The micro-budgeted Zombie Debt finds a new way to play out the occasionally stale zombie apocalypse genre. Stacey (Brittany Joyner) has barricaded her house and keeps a gun nearby at all times. Anyone who comes to the door is more likely to be shot than let in, as they are probably a zombie.
But one day, a survivor does come by. However, this is not any old passerby, this man is the “Loan Ranger,” setting out to collect student debt payments, even in this hellish landscape. This man’s given name Damien (Ryan Stroud), and he talks eloquently and is determined to do his job. To that end, Stacey must venture forth and kill zombies and raid their wallets to gather the funds being requested.
“…this man is the ‘Loan Ranger,’ setting out to collect student debt payments, even in this hellish landscape.”
The entire 4-minute duration of this breezy short film proves an entertaining affair. But by the end, a plothole remained unanswered, which is bothersome. The joke of Zombie Debt is not just that the Loan Ranger is doing something so trivial given how society’s infrastructure is crumbling. It is that Damien is unaware of any zombie threat whatsoever. While that is good for a laugh, it begs one particular question- when he’s going door to door to each client’s house, why are the zombies not attacking him?
This might sound like a nitpick, but in a zombie movie, if one person is immune for some reason, that needs to be stated, explored, or mentioned in some capacity. While the very end addresses why particular zombies won’t go after him, it does not do enough to ward off that nagging thought in the back of your mind. Buying that this individual is so dedicated to his job, that he does not notice the zombie apocalypse is not the problem. But not acknowledging it does not mean he is free from the same worries as the other humans, which is the issue.
"…finds a new way to play out the occasionally stale zombie apocalypse genre."
