Traditional Christmas Movies: Anna and the Apocalypse

It’s Christmas! And in the sleepy little town of Little Haven, a zombie apocalypse has forced Anna and her friends to fight, slash, and sing their way to survival as they face down the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. With a song in their terrified little hearts, and civilization falling apart around them, they soon learn that no one is safe, and the only people they can truly rely on… are each other.

Christmastime means Christmas films, and here are some of my favorites! But what’s this, you ask? A zombie apocalypse musical? At Christmas?

Believe it.

This film was the belle of the ball at Fantastic Fest a few years ago, with the cast even performing one of the songs at the big Karaoke night, so revisiting it now, it’s nice to see that it still holds up, deserving its place on the list of traditional seasonal film.

The titular Anna is a disillusioned high school senior, still reeling from the death of her mother, so she wears big boots and a baggy coat to school, and can’t wait to leave her small town Scotland home and see the world, despite her overprotective father’s disapproval. After school, she works part-time in a bowling alley with her best friend John, a senstive artist who tries, and mostly fails, to not be in love in her. They’re also friends with a set of lovebirds, Chris, a wannabe filmmaker, and Lisa, a wannabe actor and singer, as well as the school’s angry newspaper editor, Steph, who is an American student recently dumped by her girlfriend, whose parents went to Mexico without her for Christmas. Then there’s Nick, Anna’s douchebag ex-boyfriend. In order to survive the zombies, they must sing their little hearts out, while staying one step ahead of the ravenous and walking dead, and find true harmony with one another, if they want to survive to curtain call.

Thus, saving Christmas…

A kind of naughtier High School Musical, Anna and the Apocalypse owes a lot to Shaun of the Dead. And it’s fair to say that if not for the musical aspect with which to differentiate itself, it would be considered a much, much paler shadow.

But it does have the musical aspect, so despite a few too many homages to Shaun of the Dead, and the fact that some of the tonal shifts are a bit rough, and that some of the deeper emotional moments would’ve probably been better left untried for, it’s still a pretty fun and enjoyable bit of seasonal fluff.

Which is the film’s goal, I think.

All that having been said, I do appreciate that, despite the frivolity, it touches on the fear and confusion that comes with sudden catastrophes, and the need not just for the safety of direction in times of strife and trouble, but for human connection too. I also liked how it touches on the very common idea in Western Culture that “this kind of thing doesn’t happen here,” as well as the open-mouthed shock that often comes with, whenever “these kind of things” do happen here. It’s all admittedly very brief, but still, I do appreciate the effort...

But like I said, in the film’s defense, it’s obviously more concerned with fun than it is depth.

All that stuff aside, as bizarre and funny as they are, whether it’s the principal sneeringly singing about students tweeting their every empty thought, or when a group of bullies revel in their zombie kills to a Backstreet Boys-like tune, or during the incredibly filthy little number of double entendres that is performed at the school Christmas pageant, the songs really are a great addition. The playful spirit they bring with, as the camera swoops between the colorful Christmas Teen musical feel of the kids’ lives and the “grim” reality of the zombie apocalypse, makes everything feel very tongue-in-cheek, safe and silly in a way that encourages the audience to join in, which is great, because Anna & the Apocalypse isn’t just a traditional Christmas movie, but a true midnight movie as well.

It’s no Rocky Horror, of course, but it’s close.

What a time to be alive…