Rammbock: Berlin Undead (2010)

I believe it’s safe to say that the zombie genre has moved in a direction to include those films where the zombies aren’t necessarily the previously dead. The movies such as “28 Days Later” and “REC” are about people who become infected and change into mindless killing beasts, so how is that different from a regular zombie besides being dead? The German film “Rammbock: Berlin Undead” falls under the new-wave zombie movies and adds a unique and plausible new detail to the mythos; once bitten, the infection doesn’t take over until the infected becomes agitated or excitable. I’ll buy that.

This film keeps things simple, showing what it would be like to be trapped within your apartment during a zombie outbreak. How ready are you for an emergency? How much food or water do you have on hand? Do you have the medicine that you need?

The film begins with Michael, who has gone to Berlin in hopes of getting back together with his longtime girlfriend, Gabi. He goes to her apartment and finds that she is gone and two workmen are doing repairs. The older of the two becomes angry while working on the radiator and turns into a zombie (sounds like the Hulk!). We assume that he was wounded before but it’s not very clear. Michael and Harper, the younger repairman, manage to lock themselves in Gabi’s apartment. From there, they communicate with the other residents through open windows. One resident promises food if someone can give him sedatives to keep his wife from changing. Michael and Harper create a battering ram (Rammbock) and bash through into the neighbors unit. There they find pills, more zombies, and become trapped. Harper ends up trapped in the kitchen and Michael luckily finds a ladder leading into the attic. Michael finds Gabi in the attic as well as an uncomfortable truth, and Harper discovers the zombies’ weakness. The movie ends with an exciting escape scene and a touching conclusion for the heart broken Michael.

Harper and Michael