Anna and the Apocalypse (John McPhail, 2017)

Zombie Christmas musical

Anna and the Apocalypse is one of those films that came to me out of nowhere, that I had very little expectations for, but which just absolutely blew me away. It is such a thoroughly heartfelt and gleeful film; it is infectious in the best possible way.

It’s inevitable that when you first hear the film is a British rom-zom-com your mind instinctively thinks of that other classic of this specific niche genre, but Anna and the Apocalypse is entirely its own thing and thusly more than earns its right to coexist.

Two key differentiators: this horror movie is a musical — and it’s for the Christmas.

Set in suburban Scotland, the film focuses on the titular Anna as she approaches the end of her final year in comprehensive school, her life a chaotic swirl of unmoored anxiety and optimistic hope for the future. She’s on the brink of being a truly independent and autonomous young woman… but not quite yet.

Fleshing out her world are a variety of stock-ish supporting characters: her widower father, her male best friend who’s not-so-secretly infatuated with her, the queer exchange student, the bad boy meathead (who Anna once had an ill-advised one-night stand with), and, of course, the delightfully power-hungry headteacher who wouldn’t be out of place in any of John Hughes’ 80’s high school comedies.

Against this backdrop, a zombie apocalypse occurs in the runup to Xmas, culminating in what might best be described as a wonderful mash-up of Glee-meets-Zombieland-meets-Derry Girls.

It’s rare for horror comedies to make each conflicting genres work in balance, but Anna and the Apocalypse strikes a successful tone that is wholly its own.

It’s got peril and bloodthirsty undead gore aplenty. It’s got teen angst and sexual innuendo. Its plot is streamlined for sure, but really doesn’t need to be any more complex. It does everything it needs to. Even the songs are decent (a few genuinely great).

No, it’s not a perfect film. Neither the direction nor every performance is entirely always on point, but these rough edges are easily overlooked because there is so much goodwill and good old-fashioned fun spilling off the screen.

I’m being entirely serious when I say that Anna and the Apocalypse both made me laugh out loud on several occasions and made me tear up. And really what more could you ask from cinema?

Perfect or not, Anna and the Apocalypse is highly enjoyable and outrageously endearing, and I fell in love with it at first bite.

Mark my words, it’s destined to become a festive favorite; a camp horror-comedy classic that is bloody good fun.