Directed by Christopher Landon (Paranormal Activity 3,4), with the screenplay written by him, as well as Carrie Evans, and Emi Mochizuki, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse tells the story of three high school scouts, Ben (Tye Sheridan; X-Men: Apocalypse), Carter (Logan Miller; The Bling Ring), and Augie (Joey Morgan; Compadres), who have the unlucky fortune to be a few of the last survivors of a zombie plague that hits their town. Through a series of mishaps involving every teenage boys fantasy of going inside a strip club while underage, the boys meet up with Denise (Sarah Dumont; Don Jon), who helps the boys on their crusade to survive the night, save Carter's sister and escape the town.
Make no mistake about it, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is not a serious film. If you walk in looking for something like The Walking Dead you will be sorely disappointed and will not have a good time watching this. However, if you are looking for some Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, Hansel & Gretel, Zombieland type of humor mixed in with a little bit of action, gratuitous nudity, sexual innuendos, and over the top gore, then this film is for you.
While the cast of Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse does not really contain any "star power", the ensemble has great chemistry, which pulls the film together nicely. The three main leads compliment each other well, and make the audience truly believe that they are life long friends. At no time do they break character and their comedic timing is spot on. The addition of Sarah Dumont to the mix adds some great humor to the film, with some scenes that will probably be used in memes for a long time to come.
With a shoestring budget of 15 million dollars, the production quality of Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is top notch. Every dollar appears to be spent on screen. Aside from the intentional cheesy special effects in the movie, it could easily be compared to that of a modestly budgeted Hollywood creation.
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse starts off a bit slow at first, but once it gets going, it is a fun thrill ride. While the film's fan base will definitely be a niche audience at first, it should do well long after it has been in theaters and earn it's cult film status next to such films as Evil Dead. With it's small budget and unique take on the genre, one can only hope that Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse gets a sequel in the near future.
I give Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse 4 1/2 merit badges out of 5.
