SummaryOn a hot summer day in Oslo, the dead mysteriously awaken, and three families are thrown into chaos when their deceased loved ones come back to them. Who are they, and what do they want? A family is faced with the mother’s reawakening before they have even mourned her death after a car accident; an elderly woman gets the love of her life back the... Read More
Directed By:Thea Hvistendahl
Written By:Thea Hvistendahl, John Ajvide Lindqvist
Handling the Undead
Metascore
Generally Favorable
70
User score
Mixed or Average
5.6
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
70
65% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
35% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jan 26, 2024
100
The devastatingly bleak story of Handling the Undead is a wrenching but beautiful exploration of grief and human connection in the face of something horrific.
May 29, 2024
83
There aren’t zombies rampaging through Norwegian director Thea Hvistendahl’s quiet film. Instead, the spare, slow-paced, thoughtful film is an affecting story about coping with grief.
Feb 5, 2024
76
In making its characters physically confront their heartbreak, Handling the Undead becomes one of the saddest, most contemplative zombie movies ever made.
Feb 2, 2024
70
Handling the Under is not an effective horror movie, but its zombie-drama formula allows for a portrait of pain that settles in and stays like an infection.
Jan 30, 2024
60
It's a deliberately-paced drama with some decent performances and a gorgeously dark aesthetic, but lacks the time or effort to give these stories what they need.
Jan 29, 2024
58
Despite some devoted performances and interesting formal choices, its endgame is rather rote. That the film is quieter and more deliberate in getting there doesn’t make it any less cliche.
Jan 30, 2024
42
Unfortunately, the 99-minute run time on Norwegian zombie drama Handling the Undead feels infinitely longer, and lands more as a meditation on grief than an intriguing entry into zombie cinema.
User score
Mixed or Average
5.6
33% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
56% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
11% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Apr 26, 2025
8
This movie needs a new title. It really isn't a traditional zombie movie, so don't go into it expecting that. It's much more of a sad and disturbing drama. It starts very slowly, but things really start to pick up when the family members start to come back. Most powerfully, the mother-son interactions are haunting and disturbing. The tension builds as you constantly wonder what the undead are going to do next. It certainly won't be for everyone, but it was great for me.
Jul 3, 2024
1
I will never understand why I watch someone's teeth brushing at all. I can say many things, but as a wanna-be filmmaker, I don't want to be disrespectful, so I will **** and just say the movie is not my cup of tea.
Production Company:
- Anonymous Content Nordic
- Einar Film
- Film i Väst
- Filmiki Etairia
- Nordisk Film
- Oslo Filmfond
- Zentropa International Sweden
Release Date:May 31, 2024
Duration:1 h 37 m
Website:
Awards
Amanda Awards, Norway
• 4 Wins & 6 Nominations
Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Sundance Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
