Burying the Ex

Joe Dante, director of iconic films such as ‘Gremlins’ and ‘The Howling’ makes a special comeback with his latest feature, ‘Burying the Ex’. Max played by Anton Yelchin (‘Only Lovers Left Alive’, ‘Odd Thomas’), is struggling to cope after moving in with his anally retentive girlfriend Evelyn (Ashley Greene). His life becomes a living hell as she controls everything from what he eats to how he should decorate the home. But just as he is about to dump her vegan ass, there is a bizarre twist of fate and a bus smashes joyfully into Evelyn.

 

Following her death a new love interest develops in the form of Olivia (Alexandra Daddario), Evelyn then rises from the dead in a zombie like way. But she is more determined than ever to make their relationship work.  

 

Whilst watching ‘Burying the Ex’, it is apparent that Dante’s love for the 80’s hasn’t left and is here in abundance which is certainly no bad thing. The 80’s were a great decade for comedy and an even greater decade for horror.

 

Dante’s manages to blend comedy and horror perfectly making him truly one of the holy trinity for the genre (Wright and Landis make the others). Travis (Oliver Cooper) who is the half brother of Max has some great one-liners and he does create the laughs. Yet behind the laughter, much like Wright and Landis, the horror aspect is not forgotten. While no means hardcore, ‘Burying the Ex’ contains some gross out moments. Necrophilia is by no means a good thing!

 

Due to Max’s job and interests - horror memorabilia – we are given many opportunities to test our film knowledge. This may seem a little sad to some people but it certainly adds a little more enjoyment to the film. Plus by having the nod to old movies we may even be getting an insight into Dante’s influences.

 

This film should be taken for what it is, which is in no particular order a Zom Rom Com.  Containing trademark Dante humour with his love for the genre, ‘Burying the Ex’ is a blast to watch and is in no doubt a must-see for anyone who wants to see ‘Shaun of the Dead’ meets ‘Death Becomes Her’ via ‘Necromantik’ and still has time to show itself as a standout in the genre. It’s dark, it’s dangerous, it’s Dante at his best!

Director: Joe Dante

Released: 15th June 2015

Running Time: 89 minutes

Age Rating: 15

 

Reviewer: Amanda Hunt