A family flees to an isolated farm to get away from a zombie outbreak, but old secrets eventually surface and become a greater threat.
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| Outside. (C) Netflix |
In some horror movies, we are told to focus on the conflict between the protagonists and the evil entity, often putting their personal issues on hold. In Outside, Carlo Ledesma ensures that both elements occur simultaneously, with one potentially triggering the other to create an even more dire environment.
It’s refreshing to see a Filipino horror film that emphasizes character development, foreshadowing, and well-seeded conflicts. In a way, the zombie outbreak serves as a lure, but in fact, the domestic horror story is much grimmer than that.
However, choosing this direction is not without its faults. The film has a runtime of 2 hours and 22 minutes—an unusually long duration for a standard horror picture. I personally realized its intent halfway through the film, just as I began to feel some stagnation. Cutting 10 to 15 minutes would have tightened the pacing and helped audiences reach its must-see final act.
Sid Lucero and Beauty Gonzales are unsurprisingly great as we witness their transformation. The film is well-produced overall, capturing the right mood and even the type of blood splatter. Give Filipino talent the resources, and they will deliver.
Audiences looking for a jumpscare-heavy horror or a Train to Busan may need to look elsewhere, but what 'Outside' offers is equally compelling—perhaps even better. It just requires patience. 3.5/5 ⭐
Zombie horror film Outside is now streaming on Netflix. Directed by Carlo Ledesma, the film stars Sid Lucero and Beauty Gonzales.
