Horror comedy is one of the hardest sub-genres to pull off in media. When done right, productions can be immortalized and scenes and dialogue quoted for decades. Such is the case in films such as “Scary Movie” and “Shaun of the Dead.” When done wrong, this difficult format has made a comedic legend like Leslie Neilsen look ordinary with the hard to watch, “Dracula: Dead and Loving It.” The team behind “Corpse Control,” a post-apocalyptic zombie comedy, attempt to bridge the worlds of fright and funny with their fresh series.
Two average guys are just trying to make a life for themselves in modern day New York City. Like so many, they are juggling relationships, self esteem issues, and attempting to break free from their mundane job. Only most people’s jobs do not entail wrangling up animated corpses. Yes, these two men work for Corpse Control. An independent corpse collection agency that was set up after a zombie outbreak, whose goal is to remove animated corpses from private residences and businesses. Since a vaccine has made life with the zombies’ routine and practically eliminated the outbreak, all seems like just another day at the office. That is until something appears to be making the undead more lively, aggravated, and aggressive. Over the course of a few days, the Corpse Control must deal with: a model with a sensational appetite, a gamer that is delusional to the real world, an apocalyptic shut in, along with all the strange characters that litter big city life, both dead and alive.
“Corpse Control” breaths much needed fresh air into the often stale zombie genre. Since “Resident Evil” smashed the box office in 2002, zombie culture has dominated the horror nation. From “The Walking Dead” to countless Romero adaptions, the undead have awoken a financial juggernaut. However, the flesh loving market has become redundant. What “Corpse Control” does so well is mix in some great new zombie lore along with perfectly timed comedic dialogue, while touching on social commentary regarding vaccines and illness. While some recent productions use modern topics that overshadow their work, this series just slides in an occasional joke and shows the absurdity of both sides. Zombie works of the last several years typically lead the audience down a path where the humans end up being the monster, which is just a reiteration of Romero’s original “Night of the Living Dead.” “Corpse Control” gives the audience a new surrounding, one where the undead walk among us and no one is too bothered by them. The production team presents a clean piece with great shot selection and clear audio, a rare commodity in YouTube media. All the performances are solid with the two leads stealing the show with witty repartee. The first five episodes are now playing free on YouTube with more coming soon. Subscribe to Corpse Control on YouTube and follow this talented team on both Instagram and Facebook.
Scream Score: 8.7/10