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Action,

The Establishing Shot: The Horde Review

I really had no idea of what to expect from The Horde. I knew it involved gangsters, cops and Zombies. I had visions of some Zombie Holocaust updated to – terrifying as only the French can do. As seen with recent original French hardcore horror films like; Martyrs, Switchblade Romance, Frontier(s) and Ils.


The Horde doesn’t take that road it’s more of an update on George A. Romero’s Zombie sensibilities. It starts off as a potentially interesting French mafia revenge story, with the hoods attending a funeral before heading off to avenge their recently fallen comrade. This is quickly turned on it’s head – as we see the team tool up for a revenge mission. Turns out they are actually the cops. They then head into a derelict apartment block run by some hoods. Where we meet some rather efficient and brutal gangsters. Let’s just say they get the upper hand in the situation rather quickly. As they gear up for some ultra violent torture to extract information from the police team. All hell breaks loose outside.
Pretty soon the cops and the hoods have formed a shaky alliance as they become aware that something unholy is happening on the streets of Paris. While they are holed up in the building to fend off a Zombie attack from both the growing mob of Zombies outside as well as the recently Zombiefied victims of the hoods on the inside of the building.
The real strength of The Horde are the unique and interesting characters; the cops are like the Reservoir Dogs and the hoods are like the gang from City of God.
Unfortunately what seems to be the most interesting character is killed of rather quickly leaving a more ethical second in charge. But all is not lost as we are then introduced to what might just be the most un PC whack job to grace screens since Archie Bunker, this guy is ex French Foreign Legion and spent some time in Vietnam. He also has a stockpile of bootleg liquor and homemade arms. For some reason he thinks the Zombies are Chinese and takes to pulling them apart with great vigour.
The group then machete, shoot, grenade, machine gun, head bash and karate kick the Zombies as they make their way to the lower floors of the building to the only safe exit.
The acting was all right albeit hindered by the script, the effects were good, but the script follows Romero’s formula a little too close not leaving much room for surprise or innovation.
The Horde is currently roaming the streets on DVD.

The Horde Review

Directors: Yannick Dahan, Benjamin Rocher
Starring: Claude Perron, Jean-Pierre Martins, Eriq Ebouaney, Aurélien Recoing, Doudou Masta, Antoine Oppenheim, Jo Prestia, Yves Pignot