The first thing you notice in Black Summer is these aren’t regular zombies. You notice the hasty evacuation process, the sirens, people hurrying to make it to the evacuation vehicle. It builds up gradually, with camera work doing its job and the slow burn of an impending apocalypse looms the air.
After decades of intense seasons of The Walking Dead, numerous serious films like 28 Days Later, even spoofs like Shaun of the Dead, zombies might be done to death. Black Summer will keep you invested with the protagonist Rose’s desperation to find her daughter. Episodes feature different perspectives, different characters who necessarily do not last long. There’s not the head character, each with their own struggle, each surviving and doing the needful.
The Story
Rose, played by Jaime along with her husband Patrick and daughter Anna leaves the house to get to the army vehicle taking to safety. The soldiers on edge threatens to shoot anyone. Patrick and Rose along with other people get left behind. Now they must run for shelter to steer clear of the rapidly turning feral undead people around them.
Zombies you have not seen before
These aren’t The Walking Dead zombies. Black Summer zombies are feral and fast, as they should be. They are smart too, waiting outside fences and following footsteps to track humans. The turning rate is quick, within a minute of being dead or infected. Basically, zombies in Black Summer absolutely got no chill. And it is actually scary.
Character struggles
Each character are designed differently. Some are smart as a whip, other cowards, others hide, can’t run, remains solo. Spears, one of the characters, remains calm. There are scenes where you can’t really trust a character. Some where you feel overwhelmed with human and their goodness.
Element of surprise
Even though there aren’t any jumpscares, there are moments of surprise with a sort of chill. There’s a certain episode inside a high school with teenagers being holed inside. The episode goes hard and meticulously shows how an apocalypse changes people. Even adolescent kids and teenagers.
Camera work
Creator John Haymes and Karl Schaefer made certain the cinematography was suiting to the mood of the start of a zombie apocalypse. There are a lot of running scenes where the camera follows people. It is sort of an immersive feeling to those watching as the jerky camera movements capture the urgency and offers a live experience to the show.
Black Summer is an experience for those wanting entertainment involving an apocalypse. Different perspectives offer different stories and the feral zombies don’t disappoint.
