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How low can a budget go before there’s no film there? Compact zombie entry “Colin” got its first notoriety in the UK as being the “$75 Zombie movie,” its reported budget. Writer-director-editor-sound designer-producer Marc Price called in more than a favor or three, to be sure; the claimed outlay was only for “a crowbar, red food coloring, a couple of tapes and some tea and coffee to keep the zombies happy,” while his Facebook-cast roster of extras ran to a hundred and his head makeup artist had just come off the set of “X-Men 3.” Treading on Romero territory, including “Martin,” Price still manages to make his camcorder enterprise into a horror movie that manages to be touching in a few of its less shabby moments. After a bite, teen Colin wakes to find himself turned and we witness suburbapocalypse through his jaded eyes. Handheld and grainy, and rude and crude, to be sure, but “Colin” is a decent calling card, for say, Price’s $7,500 movie to come. 97m. (Ray Pride)
“Colin” opens Friday at Facets.
Ray Pride is Newcity’s film critic and a contributing editor to Filmmaker magazine.
His multimedia history of Chicago “Ghost Signs” will be published soon. Previews of the project are on Twitter and on Instagram as Ghost Signs Chicago. More photography on Instagram.
