In 1989, Lisa Swallows is a lonely teenage girl grieving the brutal murder of her mother. When her Dad remarries a horrible woman, Lisa spends much of her time in a local cemetery where she speaks to the grave of a man who died of a lightning strike in 1837. When she is not there, another bolt of lightning hits the grave and the man is brought back to life as a lovesick zombie.
This is a curiously uneven film. Diablo Cody’s script has a few laugh-out-loud moments, particularly when the killings start. Kathryn Newton is terrific as Lisa perfectly capturing both the initial awkward teenager and, in true Dr Frankenstein style, the increasingly disturbed young woman. The attitudes and style of the late 80’s are well presented by Cody and director Zelda Williams.
However, the first part of the movie is very sluggish and there are longish stretches that are neither funny nor scary enough.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10