Is Shudder Original Virus :32 a zombie movie?

Shudder debuted one of its newest originals, Virus :32 on April 21, and at first glance, it looked to be a zombie film. But, is it?

Virus :32 introduces us to Iris, who still suffers trauma from the death of her son. Iris works as a security guard at an athletic club, and her husband drops off their daughter Tata for her to care for (much to Iris’s chagrin). Iris sets Tata up in the pool area in order to make her rounds, and then, something happens. She looks outside and sees bloody, savage people attacking and killing others. Then, Tata is nowhere to be found.

The infected behave very much like the zombies in 28 Days Later and the remake of Dawn of the Dead, and are indeed the fast moving, rage-driven variety of antagonists. A virus has caused the violent changes, and it’s easy to spot the tell-tale sign, a red mark on the hands.

The plot thickens when a man named Luis saves Iris from some of the infected, but he wants something in return: he asks Iris to help him deliver his wife’s unborn child. Making the situation worse is the fact that his wife, who is tied to a wheelchair, appears to be infected.

While Iris is reluctant at first, she knows she has to agree when it becomes clear that Luis has hidden Tata from her. If she wants to get her daughter back, she must help Luis.

Zombies or no zombies, the infected in Virus :32 pack a bloody punch.

Virus :32 is engrossing and thrilling, with plenty of blood and violence, so it has that in common with zombie flicks, but in reality, these violent beings are not undead. They are alive, and can be killed permanently, just as any other humans. They are, however, very strong and filled with a rage virus. They do not infect the people they attack, just kill them, and it doesn’t appear that they eat them.

They do have one little quirk that will possibly help our heroes escape, though. After savagely attacking people (or, trigger warning: animals), they go into a sort of stupor for 32 seconds, allowing survivors to try to get away before they snap out of it.

Virus :32 has plenty of blood and violence, but the mother-daughter storyline (not to mention the dead son) give this film a big dose of heart as well. If you like your horror films to have a bit more substance, rather than just a lot of blood and gore, I recommend watching it.

Have you seen Shudder’s new Original film Virus :32? Tell us what you thought about it in the comments section.