The Dead  ★★½

BURKINA Faso…not the most poular of film locations I’ll bet.

But, along with neighbouring Ghana, this small African nation is the unlikely setting for 2010 zombie horror film The Dead.

It’s a minor work, but the direction and photography by brothers Howard and Jonathan Ford is accomplished and even striking at times.

It’s rare to see zombie action presented filmed in bright daylight and even less so in the deserts, scrub lands and mud villages of rural, land-locked Africa.

Unfortunately the script and acting don’t match the standard of the visuals, particularly in the latter stages when characters are making some ridiculous decisions – hey, let’s both fall asleep in the middle of nowhere at night!

We join a lone figure trudging through sand dunes, forced to despatch slow-moving members of the undead when they eventually catch up to him.

I say ‘eventually’ because these are the slowest and quietest zombies possibly ever put on celluloid. The Fords are still able to create some decent tension which is heightened by a strong score by Imran Ahmed.

We learn that Murphy is an American military engineer who has survived a plane crash. He is joined by Daniel, a local soldier who is trying to find his son who escaped from a village attacked by zombies.

After a decent opening 20 minutes the second act is quite slow and uneventful and the climax is impacted by nagging questions around the actions of key characters.

Based on the trailer, 2013 sequel The Dead 2: India looks better.