The Horror Essentials No. 10 - The Battery (Guest Host)
We here at Horror Bound are big fans of horror. Duh. We are also big believers that any fun loving cinephile ought to be. Some people find it hard to get past their fears and some are overwhelmed at the sheer volume of horror out there. Including indie horror, which is wonderful, dozens of genre flicks come out every month. So, where does one start?
Well, we got you covered. This recurring article will be dolling out the 100 essential flicks from horror and will give you a heaping tablespoon of the various eras and sub genres. It also just so happens that this list was created by the great minds behind the Shock Waves podcast, including Charlotte’s adoptive mother, Rebekah McKendry, so it’s basically a family list.
These are not ranked, but, rather, in alphabetical order. Today we take a swing at The Battery.
It’s almost officially summer. Time for vacations and road trips, barbeques and baseball. It’s a time to kick back, relax, and share some good times with friends and family. Now, full disclosure, I love baseball. Like drive 3 hours to watch half a game, then drive back to work, love baseball. I’m also a sucker for good zombie flicks, being from Pittsburgh, it’s sort of in our DNA. It just so happens The Battery combines these two loves of mine and does not disappoint.
The Battery takes us on the road with Mickey and Ben, two former teammates trying to survive and find their way during the zombie apocalypse. Constantly on the move, the guys try to find comfort and keep their sanity in the thing they know and love, mainly baseball. Searching houses and killing zombies on the way, well Ben killing zombies, the two run into issues anyone would when spending time alone for so long. Ben must remind Mickey that they are supposed to be a team, a battery. For the non-baseball fans reading, a battery refers to the pitcher/catcher match-up. Their relationship is arguably the most important on the field. Both Mickey and Ben face kill-or-be-killed situations and have to make life-or-death decisions in order to survive. One of them may have to make the toughest decision of all, and it’s not whether to throw a changeup on a full count with the bases loaded.
I really enjoyed The Battery. Like some baseball games, it’s a slow burn at times, but the character development and interaction between Mickey and Ben make up for it. The one thing that really stood out to me from the very beginning was how the movie looked. I find most zombie stories are dark to set the tone, the mood, the situation. Subdued colors and night shots are great for that. The Battery is bright, shot during the day mostly. It didn’t use over the top special effects but relied on strong storytelling. I think that is why The Battery is a horror essential: an indie zombie movie that is just a bit outside of the normal hoards that are generally released.
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