The Cured

Elliot Page stars in this inventive and surprising post-zombie film from Ireland, in which the rehabilitated undead are transitioned back into society.

The walking dead get a second chance at life in this inventive and surprising post-zombie film from Ireland. Six years after a virus ravaged Europe and transformed the majority of its population into feral, zombie-like flesh eaters, a cure has been found. As the rehabilitated are transitioned back into society, they remain widely feared and are treated as second class citizens. When two friends, Senan and Connor, are released from quarantine, they experience the hardships of re-integration, leading Connor to take a stand against his oppressors.

As with the most effective zombie films, David Freyne’s assured debut is not simply a work of claustrophobic, visceral horror, it’s also a potent political allegory. Proudly bearing the influence of the late, great undead king George A Romero, Freyne’s cerebral shocker also boasts something all too rare: fresh ideas. Deeply unsettling and richly emotional, this is socially engaged horror with real brains. And plenty of guts.