By Melissa Antoinette Garza
Recently, I have been watching the Showtime series Masters of Horror. When they first aired, I didn’t have Showtime and only saw a few episodes. I made the effort to seek out the Robert Englund episode as I watch everything with him in it. I also was fortunate enough to see a great one with George Wendt best known as Norm from Cheers, but other than those I hadn’t seen any.
As my brother recently purchased the series, we began viewing them and I have been thoroughly impressed. There hasn’t been a bad one yet. This one in particular was thought provoking, fun, and touching all at the same time. As I watched it, I was brought back to George W. Bush’s reelection and the passionate outcries that surrounded the war. One can’t help but think back to the tragic events of 9/11 and all the tragedies that have followed it for the last twelve years. This feature makes the viewers regain their anger they felt about the wars that 9/11 supposedly invoked and the lies the public were told about weapons of mass destruction. Though a touchy subject, I think most would agree that entering Iraq nearly ten years ago was a grave mistake.
For a horror production to invoke such feelings and memories all the while remaining entertaining and fun is no small feat, but homecoming has it all.
Our main character David (Jon Tenney) is a conservative supporter, advocate and public speaker for President Bush. He speaks with a woman who blatantly represents Cindy Sheehan. The character lost her son in the war and wants to know why her son had to die. David is touched and states if he had one wish it would be to bring her son back. This is the catalyst for the rest of the story as his wish comes true and the soldiers who died in vain come back to life as zombies on a mission.
Meanwhile, David becomes involved with Jane Cleaver (Thea Gill). She’s an insane right-wing obnoxious, woman – so basically Ann Coulter. She’s demanding and will say and do anything to get in the limelight including but not limited to torturing and killing the soldiers who are simply trying to end the war. The soldiers are placed in detainment camps as the conservatives do not want them to disrupt the election. The right-wingers tell the public that they are being quarantined to ensure they are of no danger, but in actuality they are imprisoned.
Slowly but surely David grows a conscious and decides to side with the soldiers. Their main focus is to vote and ensure Bush gets out of office. Though their votes help change what should be the outcome of the election, the Bush team cheats and is victorious. This action angers the remaining soldiers including those from Vietnam who come back to life to ensure that any future war fought is justified.
I enjoyed this immensely. I really wish I had watched it when it aired, but even though much time has gone by, we are as a society still in the same predicament we were nine years ago when this was made. Despite the change in presidency and party, we remain fighting an unjustified war while our brave men and women die without reason and are forced to kill not only enemies but at times innocents including women and children.
This was a very provocative film. On one hand, Dante paid homage to George Romero in several scenes both by placing his last name on a gravestone and by nearly reenacting the first scene in Night of the Living Dead. So on one hand, we have an excellent horror production. Though zombies have been done to death at this point, this was done in a very different tone and style. I personally am sick of the typical zombie flick that has the dead come to life without reason and tear people apart. It’s just boring. This on the other hand was original yet was kind enough to pay tribute to the man who really created the genre and how we view zombies today.
As far as the political message, it is one I completely agree with. Everything from the over-the-top and contradictory rhetoric of those on “political” talk shows to the outrageous and disgusting behavior of those behind the campaign is dead-on. In one scene, David’s boss has a soldier zombie tied up and dismembered his leg in an attempt to kill him. The zombie can still feel pain and David points this out only to hear his superior respond with “he volunteered” and then callously throw a blanket on top of him.
I can’t recommend this one enough. Those who lean to the right and especially those who love Ann Coulter and Fox news will most likely despise this film. Quite frankly, it is one that preaches to the choir but it does it amazingly well.
Scared Stiff Rating: 8.5/10
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