The Returned(2013) - Horror Movie - Review

Zombies have been all the rage since George Romero's classic "Night of the Living Dead" shocked us at the midnight theater scene, then finding a home on home-video, propelling it into cult status. However, while we can find a plethora of flesh munching zombies just about everywhere, unfortunately if you have seen one zombie flick you have pretty much seen them all. Originality has mostly taken a backseat for gruesome images of the undead eating the living --and even then not very well. And you have to look sometimes far and wide to find something new. "Fido" and "American Zombie" come to mind when I'm asked for something a little different, however, now I can add "The Returned" to that list as well.

Set 20 years after the last big zombie outbreak (there's a little nod if looked at closely to Romero and the time lines of the 2 outbreaks. The last taking place in the 1980's), Scientists have discovered a way to counter act the virus that turns humans into zombies if they are treated within 36 hours of being infected. The only draw back is if the treatment takes you're on the treatment for life. As the retro-viral drug is not a cure but a deterrent that keeps one normal. If you miss a dose you start to revert back to becoming a zombie. However, do to the high cost, the government is picking up the tab of research and dispersal to those that are referred to a "The Returned".





As you can imagine after 20 years people don't look at the poor souls that are infected as real people. And protest groups are now the talk of the day as they look to have the Returned people encamped due to the possibility of problems if they miss their dose. Add to that the rumors of a possible shortage of the retro-virus. As the infection has become a thing of the past the one place that they can harvest the proteins scientists need is drying up. As it becomes clear that the alternatives that are being researched are coming up bad and not effective, the government must take drastic actions as panic hits the streets as protesters from both sides clash.

In the midst of all this the story follows Kate, research scientist and doctor, as she tries to cope with the fact that her boyfriend is a Returned and has been stockpiling anti-virus for that "just in case" moment. But as it turns out things don't always go plane and that in the struggle of life and death and the possibility of things getting bad again you really can't trust anybody.

 "The Returned" at times takes on the thought process of how people were --and are-- treated that have an infectious disease (along the lines of HIV). Which gives the film a real world feel much to the effect that "Contagion" did to that film.

I give "The Returned" four out of five Severed Heads.