Zombie Honeymoon, Hooligan Pictures, 2004

starring: Tracy Coogan, Graham Sibley, Tonya Cornelisse, and Neal Jones
written and directed by: David Gebroe

the plot: Once their wedding is over, newlyweds Denise (Coogan) and Danny (Sibley) bolt out of the church and take off for their honeymoon—a few weeks in a swank house on the Jersey Shore. It’s all sun, sand, surfing and romance until a zombie stumbles out of the ocean, tackles Danny and infects him. Denise rushes her new husband to the hospital, but it’s too late—Danny’s dead. Or so it seems. Minutes later, Danny wakes up and says he feels great. Strange things cloud their vacation, though. A cop (Jones) shows up days later asking questions about a patient at the hospital who went missing during Danny’s stay. Meanwhile, Danny’s appetites take a shocking turn and his skin becomes pale and cold. After a trip to the grocery store, Denise returns home to find Danny in the bathtub—munching on the corpse of one of their neighbors. She vows to stand by him, but her promise proves difficult to keep as Danny snacks on everyone they encounter, including Denise’s best friend (Cornelisse). As Danny satisfies his appetite for human flesh, Denise struggles to keep her husband from tearing their marriage—and innocent bystanders—apart.

why it’s good: The glut of zombie flicks in the last few years has been a lesson in diminishing returns. Sticking the word “zombie” in the title of a movie seems a guaranteed pathway to some sort of marginal success, no matter how terrible the movie. Jaded horror fans, and viewers in general, might avoid “Zombie Honeymoon” precisely for this reason, but they shouldn’t. It’s actually a decent flick—more dramatic than horrific, with a surprisingly strong performance from Tracy Coogan. Coogan and Sibley make a convincing couple, and because writer/director David Gebroe cares more about them than about throwing fake blood around, “Honeymoon” is a step above the usual low-budget zombie movie. It’s a bit rough around the edges—Danny’s attack on a travel agent and a mini-rampage around town border on unintentional hilarity, and the supporting cast (especially Jones and Cornelisse) turn in uneven performances. “Honeymoon” is at its best when Denise is front and center. Her devotion to Danny, and her anguish and confusion over having a zombie for a husband, are palpable. It’s sweet, but not overly so. Nor is “Honeymoon” excessively gory. Some fake limbs are thrown around and there’s a generous coating of blood on Danny for most of the movie, but otherwise, there’s not a preponderance of zombie mayhem. If anything, “Honeymoon” offers a valuable lesson in how relationships can endure even when besieged by disgusting, hazardous health problems. If you’re thinking of marrying, be sure to take into account the possibility of your new spouse’s eventual zombification. And whatever you do, don’t honeymoon on the Jersey Shore.

why you should own it: When it comes to zombie flicks, you can do far worse than “Zombie Honeymoon.” Showtime’s DVD features commentary from Gebroe, Coogan and Sibley, and a behind-the-scenes featurette.