GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

dholliday The first few minutes were promising: the documentary tone and the determined family looking after their zombie son seemed to set up a coming apocalypse or at least brutal family tragedy.Well, we did get that tragedy and apocalypse yet nothing about the 'film' changed...it continued its boring-as-hell documentary style, sometimes switched to 'cinema' style (tho' it was filmed exactly the same way).Lots of things wrong with this utter waste of time: people talking into the camera, constantly, is simply dull.no sense of how to use music...it was all over the place.very poor sound effects. As with the music there's no UMMFF!roly-poly choreography. Your average kid playfights with more conviction than the 'fight' scenes offered up here.cheap-looking zombie masks...you see better at Halloween parties.no sense of drama or pacing at all. Certainly no sense of horror.the attempts at humour probably looked witty on paper, but it just didn't work. It was all too self-aware.extremely poor camera work & uninspired lighting. Random focus and constant irritating shaking to hide the lumbering 'action'. I use cameras myself and could've guaranteed a more engrossing experience: you need to consider the angles, lighting, choreography and timing the camera movements, not to mention solid sound mixing and editing.the one single attempt at shock-gore fell so awfully flat.the only definable character was the mother, and she was only playing a two-dimensional mother archetype.The actors themselves displayed at least a modicum of ability, certainly competent enough to be in a far better film, but there were too many of them. The 'gangster' characters were especially pointless.For a budget of 100k you can do a lot more, better to go for less cheapo make-up and fewer cast members, and focus on the cinematography with a good editor. See "Rammbock", which had a similar budget.. It's not great but good enough to showcase directorial talent for future projects. 1 point for the idea, but there's nothing else to score it, making this probably my only 1/10 film, and teaching me a valuable lesson not to impulse-buy titles I've never heard of from the cheap bins.

loubaileycondron Portrait of a Zombie is a witty re-imagining of the well worked undead theme. In this feature, an ordinary, working class family must deal with the fall out from their son's transformation to a zombie. What sets this piece apart from others is the down-to- earth feel, as if zombification were just another in a long line of working class problems. It is pretty difficult not to sympathise and empathise with Billy, the zombie son and his family and friends as they try to come to terms with the new situation. Billy's parents are central, unifying characters in the movie and the superb acting of Geraldine MacAlinden in particular brings a touch of humanity to tale. The sombre theme is elevated to pure black magic by the inclusion of witty, biting dialogue. POAZ will not disappoint hardcore horror fan. There is plenty of blood, goo and brain eating. However, some of the gore is strictly for those with an iron stomach. If you want a taste (sic!) of the real Ireland , infused with zombie apocalypse, Portrait is the one for you.

Stephen Jones The screenplay, documentary-style, and earnest delivery bring out the absurdity and bleak humor of the situation... parents defending and caring for their zombie son. No doubt some will object to the fatalistic Irish stereotype or the over-the-top narcissistic American stereotype, but for a genre film, these parts are written with cleverness and acted with depth. Especially the mother and father, with very solid performances. I don't want to get too deep myself here (it's a zombie flick), but the overall look and design are well-thought-out and accomplished too. While it's funny in parts, it is definitely darker than Shaun of the Dead - particularly at the end. The last 20 minutes or so are increasingly desperate and bloody, and less ha-ha funny (unless you're the kind of fan who laughs at these things). If you're looking for gore and the "oh no, not him too, not her too!" moments, the end will certainly satisfy. Recommended.

pierrotfilms I saw this film at CineQuest film festival last week. I'm not much of a horror/zombie fan - but I found this film really worked for me. It's a clever take on the genre.(spoiler) The use of the documentary crew enabled the filmmaker to examine various cultural issues in the film. It's this angle that elevates it above a mere 'meat eating frenzy'. It was clever, funny, relevant and yes - horrifying in turns. The production values were above average for a small indie-budget. You can tell every penny they had went up on the screen.If you are a fan of horror, zombie or 'mocumentary' films - don't miss "Portrait of a Zombie".