Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Rotten, ugly, hateful, and highly unfunny zombie spoof.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Walking Deceased
What's the Story?
Sheriff Lincoln (Dave Sheridan) wakes up from a coma to discover that the zombie apocalypse has come. He finds his young son working at a zombie strip club and meets up with several other survivors; they all take refuge in a shopping mall. Brooklyn (Sophia Taylor Ali) meets a zombie called Romeo (Troy Ogletree), whom she's attracted to and who has certain human qualities. Eventually, the group decides to head for a place called Safe Haven. There, they find an old couple who appear to be slightly sinister, and their pretty daughter, Isaac (Jacqui Holland), who's keeping secrets of her own. Will the humans survive the marauding zombies? Plus, who's the Mysterious Wanderer everyone is talking about?
Is It Any Good?
Spoofing The Walking Dead, Warm Bodies, and (sort of) Zombieland, THE WALKING DECEASED is about as witless as they come. First of all, it doesn't exactly parody or spoof anything, rather copying notable moments from other zombie films and TV shows and throwing in some bad jokes. It fails to generate even one laugh, and it never once questions the popularity of zombies in today's culture.
And the "jokes" are absolutely bottom-of-the-barrel, mainly consisting of juvenile, locker-room one-liners based on fears of homosexuality, heterosexuality, and women. Jokes about a boy running a strip club are perhaps the lowest. Female characters are consistently mocked or objectified, and the male characters are ugly, selfish, and stupid. Plus, on a technical level, the movie looks horrible, with rushed editing and short-attention-span camerawork that looks like it can't wait to sneak away from this rotten movie and film something worthwhile. A one-star rating is too high, but it's the lowest we can give.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The Walking Deceased's zombie violence. How did it affect you? What tone did it have? Is it funny? Is it scary?
What is the nature of a spoof or a parody? How does this movie achieve (or not achieve) that status?
Does the movie use stereotypes? How does it treat its female characters? Are they powerful and tough, or are they viewed as objects?
What's the appeal of zombies in pop culture? How does this movie acknowledge their popularity?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 20, 2015
- On DVD or streaming : April 21, 2015
- Cast : Tim Ogletree , Joey Oglesby , Dave Sheridan
- Director : Scott Dow
- Studio : ARC Entertainment
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Fantasy
- Run time : 88 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : bloody violence, language, some sexuality/nudity and drug use
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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