Schoolgirl Apocalypse (2011) d. Cairns, John (Japan)
The well-worn zombie premise is given an intriguing spin via a “Screwfly Solution” premise, wherein all the male members of the human species turn into staggering homicidal id monsters, relentlessly stalking the fairer sex. Cairns, an American émigré making his feature directing debut, also injects intriguing animated fantasy sequences into his J-horror by having surviving protagonist Higarino interact with the line-drawing characters from her English language lesson book.
Higarino’s existence is further complicated by the presence of sociopathic female Mai Tsujimoto, who is far more calculating a predator than her brain-dead counterparts. While the ending takes the film into dicey “WTF for WTF’s sake” terrain and the somber pace and tone fly in the face of expectations conjured by the joyous Sushi Typhoon splatterfest title, one must admire Cairns for daring to venture bravely outside the undead box.
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