Excellent Neighborhood, Top Schools... Oh, and a Zombie 

2.5 stars (out of 4) 

In The Bargain, a real estate agent (Dolan Wilson) presents a couple with an offer that seems too good to be true: a spacious house in a high-class neighborhood, with a top-notch school system, tagged at an asking price that’s a steal. The catch? There’s a zombie in the backyard.

Dolan assures the couple that the zombie, left over from some unidentified incident in the 70’s, isn’t long for this world. And he optimistically reminds them that once the zombie dies, the house’s value is sure to skyrocket.

Although the idea of living with the undead initially sets off alarms, the couple decides it’s too great a deal to pass up. So with young son in tow—dad reminds him to not touch or play with the zombie—the couple moves in. Voila, instant bliss! Or is it?

There are two things that make The Bargain immensely enjoyable: the first is Wilson, who exudes folksy charm as the realtor. Stock patter like “and more square footage than you ever dreamed of!” and “top rated schools!” slide so slyly off his tongue, you’d be hard pressed to tell Wilson no.

The second is a script that’s cleverly constructed and avoids the temptation of joke padding. It—along with the direction—similarly avoids pushing the absurd elements beyond their breaking point, a move too many filmmakers make in an inane bid to “help” the audience understand which parts are supposed to be funny. If we don’t laugh, we don’t laugh.

The Bargain also demonstrates some nice tech work. The zombie effects are top drawer. A grisly ear chomp is gooey and bloody enough to make the squeamish recoil in disgust. A stabbing does comes off a bit cheesy, but in context it adds to the short’s appeal.

Unfortunately, The Bargain isn’t unique enough to stand out in an already crowded field of zombie-themed pics. Still, it’s a hell of a lot of fun. For someone who’s bored by most things zombified—I’m including you too Scooby-Doo— that’s more than enough.

Charles Judson is a local screen & comic book writer and a regular contributor and film critic for CinemATL.