Macabre...ish Horror Review: The Returned

The Returned, 2013/ 98 min

The entire world is swept by the zombie plague, in the 1980s, to the tune of 100 million infected and scientists searched relentlessly for a cure. Twenty years later, what they came up with was a treatment that included a daily injection that if taken within 36 hours of infection, the virus is suppressed. As long as you got your shot it was as if you were never infected at all. You are now one of the Returned.

But if even one dose is missed, then the infected devolves into the complete feral zombie state, permanently. Unfortunately, the treatment is derived from zombie proteins and with fewer zombies, there is less raw material for the treatment and the fear that the medication will soon run out, is spreading.

In fact, it is running out and one of the fundraisers that support the research and production of the drug and Physician for the returned, Kate (Emily Hampshire), she knows it and her husband (Kris Holden-Ried) is afflicted. She’s been getting the medication illegally to make sure her husband has plenty. All while she is lobbying for the budget for research is maintained, which is expensive.

One day armed men entered the Returned wing of the hospital and murdered everyone and took hard drives, so now they know where all the infected live and who they are. These terrorist groups are spreading and their aim is to kill all of the infected, in order to keep another outbreak from happening, or so they say. Riots are starting to break out and chaos is spreading. Plus the government is rounding up The Returned and putting them in ‘containment centers’.

The obvious fear is, when the drugs run out, the world will be overrun by zombies again but the third wave will be the worst one. They need a permanent solution or an apocalypse is guaranteed.

If you liked Daybreakers or the English zombie drama series In The Flesh, you might enjoy this. This is a drama infused with horror.  Very well done! I enjoyed this one.