Automaton Transfusion

At an hour and 15 minutes, this feature length debut is all about high octane pacing — even the zombies conform to the faster and stronger modern reinterpretation made popular by movies like 28 Days Later — which messes with the zombie mythos but does keep the action flowing. The first zombie attacks even before the opening credits roll and by the end of the day the surrounding areas are completely infested. The lame cause of the infection isn’t mentioned until the drawn out conversation in the last few minutes of the movie but in between are some great moments of gore, including a nice shot of one zombie punching into a pregnant woman’s belly and chomping on the foetus and another zombie tearing the jaw right off a screaming woman’s face. In fact, the gore is really all this low budget indie has going for it. Although the five o’clock start time for both a house party and a punk rock show in a bar is laughable, the most ridiculous moment is when a zombie storms into a bedroom at the party and patiently waits to attack while the male soon-to-be-victim, interrupted during sex, puts on his underwear. And the abrupt "To be continued” ending is also frustrating. The commentary and "making of” documentary reveal a cast and crew excited to be filming and having fun doing so, as well as the technical details involved in the creation of the film’s best make-up effects (handled by Rick Gonzales, who previously worked on George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead). The deleted scenes, short film and two music videos are just obligatory additions, however. In the end, Automaton Transfusion is good for some gore and a few good laughs but don’t expect much more, especially not an ending.