Fantastic Fest 2011

Director Alejandro Brugués & Producer Gervasio Iglesias Macias live in person!

50 years after the Cuban Revolution, a new one is about to begin. That revolution is zombies; filthy flesh-eating zombies. The Cubans face a large enough challenge dealing with a zombie infestation (allegedly started by U.S.-backed radical groups), but their procrastinating hero Juan (Alexis Díaz de Villegas) has to overcome his lazy lifestyle to save the world.

At first, Juan doesn’t pay the growing chaos in Havana any mind. When the rampant “social order disturbances” escalate and start to affect his routine, however, he realizes that the perpetrators are not in fact “dissidents” but rather are bonefide walking dead. Sensing an opportunity for a fast buck, he bands together a ragtag militia and commercializes a zombie cleaning service, “Juan of the Dead,” to rid households of unwanted, undead loved ones.

In the same vein as, well, SHAUN OF THE DEAD, JUAN OF THE DEAD clearly pays homage to George Romero’s original undead masterpieces. The film sets itself apart by taking the story of the zombie infestation in a different direction and like SHAUN, JUAN’s kills are often hilarious, unique, fresh, and definitely blood-drenched. That’s no small feat for a plotline as well-trod as the zombie apocalypse.

The most compelling aspect of Juan of the Dead is the complete infusion of Cuban attitude, politics, humor, music and even cocktails into the film. First time writer/director Alejandro Brugués delivers a progressive cultural essay encompassing not only the cultural revolution but also the current state of affairs in Cuba, all within the confines of a zombie comedy. Kudos to both Brugués as well as Raul Catro’s new regime for launching Cuba’s very first horror film. We hope this is the start of a long tradition! (Chase Whale)