Confederate Zombie Massacre (2005)

Confederate Zombie Massacre
Written and Directed by Devi Snively
Featuring: Paul Hanft, Eric Abarbanell, Holly Cole, Jem Jurin, Michael Forem, Andrew Louis Edelman, Wally Ruston, Nikki Taylor Melton
16 minutes, 2005
http://home.comcast.net/~deviantpix/czmpage1.htm
Devi Snively is probably one of the most recognizable horror directors in that her films have a very distinct look and feel; somewhere between early silent films and rock videos, her first short Teenage Bikini Vampire combined music and costume to make a genre-specific style come alive. Now, in Confederate Zombie Massacre, the same pace, tone, and eerily fun quality pervades this clever anti-war story hidden beneath a sense of humor and an outlandish fantasy setting...

An imaginary battle that took place during the Civil War is the locale for a very romantic love story. Sexy Nurse Mona is devoted to healing the sick and injured confederate soldiers on the battlefield, though she tires of their lewd looks and leers. When Commander Stevens falls to the Union army, Private Brian decides it's time to use his new chemical warfare invention to win the skirmish. Unfortunately, the weapon has some odd 'side effects' when it is left out in the open. As you might be able to guess, the side effects include zombieism. Now there are three opposing forces all fighting for survival on the battlefield. Eventually, chaos takes over and suddenly the Confederates, Unions, and any other political affiliation, become things of the past as the soldiers fight against an indiscriminate foe. Oh, Nurse Mona ends up finding a man who really loves her for who she is, not what she looks like.

Snively's special effects have gotten more sophisticated since Teenage Bikini Vampire. There are some stunning computer sequences that show off the campiness Snively is so good at. The definitive anti-war statement is made truly clear only at the end of the film, when only those who choose to stop fighting can find peace, even in the afterlife. A political message behind a comical and frightening premise is exactly the kind of propaganda the world of fantasy and horror does so well. Snively's vision is one of purity and hope rather than horrific violent war. In her visions of horror she tends to find the good and the commonly understood, rather than concentrate on the violent and disturbing. By taking images of standard horror icons and placing them in situations where the horror is everyday, Snively transcends genres while still maintaining the integrity of her ideas.