked it. You'll definitely get the feeling that this movie is a lot like I Know What you Did Last Summer, and you'll be right; it's basically the same movie, but it's different enough to work for me.

Why do they always try to run?

The best things about this movie are its camera work/setting, and the acting. The scenery in this movie is fantastic, as Austria is a gorgeous country. The actors definitely complement the scenery, as does the creepy tone of much of the film.

That's creepy.

Without giving anything away, was anyone else totally creeped out by the killer when they were revealed? For some reason, he/she/it really unsettled me; the mannerisms, the fact that they didn't speak, the dead look in their eyes... really eerie.

You should have given him your tots!

I didn't know that they shipped the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise overseas. Apparently, they sent it to Austria and changed its name.

Austrian cuties.

Fish tank violence! Also, deer violence, multiple stabbings, dream violence, drownings, and an impaling. Some really good stuff, I just wish there had been more of it.

This is why I don't have fish.

One pair of nice boobs during a brief sex scene, and that's all.

Austrian Cops are inept. Also, pond hockey can ruin people's lives.

She can't breathe with you on top of her!

This is a pretty decent offering, though it certainly doesn't break any new ground in the Teen Slasher genre. Visually breathtaking, well-acted, and a truly creepy third act make it one to check out. It's out on DVD today, so give it a rent... it's one that I'll probably buy.

C+

Dead in 3 Days is available now on DVD.

Die frauen von Dead in 3 Days.