Zombie movies have long been a staple of the horror film genre. Most of them posit humanity’s slide into apocalyptic chaos as survivors are overwhelmed by growing hordes of ravenous undead. But what if it didn’t happen that way? We humans tend to be a hardy and inventive breed. Given the opportunity to apply a little creativity to the problem, surely even an infestation of zombies can be overcome… especially if there’s profit involved.

And that brings us to Fido, the new zombie film from Canada directed by Andrew Currie. In an alternate version of the 1950s, the dead have crawled out of their graves and feasted upon the living. Humanity however, was saved by the corporate inventiveness of ZomCon. Now zombies have been harnessed through electronic collars to serve humanity as menial servants. It has even become a sign of success and status to have a zombie to do your household chores. Yeah, seems safe—right?

It should be obvious already that Fido is not your typical zombie movie. That fact becomes even more clear as the movie’s namesake is introduced to the Robinson family. Purchased to help around the house, the zombie also becomes a pet of sorts to young Timmy Robinson. Lonely and lacking friends, Timmy starts to bond with the undead servant that he names Fido. It’s not an ideal relationship, but hey—every boy needs a pal.

I should mention at this point, just in case you didn’t pick up on it, that Fido is a comedy. Ok, it’s a rather dark, sarcastic comedy—but still, comedy. And that probably explains why Scottish comedian (and actor) Billy Connolly is filling Fido’s boots. On the plus side, he didn’t have a lot of dialogue to learn. On the other hand, breathing… er… un-life… into a character using only growls, grimaces, and body language can be a little difficult. Connolly proves to be up to the challenge. Relative newcomer K’sun Ray turns in a solid performance as Timmy. Other notable roles include Carrie-Anne Moss as the lovely Mrs. Robinson, Dylan Baker as the strait-laced Mr. Robinson, Henry Czerny as Mr. Bottoms (the top zombie control specialist at ZomCon), and Tim Blake Nelson as Mr. Theopolis—a neighbor with a rather interesting perspective on human-zombie relations.

Do all the pieces come together to create an entertaining movie? After a fashion they do indeed. Not all audiences will find Fido to their liking; the mainstream type really isn’t the target here. Fans of zombie movies should appreciate a fresh approach to this horror theme, though, especially if they have a somewhat dark and twisted sense of humor. That’s not to say that laugh-out-loud moments are in abundance, but there is a fairly steady stream of chuckles. As is also considered traditional in zombie movies, there are ample opportunities for social commentary in a scenario that has the living enslaving the dead. Enthusiasts of the genre should give this one a shot.

Fido is rated R for “zombie-related violence.” While billed as a comedy, this is still a zombie film with all that implies. A fair number of victims graphically fall to the insatiable hunger of the walking dead.

Courtesy of a regional publicist, Mike viewed a promotional screener of Fido.