Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Night of the Living Deb Blu-ray Movie Review

Dawn of the Wed

Reviewed by Michael Reuben September 9, 2016

After The Walking Dead, Shaun of the Dead, iZombie and countless other films and TV shows, could there possibly be an untried variation in the flesh-eating genre? The answer is yes, courtesy of director Kevin Rankin (The Battle of Shaker Heights) and first-time screenwriter Andy Selsor, who have melded a zombie apocalypse with screwball comedy to create Night of the Living Deb (hereafter, "NotLD"). Funded by a Kickstarter campaign and made for $100,000 (yes, that's only five zeroes), NotLD is a classic demonstration of how much can be accomplished with ingenuity, a good idea and plenty of free help from people who are excited just to be making a movie. After touring the fantasy and horror festival circuit, the film is being released on Blu-ray by MPI Media.

NotLD is set in Portland, Maine, which is director Rankin's home town and which, according to his commentary, provided invaluable support to the production. The "Deb" of the title is Deb Clarington (Maria Thayer, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), a classic screwball kook who, in the words of the actress playing her, is "a color that no one has heard of". By day, Deb works the camera for the news broadcast at Portland's local TV station. The night before Independence Day finds her out drinking with her plus-sized friend, Ruby (Julie Brister), who owns a shop that sells Christmas decorations year round. At the bar, the rowdy gal pals spy the handsome Ryan Waverly (Michael Cassidy, who played Jimmy Olsen in Batman v Superman) and, egged on by Ruby, Deb throws herself wildly at Ryan, oblivious to the fact that he is accompanied by his fiancée, a pushy snob named Stacy (Syd Wilder). But after Ryan and Stacy quarrel and Stacy storms out, enough alcohol is consumed so that Deb awakens in Ryan's bed the next morning, just in time to hear him on the phone in the next room seeking advice from a friend on how to get this strange woman out of his apartment.

Ryan and Deb shortly discover that they have a much bigger problem than dealing with the aftermath of a one-night stand. While they have been indulging themselves in pleasures they can't remember, a zombie apocalypse has descended upon Portland, triggered by an unknown pathogen infesting the city's water supply from a faulty filtration system supplied by industrialist Frank Waverly (Ray Wise)—who just happens to be Ryan's father. Fighting off the growing zombie horde, Deb and Ryan make their way to the Waverly family compound, where Frank's father, fiancée and older brother, Chaz (Chris Marquette), have barricaded themselves to await rescue by the state authorities. A coverup is in progress, with Portland quarantined and a fake story about a radiation leak fed to the media.

Nothing brings people together more surely than common danger, and the battle against both the walking dead and the machinations of Ryan's father quickly convert Deb and Ryan from awkward strangers into a couple. It's no spoiler to reveal that Ryan's fiancée is conveniently removed from the picture, after exhausting every come-on in her arsenal to get him back into her bed. When escape is thwarted, Ryan and Deb conceive a desperate plan both to save themselves and to get the truth to the outside world. Their Fourth of July ends with fireworks, but not the usual kind.

NotLD is blessed with actors capable of remaining utterly serious, even as events around them grow increasingly ridiculous and cartoonish. Some of the funniest moments arise from sheer ineptitude, whether it's Ryan's brother firing wildly at anything that moves, or a hired mercenary (Brian Sacca) who keeps accidentally shooting his own men, or the deadpan machinations of Frank Waverly himself, whose plan to leave Deb behind backfires badly. The film also benefits from a healthy supply of extras and background actors, which is one area where independent productions often run up against budgetary limitations. The people of Portland pitched in, and so did NotLD's Kickstarter contributors, some of whom submitted their own YouTube creations for inclusion in the climactic sequence where reports of Maine's zombie problem go (you'll pardon the expression) viral.

Night of the Living Deb Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Night of the Living Deb was shot digitally, and director Rankin was able to enlist the services of an experienced and professional cinematographer, Thomas A. Ackerman, with whom he had worked on The Battle of Shaker Heights. Ackerman's comedy credentials range from Beetlejuice to Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and he gives NotLD a professional surface sheen than one doesn't expect from a film with a $100,000 production budget. (He also appears in the film as the governor of Maine.)

MPI Media's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray has been formatted at an aspect ratio of 2.00:1, which is not a standard ratio for theatrical exhibition. I have been unable to confirm at what AR the film was shown at festivals, but presumably it was cropped at top and bottom for standard 2.39:1 projection. The Blu-ray image is sharp and detailed, realistically capturing the quietly luxurious Waverly mansion and, at the opposite end of the spectrum, the tangle of Christmas decorations displayed in Ruby's year-round Yuletide store. The film's palette is understated and naturalistic, effectively "selling" the zombie and gore effects. Black levels and contrast are accurate, and aliasing, distortion and other artifacts are nowhere to be seen. MPI has mastered NotLD with an average bitrate of 18 Mbps, with a capable encode.

Night of the Living Deb Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

NotLD's 5.1 soundtrack, encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA, is a relatively restrained affair, no doubt due to budget constraints. Surround activity is limited to environmental ambiance, with an occasional pan for vehicles (aerial and otherwise). The dynamic range is sufficient to provide solid impact for the occasional gunfire, but the track's primary element is dialogue, which is clearly rendered and properly centered. The tongue-in-cheek horror score is credited to Steven Gutheinz (Deadly Impact).

As usual with MPI titles, an alternative PCM 2.0 track is included.

Night of the Living Deb Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary with Writer/Director Kyle Rankin, Actor/Producer Michael Cassidy, Actor Maria Thayer, Writer Andy Selsor and Editor Tony Copollolo: Like many group commentaries, this one often devolves into overlapping remarks that are difficult to decipher, as well as laughter and insider jokes. Still, Rankin routinely breaks through with informative remarks about the production, especially the cooperation from the local community.



• Bloopers (1080p; 2.00:1; 9:46): Subtitled "Bloopers and Improv and Car Troubles and Non-Zombified People Walking All Over the Damn Place"—which is a good description.



• Behind the Scenes (1080p; 1.78:1; 29:46): This "making of" is far more entertaining than the usual studio-vetted EPK. It's professional but informal, conveying a sense of the production's lively working atmosphere. Interviews with Rankin, Selsor, Ackerman and most of the principal cast are included, as well as extensive footage on set and location. A highlight is the montage of Maria Thayer's laugh, which Ray Wise describes as the most infectious he has ever heard.



• Trailer (1080p; 2.00:1; 2:31): "Love Is Kind. Love Is Blind. Love Is Messy."



• Bonus Trailers: At startup, the disc plays trailers for Deathgasm, Traders, The Demolisher and Last Girl Standing, which can be skipped with the chapter forward button and are not otherwise available once the disc loads.

Night of the Living Deb Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Maria Thayer shines in NotLD, winning over the audience as her character wins over Ryan. There's something oddly endearing about the way Thayer's Deb takes a zombie apocalypse in stride. Michael Cassidy's Ryan is the classic nerdy, straight-arrow hero (epitomized by Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby or Ryan O'Neal in What's Up.,Doc?), who's initially desperate to escape the loopy broad pursuing him but can't help falling for her. Zombies are an obstacle, but love finds a way. Highly recommended.