Film Review: IT STAINS THE SANDS RED Flips Script On Zombie Flicks (LAFF 2017)
It Stains the Sands Red (2017)
Written by Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz
Directed by Colin Minihan
Produced by Colin Minihan, Brandon Christensen, Stuart Ortiz and Bic Tran
92 min, rated R
It Stains the Sands Red, directed by Colin Minihan, is a zombie flick that combines laughs and gore to produce a smart and bloody thriller with a heart of gold. The film stars Brittany Allen as Molly, a woman stuck in the desert with a zombie. You know, that old chestnut. Anyway, she and her boyfriend have car trouble and end up literally stuck in the desert when the zombie walks up to them. A one-sided gunfight ensues but ends with the zombie winning. What follows is a very slow and entertaining chase and after a while, Molly appeals to his humanity and they come to a truce.
While trekking through the desert with Smalls (her demeaning nickname for him), she faces the heat as well as other obstacles in her way to safety. At the same time she struggles to survive, she has to confront her past mistakes that led her down this road.
The film works because of the relationship that develops between human and zombie. At first she’s scared of him. Then she’s annoyed by him. By the end, they both end up as real humans with problems. There is a scene (you’ll know it when you see it) that is written very heavy-handedly and feels unnecessary. It left a bad taste in my mouth, to be honest. I’ve seen a lot of scenes with this content but the way it was written here was lazy and the only time I cringed.
Over all, I was pretty impressed with this film in terms of special effects, writing (mostly), directing and acting. You know it’s on the lighter side from the beginning. The fake blood is fantastic. I want it.
It Stains the Sands Red is a great addition to the zombie flick genre. Recommended for fans of Shaun of the Dead or any other comic zombie stories. Bonus points for casting Juan Reidinger as Smalls. He makes for a very likable zombie even while feasting on intestines. That’s something.
It Stains the Sands Red screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival last week. Dark Sky Films is the distributor. For the latest updates on the release date, etc., visit https://twitter.com/stains_sand_red
