Hey. You know what horror fans in the U.S. UK and Ireland can do right now, over on Shudder? Right now? They can go watch Jeff Barnaby's highly acclaimed Indigenous Canadian zombie thriller, Blood Quantum, on the AMC streaming service. Right now in the US, UK & Ireland.
The dead are coming back to life outside the isolated Mi’gmaq reserve of Red Crow, except for its Indigenous inhabitants who are immune to the zombie plague. Traylor (Greyeyes), the tribal sheriff, must protect his son’s pregnant girlfriend, apocalyptic refugees, and reserve riffraff from the hordes of walking white corpses.
Originally slated for theatrical release here in Canada and in the States, those plans took at back seat as the health crisis became a global affair. Not only was Blood Quantum timely and poignant for its look at Indigenous affairs (setting the film in 1981 is not a random choice) but now with the pandemic reaching all corners of the globe there is no better or worse time to release a horror film about a virus infecting a mass population while its indigenous peoples are immune to it.
We've attached a gallery of images, along with the red band trailer, below. When you have a moment be sure to take a look at Kurt's review from TIFF.
It’s 1981 and a virus infects earth and turns its inhabitants into undead hordes with only one community spared and left to fight in this distinctive and relevant spin on the zombie siege horror. Shudder will unleash Barnaby’s gory chiller April 28th shortly after Midnight Eastern Time.In light of widespread cinema closures Shudder has rerouted from their planned Spring release for Blood Quantum and is excited to spontaneously launch it at a moment in history where it could not be more significant. “We knew the film was important and timely when we acquired it last year, but given recent events, Blood Quantum’s themes of isolation, fear of contagion, and humanity struggling with the ramifications of a global virus have only grown more relevant,” said Shudder General Manager Craig Engler. “When a theatrical release became untenable due to the real-world pandemic, we decided to accelerate the launch of Barnaby’s film so it would reach the biggest audience possible.”Jeff Barnaby is a First Nations filmmaker born on the Mi’gmaq reserve, where bothBlood Quantum and his debut feature, the cult-hit Rhymes For Young Ghouls, take place. He is the writer, director, editor and composer of Blood Quantum, which opened TIFF’s Midnight Madness program in 2019 to both audience and critical acclaim. His films frequently cast from within the Indigenous community and paint a stark and scathing portrait of post-colonial Indigenous life and culture - in this case, painting it in blood.
Here in Canada, Blood Quantum will be available rent to own digital and On-Demand today as well. Paruse the following list to find your nearest provider.
Apple TV/iTunes
Google Play / YouTube Movie Rentals
Cineplex Store
Microsoft Store
Playstation Store
Shaw
Rogers
Telus
Bell
Sasktel
MTS
+ Quebec VOD (Videotron, etc)
+ Smaller cable companies (Eastlink, etc)
New members can enjoy 30-days free with the promo code SHUTIN when signing up at Shudder.com.