The cast is sound, with every few minutes some new character actors adding spice, especially Erin Elizabeth Burns and Anthony Reynolds as humorously exaggerated New Englanders, working their vowels to witty effect ( although not much is done with their characters after an amusing introduction).

Whether or not it offers anything special enough to engage those who have gorged on zombie fiction for the better part of the 21 st century is a question, as after the creepy opening sequence of Boston-Gone-Wild there are mostly scenes of humans huddled down in various locales ruminating and planning. For those who don’t watch WALKING DEAD weekly ( I’m among them) the film offers enough gore and eerie imagery of entranced zombies to keep audiences involved for the better part of its running time. While the film claims a New York filming tax credit in its lengthy end credits, it takes place in Boston and according to the internet, was shot in Atlanta, Georgia. This allows the few survivors, John Cusack and Samuel Jackson among them, to strategize and travel ( although they never come up with much of a strategy, and the group all-too-readily consents to Cusack’s personal quest to locate his wife and son who are likely dead or zombified like the rest of the population.) CELL involves cell phones turning one fateful morning against humanity, transforming all using them ( the majority of the population) into foaming-mouth WALKING DEAD-type zombies who get signals from phone towers and hibernate at night.

King wrote and directed one film about mankind’s inventions turning against him, the amusingly bizarre but mostly godawful MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE, which featured an evil ice cream truck ( CELL features an ice cream truck too, but this one is working for the good guys). Walter Hill returned after a ten-year layoff with the weary BULLET IN THE HEAD, which was an annoying rehash of his Schwarzenegger/Jim Belushi vehicle RED HEAT, of all things, certainly one of his worst films ( which itself was an unfortunate rehash of the fine 48 HRS, which Hill later rehashed with the ridiculous ANOTHER 48. Talented artists curiously can get hung up repeating their worst ideas.

Cell stephen king book