Episode 238: Outbreak (2024)

Outbreak is a 2024 zombie mystery thriller film by the screenplay of Lance Ochsner and Jeff Wolfe and directed by Jeff Wolfe in his directorial debut.[1] It stars Billy Burke, Alyshia Ochse, Taylor Handley and Jessica Frances Dukes and the incredible Raoul Trujillo. Grappling with the disappearance of their teenage son, Ben, a park ranger and his wife face a mysterious outbreak that threatens not only their relationship, but their grip on reality.

4.4/10 on IMDb and 72% on RT

And apparently, based on a lot of the reviews it is basically a rip off of the movie Collapse from 2010.

Neil (Burke) is a ranger in Mourning Rock, we learn that his son is missing and there is a rabies outbreak. Despite having the support of workmates and friends, Neil has flashbacks to being with Ben. Abby (Oschse) his wife is a drunkard mess unable to deal with it at all.

After receiving his son's watch from one of his friends, and the chief ranger's daughter, Neil goes to a nearby lake to throw it in only to see a woman drowning. he saves her and she turns out to be a zombie.

The movie then switches to a paranoid and panicked Neil trying to keep Abby alive as there are zombies all around, probably linked to the rabies outbreak, and he has to kill them wherever he encounters them.

There is a huge twist at the end that would have made me score it higher if I hadn't read about it when preparing for this episode by reading the IMDB reviews. However, despite knowing the ending, the stupid constant eagle shots, zombie eagle, and the annoying as hell piano score, I still give this 5/10. Worth watching for completeness.

5/10 Burke and Osche were superb as people grieving, with Burke's mental breakdown and Osche's drunkard stoned mother trying to numb herself both well acted. It did feel a bit daytime TV at times though.