Harold's Going Stiff

This is a decent attempt to revitalise the low-budget zombie genre. Yorkshire-based writer-director Keith Wright reimagines zombification as a wasting disease affecting only men. Lonely widower Harold Gimble (Stan Rowe) is the first victim, and doctors hope that his unexpected longevity may hold the secret to a cure. But only if he can escape the attentions of Jon (Andy Pandini) and his gang of vigilantes, who prowl the moors looking for stray zombies to clobber in the name of public safety. Rowe is sympathetic, while Pandini’s turn as a bullying little-Hitler type is funny and well observed. Wright’s script veers into misguided slapstick – his treatment of female lead Penny (Sarah Spencer) is uncomfortable at times – but there are enough interesting ideas, memorable lines and inventive choices to make this is a notable entry into the overstuffed DIY horror canon.