Exit Humanity (2011) - Yeah, I Saw It

The Civil War has ended - Edward Young (Mark Gibson) has returned home to find his wife murdered and his son missing. While Edward struggles to cope with his situation, the dead have risen to walk the earth and feed on flesh. Now, Edward’s struggle to maintain any sanity is compounded from the fear that his son might be one of these creatures and from being pursued by rogue Confederacy soldiers led by the insane General Williams (Bill Moseley).

The excitement for new zombie movies reached its apex several years ago, but they continue to thrive because they are easy to make, which is one reason why horror films have thrived as a genre. Exit Humanity is a rare dollar in a lake of dimes. The zombies are practically part of the background because the real focus is on Edward Young’s faltering morality and at times a crumbling will, but his perseverance feels like a small triumph. Director/Writer John Geddes (Scarce) does a wonderful job of balancing the bloodshed with the drama and making sense out of the senseless. The calm cinematography and effective use of the landscape elevated a good experience. The animated segues filling in for the long miles travelled by Edward Young were a great surprise and helps show that Geddes puts quality thought into his films; well, this one at least. Mark Gibson turns in a strong performance as the tortured Edward and Bill Moseley shines in his sick ways yet again as the twisted General Williams. Plus, the voice-overs by Brian Cox are cool because it’s frickin’ Brian Cox.

It might be a shame to call Exit Humanity a Zombie Western, because it isn’t. Neither is it a Jeremiah Johnson vs. Zombies, but Jeremiah Johnson was a damn good movie and so is Exit Humanity. In the whirlwind of zombie flicks being produced nearly monthly it seems, this one stands high and tall above most of the ones I have seen in recent years and could potentially hold its own against some of the legendary heavyweights like George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead and Lucio Fulci’s Zombie, but only time will tell. I highly recommend John Geddes’ Exit Humanity. It’s much more than a horror movie and all of it is good.