''Dead Meat'' is a 2004 Irish

zombie film A zombie film is a film genre. Zombies are fictional creatures usually portrayed as reanimated corpses or virally infected human beings. They are commonly portrayed as cannibalistic in nature. While zombie films generally fall into the horror g ...

written and directed by Conor McMahon, starring Spanish theatre actress Marian Araujo and veteran Irish actor Eoin Whelan.

Plot summary

An outbreak of a mutant strain of mad cow disease infects the Irish countryside, turning people into ravenous, flesh-eating zombies. Caught amid this chaos are a young Spanish tourist and the local gravedigger. Together, this unlikely duo must fight for survival.

Cast

* Marian Araujo as Helena * David Muyllaert as Desmond * Eoin Whelan as Cathal Cheutan * David Ryan as Martin * Amy Redmond as Francie * Kathryn Toolan as Lisa

Dan Ewing Daniel M. Ewing (born 3 June 1985), is an Australian actor. He appeared on Seven Network's ''Home and Away'' series as Reuben Humphries during 2007. In 2011, he returned to the Australian soap, this time receiving a larger role, playing Heath ...

, of Australian soap opera ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...

'' had an extra role as a castle zombie.

Production

''Dead Meat'' was filmed in and around the village of Leitrim, County Leitrim,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Release

According to the "making of..." featurette included in the US DVD release, the film was greenlighted under a new funding scheme from the

Irish Film Board Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland, formerly known as Bord Scannán na hÉireann / the Irish Film Board, is the Republic of Ireland's state development agency for the Irish film, television and animation industry. It provides funds for the developm ...

called "Microbudget Films", targeted at frugal independent filmmakers. ''Dead Meat'' was the first microbudget film to receive a release. To cut costs, the crew used many donated sets, filmmakers' personal vehicles and recruited volunteer extras at the local pub. Dead Meat received video distribution by Revolver Entertainment in the UK and ''

Fangoria ''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr. The magazine was originally released i ...

'' Entertainment in the US.

Soundtrack

David Muyllaert, who played heroic gravedigger Desmond in ''Dead Meat'', also sang lead on the film's title song, the punk-metal-ish "Dead Meat". The score was composed by John Gillooley.

Reception

Dennis Harvey of '' Variety'' wrote, "A rural Irish setting and mad cow disease plot hook do surprisingly little to distinguish fast-moving but routine zombie flick". Beyond Hollywood called it "one of the best zombie movies, regardless of budget, to come out in recent years". Writing in ''The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia: Volume 2'', academic Peter Dendle said, "A few unexpected twists and a lot gorgeous scenery distinguish this otherwise straightforward B-zed flick from Ireland."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dead Meat 2004 films 2004 horror films 2000s English-language films English-language Irish films Irish horror films Irish zombie films Irish splatter films