Movie Review: The Terror Experiment (Blu-ray, 2011)

The zombie sub-genre has been a well that so many filmmakers, especially over the past several years, have gravitated towards. Romero did it best, of course, but Danny Boyle put his own spin on the undead successfully with his diseased ghouls in 28 Days Later. George Mendeluk's The Terror Experiment is much like 28 Days Later in its concept, but let’s just say it's not quite as effective in its delivery. It does have Judd Nelson.

The Terror Experiment involves the plight of an angry ex-military man who sets up a device on a high floor of a skyscraper that infects all who are on the floor and the vicinity. This in turn makes them contagious, rabid, silver-paint-faced zombies. Like 28 Days Later, these are the fast-moving zombies so don't expect any slow, lumbering Romero flesh-eaters.

 It's up to Agent Wilson (Judd Nelson, Breakfast Club), Chief Grasso (C. Thomas Howell, Soul Man, The Outsiders) and Dr. Wexler (Robert Carradine, Revenge of the Nerds)  to save all the trapped workers not infected, from becoming contagious or torn apart by these sprinting zombies. It’s kind of a shame The Terror Experiment, like many DTV vehicles, resorts to terrible CGI for most of their FX. There are a few ok uses of practical FX here and there with a couple of disembowelments that are shown; otherwise it’s a lazy CGI display that's bound to make purists cringe.

The Terror Experiment was a rough one to endure - even being a fan of the “so bad it’s good” type of film. Go grab a copy of The Divide and pass on this one.