Based on the 2009 short film of the same name, The Night Shift comes to us courtesy of writer/director Thomas Smith and surrounds events occurring in a cemetery where the dead seem to rise and cause trouble within the graveyard's grounds each evening.
Responsible for keeping things in line is guard Rue Morgan (Khristian Fulmer), who just happens to be one of the undead inhabitants as well. Rue takes direction from Claire Rennfield (Erin Lilley) who is one of only a handful of 'live' characters in the film. Claire makes regular visits to the cemetery both herself and Rue discuss ongoing developments that are usually of the unusual nature. We learn fairly quickly about Rue's affection for Claire, in particular through his conversations with his skeletal friend Herb voiced by Soren Odom.
But Rue's attempts at wooing Claire (Necrophilia, anyone?) are put on hold thanks to more pressing matters that are cascading upon the grounds. Like the recent werewolf teenager that is on a terrorizing rampage or the zombie Roderick (played by Jonathan Pruitt) who is attempting to open a portal to another dimension.
If the love story, the werewolf and the other dimension plot points seem like a lot to house in the frame of an independent film, you'd be dead right. But Thomas Smith was smart enough to surround himself with an incredibly competent acting crew that keeps us interested through the trivial moments of an overly stretched 120-minute feature. Odom's Herb might get most of the laughs, but the film hangs on the performance of Kristian Fulmer and he proves to be a capable actor up to the task at hand.
With all due respect to the efforts on behalf of the production team of the independent film, the story was interesting and involving enough that you could easily see a marketable big budget film squeezed out of the script sponge (The Night Shift had a reported budget of $10,000. Source: IMDb.com).
The Night Shift makes no bones about going for more comedic moments than serious drama or horror. And on a humor scale, more lines hit their mark than fall flat of their target. There is very little for us to classify as true horror and although the make-up department did their best to represent the undead and werewolves that filled our running time, the film is easily classed as family entertainment and is generally safe in nature.
The Night Shift has been doing its rounds on the Festival Circuit and has generally been met with grand praise. As independent films go, this one is an audacious and daring attempt in utilizing near non-existent funds to construct a feature filled with zombies and ghouls. It is not without flaws (most particularly the running time) but the spirit of both the material and the effort of those involved allow for an entertaining piece of independent fun.
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