Is there still room for fresh ideas in the zombie genre?
Mads is shot in a single-take style, with relentless movement, hallucinations, and terror. But that alone probably isn't enough. Maybe this: it's brilliantly shot – watch it if you're up for a smaller-budget horror movie with an interesting concept. But even that's not quite enough, because it doesn't let me explain what kind of movie it truly is, what kind of horror it belongs to. So, light spoilers ahead: I won't discuss plot twists, but I will describe the film's content and reveal its core theme.
Now, this isn't always a spoiler, but for movies like MadS, it might be considered one, since it's definitely better to go in blind – but how can I convince you to watch it if I don't at least hint at what you'll be getting into? This is a common problem, especially with horror. You might, for instance, be into blood-soaked slasher flicks but have zero interest in gothic vampire castles. Or you might love zombie flicks but hate ghost stories. So just calling it a "good horror movie" isn't quite enough.
Anyway, I'll spoil the central premise, so if you've already decided to watch it, stop here.
MadS is a zombie movie. That's the spoiler. And it's a spoiler because it doesn't reveal this outright but instead throws you into a chaotic, suspenseful ride where you have no idea what's happening or why. It takes its time to reveal the truth, and until it does, it just drops you into a nightmare of nonstop tension.
The film starts simply enough. A guy goes to buy drugs, then drives off. He spots a woman in a terrible state and picks her up to help. She tries to communicate but seems unable to speak. He eventually takes her home. From there, it's a freefall into madness, in a single-take style where we see a strange virus spreading from person to person, causing them to experience hallucinations, become aggressive, and lose touch with reality.
The direction here is impressive: the continuous shot follows one character at a time, making the action feel uninterrupted, injecting a raw, unfiltered energy that never lets up. Hallucinations are conveyed effectively through colors, sounds, and a general sense of disorientation in the framing. The exact nature of the virus, if it even is a virus, isn't clear, and the zombies act in ways that remain deliberately ambiguous – these choices create a "bad trip" vibe, a descent into an alternate reality, like a fever dream where nothing makes sense and everything is out to get you. The actors deliver excellent performances, and the direction keeps the tension high, reminding us that the zombie genre still has some surprises up its sleeve.
MadS gives its zombies some unique traits and stands out for its visual and auditory presentation. For instance, in the fantastic first hour, we see a character trying to act normal even as the "zombie virus" begins to take hold. At a party – dancing, drugs, alcohol – the sights and sounds could just be side effects of his substance use, but we know something much darker is going on. However, due to the single-take style, we're only ever aware of what's happening around one character at a time, leaving us in the dark about the rest of the city. This adds a claustrophobic feeling, even in open spaces.
The infected also have intriguing behavior. More spoilers here: they don't immediately lose their humanity but instead seem to flip back and forth between two states – one moment they're aware of themselves, the next they're violent, feral creatures.
Zombie movies have tried out plenty of new ideas in recent years to stay fresh and avoid becoming predictable or dull.
If you like zombies, give MadS a shot. You've probably seen movies with similar plots, but not quite with this style of storytelling.
Other interesting zombie movies and shows that try to do something different (and if you have more, I'm all ears):
Rec – nightmare-inducing Spanish found footage
One Cut of the Dead – single-take again, with a meta twist
In the Flesh – a series where zombies are "cured" and reintegrated into society
Dead Set – a zombie outbreak hits while Big Brother is being filmed, and the contestants are clueless (series)
Train to Busan – zombies on a moving train
Shaun of the Dead – zombie comedy done right
The Night Eats the World – less fighting, more survival, isolation, atmosphere
Warm Bodies – zombie romance
Alive – lockdown with zombies (series)
The Last of Us – character-driven drama set against a zombie apocalypse backdrop
Kingdom – zombies in 17th-century Korea (series)
iZombie – think Veronica Mars, but with zombies (series)
The Girl with All the Gifts – a more realistic take on the zombie genre
Pontypool – a unique twist on virus transmission
Black Summer – sometimes, the simplest approach is best: running, panic, terror
The Ravenous – can zombies have... societies?
Anna and the Apocalypse – a Christmas zombie musical
