Taiwanese horror comedy Get the Hell Out is an ultra-fast-paced romp with political messages aplenty that are relatable across international borders. It is a spectacle, to be sure, but ultimately doesn’t offer much new in the zombie comedy department.
Hsiung (Megan Lai) is a government official trying to stop a chemical plant from being built literally where her beachside home is. Little does she — let alone others — know that construction of the plant will unleash a rabies virus and turn people into “idiots” — the translated word used in the film in place of zombies. After being forced out of office by rival Li (Chung-wang Wang), she manipulates a security guard she has known since childhood named Wang (Bruce Ho) into running to replace her in office, hoping to be a puppet ruler behind him. Naturally, Li has other plans for Wang, and Wang has his own reasons for doing things in office. Once the infected President enters the parliament building to make a speech, he starts a bloody, deadly outbreak and Hsiung, her gardener father, Wang, and other allies and enemies find themselves pitted against zombie Members of Parliament.
Get the Hell Out’s pacing is frenzied and it often feels like watching someone playing a video game. The film alludes to this during a climactic showdown when video game text boxes suddenly pop up on screen. The cinematography during many of these sequences is admirable, weaving in and out of and between the action.
The comedy is broad as all get out, which admittedly is not a style of humor that works for me. I’m all for madcap, zany, and cartoonish, but Get the Hell Out is so filled with cornball cliches that I found the comedy grating. Humor is subjective, of course, so some viewers will find the manic madness to be quite fun. As a professional wrestling fan since childhood, I did find the use of pro grappling moves such as the Hurricanrana — which is even called out by name multiple times — to be amusing. The acting styles range from unsubtle — much like the political commentary in the film — to histrionic.
Director I.-Fan Wang obviously had a vision for Get the Hell Out, and he goes all in on realizing it. If you are burned out on zombie movies, especially zombie comedies, this film is unlikely to turn that attitude around, but if you are looking for some rapid-fire zombie mayhem with topical political commentary and bonkers, swing-for-the-fences humor, Get the Hell Out should do the trick.
Get the Hell Out screened as part of Lund Fantastic Film Festival, which ran October 28–November 1, 2020.
