Colin
Colin made headlines when it debuted at Cannes earlier this year and was promptly snapped up for limited cinematic release. The reason? It was allegedly made for the princely sum of £45

Written and directed by newcomer Marc Price, British zombie flick Colin made headlines when it debuted at Cannes earlier this year and was promptly snapped up for limited cinematic release. The reason? It was allegedly made for the princely sum of £45. Shot on a camcorder, using a cast of friends (and fellow zombie fanatics recruited through social networking sites), then painstakingly edited on a PC whilst Price worked nightshifts with a cycle courier company, Colin is an example of filmmaking on an ultra micro-budget. That the result is a 97-minute, competent piece of work is certainly an impressive feat… but how does it actually stand up within its genre?

In its favour, Price offers a somewhat unique take on the traditional zombie tale. Instead of focusing on survivors, his film is about one particularly zombie – the Colin of the title, played here by Alistair Kirton. The Londoner is bitten, falls ill, seemingly dies, only to re-awaken moments later as one of the undead. He staggers around the streets – making slightly pathetic growling noises – chomps at the guts of the dying, and blankly surveys the chaos and panic around him. So far, so predictable. But is there some logic to where Colin stumbles? To whom he appears to follow? A twist is thrown up when he encounters his sister and her boyfriend, who have yet to have been zombified. She refuses to believe that her brother is beyond help, and that somewhere deep inside, a spark of humanity remains – but can she possibly bring it out of him?

It’s a testament to Price and his story that he eventually makes us care about Colin. The film also offers moments of genuine suspense and creepiness (such as the man who keeps blinded female zombies locked in his cellar), and offers enough blood to satisfy any fan of gore.
The downside? Shot on next-to-zero budget, this remains fairly crude and amateur filmmaking. Even with minimal dialogue, the acting is distinctly hit and miss. The make-up looks cheap, and some of the crowd scenes… well, it all feels a bit Doctor Who circa 1975.

Much of these faults would probably have been ironed at had Price had a bigger budget at his disposal. However, monetary considerations aside, Colin would have been a stronger and punchier piece of work if it had been more brutally edited. Some scenes meander on far too long, and one wonders if Price perhaps couldn’t bear to leave any of his voluntary cast languishing on the cutting room floor – not after they’d gone to the effort of turning up for the shoot in their best zombie attire.

That Colin has made it to the screen, albeit as an over-hyped b-movie, is to be applauded, but its success will probably come more in the shape of those whom it inspires to pick up a camcorder themselves.