written by: Zak Hilditch
produced by: Kelvin Munro, Grant Sputore, Ross Dinerstein, Joshua Harris & Mark Fasano
directed by: Zak Hilditch
rated: R (for strong violent content, gore, language, and brief drug use)
runtime: 95 min.
U.S. release date: January 2, 2026

Growing up in the eighties, I vaguely recall learning that if a nuclear war were to occur between the United States and Russia, the best place to go would be Australia. That’s because it would take quite a while for any fallout to reach Down Under. However, what would happen if a catastrophic crisis originated from Australia?

“We Bury the Dead” explores such a scenario, and it shouldn’t be ignored just because it’s dropping in January and is marketed as a zombie-survival thriller. Australian writer/director Zak Hilditch has more in mind than offering violence and gore centered on the undead, though that prerequisite is here. The feature primarily follows those who remain alive and the trauma they endure in a new landscape where the dead require a clean-up crew. It’s a straightforward story told from the perspective of a few specific people, in a time when hope is dwindling, and closure is uncertain.

When a military experiment created by the United States goes awry, detonating an EMP weapon near Tasmania, the death toll is over 500,000 people. It is reported that the victims die when their brains are fried, causing “neural failure,” requiring a major clean-up operation. The Australian government is looking for volunteers to assist the Australian Defense Force as “body retrieval experts.” The main thing volunteers have to look out for is the condition of the corpses they encounter. Some of them mysteriously “come back online” in either a catatonic or frenzied state, with their base instincts intact. Until scientists can understand why, volunteers are told to notify the local military when they find an undead body so that they can be “taken care of.”

When we meet American Ava Newman (Daisy Ridley) she has arrived at island state’ airport and is directed to join the area where the other volunteers who’ve come to clear corpses have gathered. Upon check-in, she requests to go to a southern area where her husband, Mitch (Matt Whelan), had checked into a resort for a business trip. This was the reason Ava volunteered, considering she has no idea what state he will be in; there is an understandable amount of apprehension. But, she has to know either way.

The problem is that the southern area is outside the restricted zone, so Ava will need help navigating in that direction. She easily recruits another volunteer, the gruff Clay (Brenton Thwaites), whom she’s already paired up with. The bearded wild card finds a motorcycle, and the pair maneuver their way through dangerous territory, requiring them to remain increasingly vigilant the closer they get to their destination.

The first half of “We Bury the Dead” does an impressive job of world-building, with just enough exposition to bring us up to speed on what happened in Tasmania. Cinematographer Steve Annis works with Hilditch to establish a decimated landscape that was once filled with pristine beaches and expansive mountain views, all of which are now populated with fire and smoke, destroyed property and empty vehicles, and most of all, dead bodies.

The work of retrieving bodies and disposing of them takes some getting used to. The stench is awful, and not even the mask Ava wears can combat the pungent odor of rotting decay. Initially, Ava and Clay are tasked with going from house to house to make sure all is clear, occasionally running into obese corpses that won’t budge. We are just as discombobulated as Ava is as she arrives, trying to figure out how things work in this massive retrieval effort.

There’s much to appreciate when it comes to the characterization of Ridley’s Ava. It’s refreshing that she doesn’t instantly become some action hero. She remains curious and careful throughout, but initially, she’s definitely conveying more fear and shock. When she encounters one of the undead, she approaches it, wondering if there is any spark of comprehension or reasoning behind the blank white eyes of the upright figure. Hilditch doesn’t lean one way or another, leaving room to wonder whether this will be a different zombie depiction. Then we hear the eerie clicking and gnashing of teeth with what looks like a loose or dislocated jaw. It’s just as unsettling and strange to us as it is to Ava. Armed soldiers will come in and gun these undead down, regardless of how they respond. Granted, later on, some of the undead that approach Ava waste no time acting crazed and go after her, and eventually, she has to become proficient in taking them out with an ax or some sharp object. Still, “We Bury the Dead” left me wondering if there’s any way to reboot the brains of these decayed humans.

Ridley is a good choice for the role of Ava. She conveys her internal concern for her husband as the story unfolds, and we learn sporadically about their marriage before they were separated through her own revealing memories. Ridley nails convincing expressions as Ava makes discoveries and faces challenging decisions. The character is more internal and contemplative than we may expect, as Ava goes about her personal odyssey.

“We Bury the Dead” may be slow for viewers who expect “another zombie flick,” but it actually has an appropriate pace that gradually exposes us to some nasty, grotesque scenes, especially when it comes to the dealing of bodies. When Ava and Clay interact with a strangely awkward soldier named Riley (Mark Coles Smith), who winds up forcing Ava to engage in some unsettling role-play activity related to his deceased wife. It harshly exposes her to the desperate extremes some will gradually find themselves in, and how insane it is to pull themselves out of. Maybe such an experience will reveal more about Amy’s motivations and expectations than she is prepared for.

Hilditch has been in a post-apocalyptic world before in 2013’s “These Final Hours” and veered into the world of Stephen King with the adaptation of one of his novellas with “1922”, and this film confirms that he wouldn’t return to such a hopeless landscape if he didn’t have a personal tale to tell. “We Bury the Dead” is quieter and more reflective than expected, balancing a reasonable degree of creepiness and menace with emotional heaviness.

RATING: ***