The Revenant (2009)

The revenant in question is Bart (David Anders from Heroesand Children of the Corn), a soldier killed in battle in the Middle East. However, after his funeral, Bart wakes up in his coffin to find himself alive but undead. Bart and his best friend Joey (the scene-stealing Chris Wylde) slowly realize that Bart isn't really a vampire or a zombie, but a revenant, a undead hybrid that needs human blood to survive.

The Revenant's premise sounds a little like Bob Clark's classic Deathdream, but the film separates itself by being more of a buddy comedy flick with gore thrown in for good measure. This combination hits its mark as Bart and Joey try to find ways to get blood without harming innocent lives that eventually leads the pair to become "vigilante gun-slingers."

As a comedy, The Revenant succeeds thoroughly, and the casting of Anders and Wylde works to  perfection, a naturally pair that effortlessly  win over the audience in a way that many buddy comedies try to achieve, but fail. However the film suffers from slow pacing that comes from The Revenant's more dramatic situations, particularly when Bart starts dealing with the issues he seemingly dropped to become a vigilante. Really, once the film gets to the point of Bart and Joey busting in on drug deals with guns blazing, is any one wondering why Bart hasn't dealt with his poor, suffering girlfriend?

The Revenant's ending is a welcome surprise, one we won't ruin, but it also points out another flaw. Rather than enter the film's story as a twist, why not build to it? Had The Revenant removed the parts that didn't matter to the overall story, the ending would have had even more impact. Still, it's always impressive to watch a horror film that has an ending you don't see coming from a million miles away. For that, and for making a slick, legitmate horror comedy (at least when it wanted to be a comedy), Prior is to be congratulated.

The Revenant is currently lacking in distribution, so to follow where to see a screening, check out the film's official website.