George: A Zombie Intervention

Plot

After spores cause the dead to rise as zombies, the undead become a natural and accepted part of society. However, George's friends become worried about his behavior after his transformation into a zombie. Convinced that he's been eating humans, they decide to stage an intervention, wherein they will attempt to convince him to attend a zombie rehab that teaches zombies how to control their appetite for human flesh. Sarah, George's ex-girlfriend, recruits a professional interventionist, Barbra, and she and several of George's friends stage a practice run before confronting him directly. George, however, sees nothing wrong with his behavior and resists their demands. As tempers flare, George finds his hunger increasingly difficult to control, and he begins to give in to his urges.

Cast

Brinke Stevens and Lloyd Kaufman appear in cameos.

The names of the characters are references to George A. Romero and his Night of the Living Dead film series.

Production

Shooting took place in Los Angeles in late 2008; re-shooting took place in early 2009. Seaton, a horror fan, wanted to make an independent film that genre fans could enjoy without feeling exploited. The cast watched episodes of Intervention in order to prepare. Ben was not originally a gay character, but Seaton wanted to insert a plot twist that invalidated a hinted-at romantic subplot between Ben and Sarah. Seaton, a friend of Brinke Stevens, cast her in the end sequence. Lloyd Kaufman was cast after he requested a part. The part of Barbra was written for Lynn Lowry, whom Seaton had met on the set another film. British farces were an influence on Seaton for this film, but he also credits H. P. Lovecraft as a general influence.

Release

Seaton, who had earlier experienced resistance against his films' gay characters, said that he was able to successfully screen George: A Zombie Intervention at multiple festivals with no issue. The film premiered at the 2009 Dragon Con under its original name of George's Intervention. It was released on DVD in October 2011.

Reception

The Louisville Eccentric Observer called it "a fun, no-budget love letter to George Romero". Mark L. Miller of Ain't It Cool News wrote that the film is overlong and the acting is "somewhat amateurish", but it is funny and original. Rohit Rao of DVD Talk rated it 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "J.T. Seaton builds his horror-comedy around a clever premise but neglects to maintain a consistent tone in his urge to rush to the gory climax." Peter Dendle called it "clever and eminently watchable".