“In the tradition of ‘The Walking Dead’ and John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ comes ‘Last Days!”… These are some lofty words from some indy filmmakers out there trying to put a new spin on a very over-saturated horror sub-genre. The twist thus far from the promotional material? No out and out zombie images. This in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe the human story they are trying to tell in Andrew Jara’s vision of the Post-Everything might just hit the nail on the head. Keep an eye out for this one at a film festival near you. No distribution deal to my knowledge. Any takers?

Last Days’ strives to tell a more realistic version of the zombie film by focusing on the human side of a post-apocalyptic plague. When the virus hit, John (Mark Ocedgueda) lost everything: his friends, his family, and his future. Only the presence of Michael (Algernon D’Ammassa), another survivor and his protector, kept him from giving up. Nine months later, things are looking bleak as they begin to run out of supplies, and are constantly assailed by an horrific threat that lurks in the cover of night. When they come unexpectedly upon Karina (Marcelle Bowman), another survivor, the three of them are caught in a conflict far worse than they could’ve imagined.

‘Last Days’ is an independent feature film written and directed by Andrew Jara. It is a tale of psychological suspense, visceral terror, and the darker side of human nature.  It acts as both a subversion of many familiar tropes of the horror genre, as well as an exhilarating narrative all its’ own.  It is an examination of the lens through which we view modern horror, and casts a somewhat critical eye on the nature of post-apocalyptic film while simultaneously embracing it.  Made with a budget of only 40,000 dollars and shot with a RED-ONE camera, ‘Last Days’ shows what can truly be accomplished with an independent spirit and enough innovation.

 

Andrew has already achieved some measure of success when his short film ‘The Sun Jar’  which was chosen as an Official Selection at the Los Angeles International Children’s Film Festival in November of 2010.  With ‘Last Days’, he hopes to show a horror film that goes beyond cheap thrills; a film that is both intelligent and entertaining, able to be enjoyed on multiple levels. 

 

The world premiere of the film opened the 2011 Plaza Classic Film Festival and played to a sold out crowd on August 5th, 2011. It also screened at the White Sands International Film Festival. 

Check out the Last Days website for more info HERE or follow them on FACEBOOK.

Tags: Andrew Jara, Last Days, Post-Apocalypse, Zombies