Anybody can make a zombie film. You don’t necessarily need a huge budget in most cases, almost anything can be used for special effects, but not everyone can combine horror and comedy, and the zombie genre as of late has been filled with movies that make an attempt. While it’s been done in the past, the film of the new millennium that has the credit of spawning new entries in the “zomedy” genre is the United Kingdom’s Shaun of the Dead, and there have been more and more coming out constantly. Even Aaron and I have talked about writing a “zomedy,” and this was before even Shaun was released. While there have been a number of failed horror-comedy efforts that I won’t get into, once again we see that there are those that can get the idea to work, and this time it’s not the United States or the UK that’s taking hold of zombie laughs, it’s Germany.

Night of the Living Dorks, quite easily chopped down to the familiar acronym of NotLD (not to be confused with Romero) isn’t a film that’s out to completely revolutionize the zombie genre, but it’s certainly out to make you laugh. Die Nacht der lebenden Loser, the German title of course, also poses as a coming of age story of sorts, though coming of death might be more appropriately linked to the film. Philip Fleischhacker (Tino Mewes) and his two close friends Wurst (Manuel Cortez) and Konrad (Thomas Schmieder) are their high schools losers. They don’t fit in with anyone and have been picked on most of their school career. That however is about to change.

Phillip has been lusting after Uschi (Nadine Germann), a girl that’s way out of his league, but his childhood friend turned goth Rebecca (Collien Fernandes) and her friends have taken to practicing voodoo and apparently know a love spell. Phillip sets up a meeting with Rebecca in the local cemetery, where he’s supposed to come alone, but of course his friends tag along. While the goth’s agree to help him, they first want to cast a spell to raise the dead and it seemingly fails while Phillip and his friends are dosed with the dust of a zombie. On their way home, the three get in a car accident (thanks to Wurst’s pot-smoking) and die . . . at least they were supposed to. Instead they wake up in the morgue and before long, realize they have in fact become zombies themselves. With superior strength and now impossible to kill, they slowly begin getting their revenge on those who have wronged them, changing their status in the eyes of many, but they also need to find a way to transform back before undeath becomes a permanent part of their unlife.

NotLD definitely does for the zombie-comedy what Shaun of the Dead did a few years ago. Gore isn’t the high point here, it’s the laughs, and the film becomes definite proof that no matter what the language, comedy can work even if you don’t speak the language. Director Mathias Dinter however is definitely no stranger to comedy, and a peak at his film and television credits will find that he’s done a number of projects that all have roots in comedy, so the journey into the world of horror was undoubtedly not a huge transition.

The zombies here are one’s to be feared, but instead the heroes, and that makes NotLD something of a combination of (this will probably come up many more times) Shaun of the Dead meets American Pie meets Revenge of the Nerds. Being undead apparently has its advantages, and while Phillip wants to try and simply fit in at school just like always, his friends have other ideas. Konrad in particular is quite happy with his new existence as a zombie, but he’s also developing a hunger and Phillip is trying to stop him from embracing it. That ends up being something that isn’t easily done. Phillip also finds that for once, he can finally but his nemesis Wolf (Hendrik Borgmann) in his place, and that’s what finally earns him and his friends the respect of the school, and puts the entire rugby team in a world of pain. Finally, at long last, he gets the girl (Uschi, remember) but that may not be a good thing.

The boys are literally falling apart, and that’s just the beginning of their troubles, though something that is quite humorous. Konrard loses an ear for instance and they decide that stapling it back on is a good solution, something that works later when Philip loses a very important part of his anatomy at a crucial time. Wurst on the other hand is using his undead status for drinking games and just about anything else you can think of, and making a good deal of money in the process. But, when you’re dealing with a teenage comedy, even ones with zombies, there’s one other important thing that needs to be included and that would be the “odd girl out” scenario. That all falls into Rebecca’s lap, and while it seems that no one likes the gothic girl (who actually is incredibly attractive, much more so that Ushi is) she just can’t say how she feels to Phillip, and his new attitude is driving them apart. Of course, he’ll have to repair their relationship since she’s the only one who possibly might help the three, and with Konrard on the loses and eating people as well as time quickly ticking away before the effects become permanent, he’s going to have a lot of patching up to do, and not just with his relationship.

Being from Germany, the film is in German, but if you simply can’t handle watching a movie and reading subtitles, I’ll keep my comments to myself, and instead inform you that you can watch a dubbed version of the movie. There are quite a few bonus materials found on the DVD as well including interviews with many of the cast members from the film. There is a very brief behind-the-scenes that will quickly give you a peak at filming the movie as well as a rather lengthy alternate ending. Every movie has scenes that don’t quite make the final cut and NotLD also comes with a collection of extended and deleted scenes, some of which are actually quite funny and really should have been included, but that’s what Special Editions as for. There are also “fun scenes” which are bloopers and outtakes from the movie, English and German versions of the trailers, and maybe just a little something extra hidden on the disc as well.

If zombies and laughter are your things, Night of the Living Dorks is a film that you have to add to your collection. And, in a rare turn of events (sarcasm) the movie has also been optioned for a Hollywood remake. Gee, what a surprise. But, in the meantime, I’d advise running out now, buying the movie, and laughing yourself stupid. Being a loser, and a zombie, has never been quite as hilarious. It could very well be the type of zomedy that was you laugh yourself to death.

-mike-