A movie called Zeder

 I got recommended a horror movie called Zeder (1983) so I watched it and now we're talking about it.

Back in 2016 I wrote about The House with Laughing Windows by Pupi Avati and it so happens that seven years later he made Zeder. Zeder was released in the U.S. as Revenge of the Dead which is frankly a ridiculous title, designed to ride high on the popularity of the zombie genre which was running hot at the time. This is not a zombie movie.

After a somewhat baffling but interesting intro, we are introduced to Stefano, a struggling novelist who gets an unusual typewriter from his wife as an anniversary present. When it jams he discovers that the ribbon has some fascinating text on it and he eagerly transcribes it. It seems to speak of an experiment to raise the dead by burying them in special places full of spiritual energy called K-Zones. Stefano becomes obsessed with finding out more and goes on the hunt.

To go deeper we need to split the movie into two parts, what Stefano knows and what we know. Stefano spends most of his time talking to people; professors, priests, old ladies etc. and as he gets gradually closer to the goal, tensions rise.

What he doesn't really know but we find out is that there is a sort of conspiracy surrounding the K-Zone theory. It seems to be mostly academics but there are others involved from the church, the police and others and they are willing to kill to preserve their secret. It's interesting to see Stefano stumble deeper into the web without really realizing it. Ultimately it all comes to a head, except it sort of doesn't.

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD

As is normal in a movie with this kind of conspiracy, Stefano unwittingly talks to members of said conspiracy so they are aware of his sleuthing, but even though they decide he knows too much and want to kill him, they really don't. The amount of people he knows that are involved in this plot is also ridiculous. Towards the end, it seems like everyone except his wife and four other people are involved which becomes pretty silly. Sometimes less is more.

SPOILERS END

The first half of the movie is really good. The typewriter idea is inspired and the mystery is tantalizing and you get a feeling of really wanting to know more. The other half however is pretty weak. You discover things that don't really have much of an impact, the conspiracy itself sort of goes nowhere with no real involvement, it's all kind of rushed and half-arsed. As an example, Stefano is investigating in an underground vault in a cemetery when someone locks him in. And then someone lets him out again. Nothing happened, he never questions it and it never comes up again. Weird and pretty pointless.

For this story to really work it needs more time. You see members of the conspiracy but you don't learn of their motivations, their organization or their capabilities. They just do what they want to and stuff happens. The ending also leaves some things hanging which is annoying. I'm alright with an ambiguous ending, but Zeder unfortunately leaves a lot of smaller threads unraveled.

From a technical point of view, Zeder is competent. The shots are very nice, the scenes atmospheric, the actors are solid and the music is excellent. What I didn't like is how abrupt the cuts are between scenes. People are having a conversation and they barely have time to finish a sentence before a new scene is slammed down in front of you. You expect a certain rhythm to this and Zeder just yanks you from one scene to the next. It's not a deal breaker but it is somewhat jarring.

Funnily enough, parts of the plot mirror elements in one of Stephen King's more famous works, but both that and Zeder came out in the same year, so it is likely a coincidence.

Do I recommend this movie? Yes, for all its sins. Zeder is a solid horror movie with some really cool ideas. The second half is a let down, but they do enough to get the job done, even though they lose points. Any horror fan ought to watch it the one time. If I seem conflicted it's because I liked it and I wish it was better, the story deserves that.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great and safe week!