About 30 minutes too long and somewhat clumsily executed, this zombie’s-eye-view story still manages to evoke the comic and splattery spirit of the best ’80s cult horror flicks (and features a car-horn shout-out to “The Lost Boys,” to boot).
On a routine patrol in Iraq, Private Bart Gregory (David Anders) is ambushed and killed, then inexplicably wakes up moldering in his coffin. His slacker friend Joey (Chris Wylde) is initially freaked — “you’re f – – king rotting, dude!” — but loyally offers to hide and help his undead buddy. Soon, they’re using Bart’s immortality in an antihero capacity — busting violent criminals, who end up as his dinner.
Writer/director Kerry Prior, whose background is in cinematic visual and special effects, has a good eye for LA’s neon-noir look, and “The Revenant” boasts some original, amusing and disgusting variations on genre lore. It’s a low-budget cousin of “Shaun of the Dead” (if Shaun were undead).