Queer Horror Film 'Herd' Uses Zombie Outbreak to Explore Homophobia, Relationships, and Trauma

Zombie movies and TV series – including "Night of the Living Dead," "The Last of Us," "The Walking Dead" – have posited for decades that the real monsters aren't zombies, but us. Queerness is embedded into the history of the horror genre with queer authors, filmmakers, and characters. Queer horror film "Herd" leverages a zombie outbreak to explore homophobia, relationships, and trauma.

Directed by Steven Pierce, "Herd" premiered at 2023 FrightFest. A lesbian couple, Jamie (Ellen Adair) and Alex (Mitzi Akaha) – both women have gender-neutral names, a nod to many Final Girls in horror movies – are having trouble in their relationship. Looking to reconnect, they embark on a five-day canoe trip, similar to other queer horror films like "The Retreat" and "What Keeps You Alive," which also feature lesbian couples venturing into the woods. Unbeknownst to Jamie and Alex, their trip occurs amidst a zombie outbreak. They must survive zombie attacks as well as a feud between two warring militias.

We see glimpses of Jamie and Alex's relationship dynamic. Jamie is reluctant to take the canoe trip. At night camping, Alex tries to awaken Jamie with kisses, to no avail. Jamie feels her "whole life is for someone else," as she lives where Alex wants. Both Jamie and Alex express their pain, anger, and sadness at a tragedy they faced causing the rift in their marriage. Jamie scolds Alex not to tip the boat, which Alex eventually does intentionally out of anger and frustration, which causes Alex to break her leg.

As Jamie helps Alex walk to town and a hospital, they run into a zombie and one of the militias who immediately assume Alex is a zombie, too. A couple of men recognize Jamie, as she's originally from the area. The leader, Big John (Jeremy Holm, great as a villain in Jenn Wexler's horror film "The Ranger") decides to take them in.

Throughout the film, people praise Jamie's father (Corbin Bernsen) to her, applauding his foresight, resourcefulness, and disaster preparedness. But Jamie has a contentious relationship with her father. In flashbacks, we see how her father was abusive and kicked her out of their home for being gay.

When Jamie and Alex enter the community, an old mechanic shop that Jamie's father owns, filled with long tables and makeshift tents and cots, a woman asks if they are "roomies." Jamie immediately says yes, spurring Alex to give her a sharp look. Once alone, Alex expresses how she doesn't want to lie, but Jamie worries, not knowing if it's safe to trust anyone. I understand the intention, but I'm uneasy about the film's parallel between a zombie infection and being gay, as Jamie and Alex keep both their relationship and an infection (due to a zombie scratch) secret.

Of course, it's completely understandable that Jamie would want to remain closeted as she doesn't know whether or not they're encountering homophobic people, especially considering her father's homophobia around her coming out. Thankfully, Big John eventually shares with Jamie that he, rightfully, told her father that he should have supported his daughter.

The film's score and cinematography are okay: A good wide shot shows Jamie and Alex traverse a barren landscape; in an interesting overhead shot, their boat passes under a bridge with a zombie walking above.

The uneven acting in "Herd" yields some okay performances, while others, particularly by some of the supporting cast, are downright bad, with hammy overacting. The film needs sharper writing, better sound design, and less tedious pacing. The vague setting and frustrating lack of details – a governor on television never names the affected towns and cities; Alex tells someone she's from "the city" – erodes the film's world-building, which yanked me out of the story. Also, it's bizarre that Jamie's hometown rural community encountered zombies before city-dwelling Jamie and Alex do, which runs counter to many zombie narratives.

"Herd" has a good premise exploring important themes. But the film doesn't delve deeply enough, and the ending feels way too neat and tidy of a resolution. While we see flashbacks of happier times, we still don't know what Jamie and Alex love about each other.

Despite its flaws, I appreciate a queer horror film, as well as a zombie film that, while containing action scenes, underscores the importance of pacifism, compassion, and understanding, and centers queer love.

"Herd" opens in theaters and on VOD on Friday, October 12, 2023.