R.L. Stine, the famous novelist, had said that there wouldn’t be so many stories about zombies, undead, and other weird and strange creatures if they didn’t exist. Unfortunately, best friends Amy (Madi Monroe) and Mike (Marlon Kazadi) found out about it the hard way. Amy was a huge movie buff and had been obsessed with zombies and other creatures for as long as she could remember. Mike was just the opposite; he couldn’t stand these made-up stories written just for the sake of scaring children. Little did they know, Mike and Amy would soon unlock a century-old secret that would pin them against their own town. Zombie Town is one horror-comedy film you won’t regret watching.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Is Len Carver? Why Did He Take A Sabbatical?
Len Carver (Dan Aykroyd) was a big-shot Hollywood director who had made a fortune making horror films, like Night at the Mausoleum and Hockey Zombie Patrol and whatnot! Not to mention, the man even had a town named after him. However, Carver soon got bored with making movies and took a long hiatus. He isolated himself in his hometown, Carversville, and didn’t entertain visitors, be they friends or family. Luckily, after 30 years, the man changed his mind and planned to release his new film on Halloween night. Since people had been waiting years for Carver to release his movie, the demand for the new film had reached an all-time high. Carver had also said that he wouldn’t be promoting his movies via media junkets, so those waiting would just have to see it on the day of the film premiere. One of Carver’s greatest fans was Richard Landro (Henry Czerny), the owner of the Carversville Theatre. According to him, the genius filmmaker himself contacted him to spread the word about his new movie. Carver himself would attend the premiere, Richard claimed. Amy couldn’t wait to see the movie, while Mike couldn’t be less interested. Mike hated horror films, especially those by Len Carver. He believed them to be trash, unintelligent, and just jam-packed with unnecessary jump scares and blood. Mike had a hard time understanding why anyone would like these types of films. Mike believed the entire town was nothing but a bunch of zombie-following idiots. This was ironic, as Mike worked part-time at Richard’s theater.
Why Did Carver Warn Against Playing The Film? What Happened To The Town?
Carver was rushed to the hospital a day before the big premiere. However, he warned Richard and Mike not to play the film, no matter what happened. For some reason, Carver kept hearing voices. These voices often threatened to destroy all his films. Moreover, the film canister of his latest zombie movie had a strange ancient symbol on either side of it. Amy and Mike planned to watch the movie before the entire town could. However, as soon as the movie started, a bright white light swept the entire town. Those who came into contact with it turned into zombies. Moreover, the light also fried all the electronics. Maybe this was the reason why Carver told Richard not to play his film. He knew this was going to happen. Amy and Mike encounter Miss Boneyard and Dean outside the theater. They were turned into zombies. At first, Mike and Amy thought everyone was just sporting their Halloween makeup. They were forced to rethink their stance when they saw Dean turning Officer Jenkins into an undead. Even Amy’s mom was transformed into a zombie. Unlike the classics we had grown accustomed to, the zombies in Zombie Town were intelligent. They drove cars, spoke perfectly, walked their children, and looked both ways before crossing the road. Plus, they don’t eat flesh but suck souls. The duo figured if there was anyone who could explain what was happening to their town, it was Carver himself.
How Did Carver Get His Hands On The Film?
The story dates back to 1974, when Carver was an aspiring filmmaker. He was approached by a man who claimed to have some lost film reels that belonged to Thomas Edison. Yes, the same man who invented the moving pictures. Edison hid those films, believing they were magical. Mezmerian (Chevy Chase) believed the film reels were imbued by mystical energies that were only found in an old Egyptian burial chamber. The strange man hired Carver to examine and study the films. Carver later used the same films to create hit movies. But when Mike and Amy played his latest film, it was empty, and there was nothing but a white screen. In reality, the magical film turned the actors into zombies. Every actor or extra Carver had hired during his golden years was turned into a zombie and trapped in the film. This was why Carver took a long sabbatical. The memories and cries of the souls trapped inside the film haunted him. And when he couldn’t take it any longer, Carver trapped himself in his house. His fans, the people of the town, kept bugging him to make another movie. This was why Carver decided to make another film. The aim here was to turn the entire town into zombies. Carver eventually realized the dangers of this and changed his decision. Unfortunately, Mike played the film, unleashing the horror onto the town. The only way to stop it was to put the film back into the canisters. They may not be able to save Carversville, but the rest of the world was still salvageable. However, unlike Amy and Carver, Mike had no interest in saving the town. He ran away with the other half of the film canister. The zombie-infested town was his perfect excuse to skip town. Mike never liked this town and wanted to leave. Throughout the film, we see him pushing his mother to relocate somewhere else, but she refuses it.
Do Mike And Amy Save The Town?
As Zombie Town neared its end, Mike finally broke away from his misguided hatred against the town. Instead of skipping town, he made his way to Chad’s party to save Amy. They head over to the mausoleum, where Carver is sitting in front of a tomb. He was struggling to make a decision about whether to destroy his films or keep his legacy intact. Mezmerian also told Carver that destroying the films was the only way to save the town. Not only would it stop the zombie epidemic from spreading, but it would also release all those troubled souls trapped inside the film. They could resume their lives from the time they were trapped, claimed Mezmerian. But who was Mezmerian? He was Carver’s friend, who, on many occasions, had told him to destroy the films. Carver always denied his pleas, saying he wanted to protect his legacy. He even trapped Mezmerian in one of his films, Night at the Mausoleum. Mezmerian was the same man we saw at the start of the film. At last, Carver made the decision to burn all his films. He told Mike and Amy to take care of the one playing in the theater. The plan worked, and everything returned to normal. Zombie Town concluded with Amy and Mike walking down the road, having confessed their love for one another. They were also relieved, knowing they wouldn’t have to see any new horror films from Carver.
Len Carver enjoyed both wealth and fame when he was creating his films. In his heart, Carver knew what he was doing was wrong and evil. But the promise of success had blinded him. He eventually realized it, but it was too late; he had already sacrificed many souls for the sake of his films, including Mezmerian’s. The real reason why Carver wanted to turn the entire world into zombies was to punish them. The world praised him and put him on a pedestal for his immoral works. Moreover, they wanted him to make more movies. Thus, Carver believed they were deserving of the same fate. However, his hatred was misled, as his fans didn’t know he was trapping real actors in his films.
