#MUFFApproved: Wyrmwood
(still courtesy of Guerilla Films)
Wyrmwood (2014)
dir. Kiah Roache-Turner
Starring: Bianca Bradey
There’s a lot of speculation on if horror is an inherently sexist or inherently feminist genre of work. While often rampant with exploitative scenes of nudity by the female characters being a main argument for the former, the latter can be argued by the fact that in almost every horror movie, we always see ‘the final girl’ make it directly to the end. Regardless of my stance on the subject, (which tends to change with every new viewing of a film in the genre) I still feel a strange sense of excitement when I can identify with a character who is represented right to the end. And if she’s a wicked bad ass (like me, duh) like Bianca Bradey’s character, Brooke, in 2014’s Wyrmwood, then all the better.
I first caught Wyrmwood doing press coverage at 2014’s Toronto After Dark. Admittedly a little underwhelmed at the idea of yet another loud zombie movie, I still was looking forward to a splash of blood and guts on the big screen before another night of heavy partying. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised by a movie that was original and interesting enough to separate itself from the hundreds of other zombie movies. The film follows Barry, a mechanic and family man entirely unprepared for the zombie apocalypse, and his sister Brooke, who is kidnapped and experimented on for a large duration of the film, which inadvertently gives her the upper-hand later on (trying to be as spoiler free as possible!)
She even car-crouches like a badass. (still courtesy of Guerilla Films)
Wyrmwood is in the ilk of any intense post-apocalyptic film, but with a main character as insanely tough as Brooke, I found myself cheering and clapping by the end. This movie made me want more unstoppable female action heroes, more guts, more fights, and way more zombies. It made me want to go out and start working out in preparation for the apocalypse, but mostly, scream from the rooftops for everyone to see Wyrmwood. I love action movies, but they can be such a boys game that it starts to get a little bit tired. Representation is always, ALWAYS important.
Stay tough, ladies.
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