DVD review (region 2)
Directed by Steven Rumbelow
Starring Dexter Fletcher, Dickon Tolson, Lana Kamenov, David Carradine
Release date 10 May 2010

A sudden virus wipes out most of humanity – or at the very least, changes them forever...

Having admired David Moody's novel Hater, I had high hopes for this adaptation of his earlier novel Autumn, which is clearly an attempt to do a "serious" zombie movie. No Zombieland-type rip-roaring adventures, or Shaun of the Dead black comedy, this – it's Survivors done for an 18 certificate, featuring the undead.

On the whole, Autumn works – the debates between the very different survivors are more true to life than you'd find in most examples of the genre, and the undead themselves don't simply sit up immediately and start looking for human brains. The zombie make-up has obviously been done on a limited budget, but it’s effective (even if the slow-motion camerawork begins to become wearing after a time.)

David Carradine makes a brief appearance as a mummy's boy who refuses to accept the truth, and the three leads render the desperation, muted hope and self-sacrifice necessary for the plot to unfold. Co-writer Steven Rumbelow's direction starts off a little pretentiously, but soon settles into a quick-cutting, underlit style that helps disguise a multitude of sins in the budget. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 6/10
Nothing extraordinary, but an enjoyable serious zombie flick.