In recent years the zombie movie has fittingly enough come shambling (or in some cases running) back from the dead – bad news to some, bloody marvellous news to others. Though the majority of the new entries to the zombie sub-genre are so bad they seem intent on killing it off again this wonderfully titled movie is certainly not one of them.

Despite its bizarre plot, camp feel and perverse sense of humour The Stink of Flesh takes its source material surprisingly seriously. These zombies are of the traditional slow and shambling stable and are a real threat to the characters, even the fist-fighting, undead slaying Matool (Tlapoyawa) whose favourite method of zombie dispatch is to hammer large nails into their heads up close and personal. The make-up effects used for the zombies in this film are a clear homage to Romero’s Dawn of the Dead with lots of grey’s, blues and greens being used for their skin tones. As with that film, the effect, while not terrible, is not hugely convincing though this hardly matters when the obviously low budget is taken into account.

Much is made of what budget was available with most of the story wisely taking place in one location. It is refreshing to see a zombie movie dwelling on the story of the characters rather than centring on the undead outbreak as so many seem to make the mistake of doing. It is fairly obvious that the filmmakers have tapped up as many friends and acquaintances as possible in making this film. Sometimes it does run dangerously close to looking like a bunch of film-school friends mucking about on camera with some distinctly hammy acting going on but for the greater part this works for the movie rather than against it. The soundtrack is a masterstroke and the odd country/punk/folk music contributes greatly to the film’s sense of individuality and style.

The script is a real oddity but a well crafted oddity, this screenplay is as tight and lean as they come. That alone is unusual enough in low-budget genre movies but the sly and knowing wit which pervades nearly every line of dialogue really sets it apart from its contemporaries. There is a clear sense of fun present in every aspect of the film and fortunately the audience is nearly always included in this fun. The film makers are fans of these types of movies and have made this film for other fans, there is lots of gore, a bit of nudity and the only zombie faeces examination scene ever committed to film (probably).

This is a sick and crazy movie that will certainly not appeal to all tastes but then again, is that particularly surprising for a film titled The Stink of Flesh? The flaws it has are easily overlooked in light of the freshness, energy and sheer love of it all that oozes out of every seedy frame. This is the way all movies should be made.

Rating: 8/10

Review By Matt Compton