THE 12 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN: 11. Valley of the Dead (2020)

            This is a Spanish war horror movie that falls into the subsubgenre of Nazi zombies. It is set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. To set the mood, it opens with an evil, scarred SS officer wiping out a Spanish village because they laugh at him. Hell of a wedding reception. After the last body falls, the Nazis disperse some type of gas. Later, a soldier in Franco’s army is sent on a suicide mission. Jan (Miki Esparbe) and his driver encounter a unit of Soviet soldiers who had fought for the Republicans. And they encounter a host of zombies. Let the killing begin. The duo join the Soviets in their attempt to escape the hordes. They take refuge in a house in the woods. How original! In the house, they have an awkward truce with a group of Nationalists. In a surprise departure from zombie movie scenarios, the motley group escapes the house before the horde arrives. This movie is more of an Odyssey, than an Alamo. Two women are included.  One is a nun and the other is known as the Priest Killer. Besides betting the over/under on how many will survive, you can bet which of the ladies gets killed first. They head off to the spot marked on Jan’s map and it turns out to be the town from the opening! Remember that bride? Zombie movies love call-backs. Now we get the Alamo scenario which leads to the lab scenario where they encounter the evil Nazi. Expect some self-sacrificing as the movie races to meet its low survival rate.

            “Valley of the Dead” is not particularly scary, but it is entertaining. The cast is up for the frenzy and perform sincerely with little scene-chewing. Esfarbe’s Jan is a manly central hero and the film has a few unusual characters. It has two strong female characters and they aren’t there just to slow the men down. The setting in Spain allows for inclusion of the opposing sides in Spain. They have to put aside their hatred to work together to survive. It’s predictable, but an appealing notion. The plot throws a few wrinkles, but it does not stray far from the zombie template. It’s not the first zombie movie to throw in a connection to Nazis. The Nazi plan makes no sense for a war movie. How are they planning to make use of zombies? Invade France with them? Why am I asking these questions about a zombie movie?

           You can watch "Valley of the Dead" on Netflix.

GRADE  =  B-