PopHorror Let's Get Scared
All hail the first feature zombie film from Belgium! Proprietor of TerrorVisions Productions Rob Ceus (Freak In the Basement 2018) is putting the finishing touches on his underground indie production, Zombies From Sector 9, and aiming with sniper precision for an early 2019 release. Also known as Ceus Rob, the filmmaker has a number of projects underway, some only partially funded, but none have been such a labor of love as this film. With the shorts Bride Zombie and Slime under his belt thus far, Ceus has his claws in a number of projects, including Roach, Dismembered and Necro: The House Of Rotting Flesh, the later of which has a great trailer that is featured on this rough cut version of Zombies From Sector 9 that Ceus sent us, and it looks like some superb gore and exploitation sleaze, lining up perfectly with the feature film. Read on to find out what I thought about those pesky zombies.
Zombies From Sector 9 was plagued with a number of challenges which resulted in numerous delays. Ceus did manage to produce a number of great looking posters and trailers for the film, which stirred up interest from underground horror fans. The movie is a lot of fun and has some cool cameos from fellow underground/indie filmmakers such as Morbid Visions’ Brian Paulin, Joe Meredith, Alex Wesley, Seb Godin and Richard Raaphorst who does an impressive and lengthy improvised scene in the film.
It’s been a long road, and Ceus and his girlfriend, Inge Vanleene, wanted to get the movie released sooner, but the challenges have been great. Ceus told me that his director of photography dropped out, forcing him to rewrite the entire script. They had to glue everything together to make a whole new film. He sent us the rough cut, which is missing some visual and sound FX, but it’s still a very close finish to the final product. The film I saw is a lot of fun and features some of the great effects work that Ceus is known for doing.
The plot has a character named Bookwalker (Steven Daemers) as a down-on-his-luck slob who spends his days eating pizza and watching horror movies. Bookwalker’s only concern is his young son and trying to find a way to better himself for him. Things go to shit quickly due to a nuclear disaster and Bookwalker, amidst all the chaos, makes his way to find his son and his wife in a mission for survival. This lazy slob turns into a mean, lean killing machine as he chainsaws, hacks and shotgun blasts his way through hordes of zombies and undesirables. Not only does Bookwalker have to worry about the undead, but also the Mad Max-like raiders who inhabit this wasteland. These guys destroy and pillage anyone and anything in their way.
Originally, Zombies From Sector 9 was going to be a short film, but they ended up with 45 minutes of footage which they built upon to make it a feature. It’s a great time, featuring lots of humor, cool practical gore effects and tongue-in-cheek performances. The technical camera work also elevates the quality of this film as we get some great aerial shots. The cool movie posters and the trailers are also an indication of the fun Zombies From Sector 9 has in store for indie horror fanatics everywhere. Definitely an indie feature to keep on your radar, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for it, especially when it gets an official release. Check out TerrorVisions Productions and Rob Ceus as they take an ultimate D.I.Y. approach with impressive results.
