‘We Bury the Dead’ Review: Eery Australian Thriller With Heart

When I first watched 1922, I found it to be a completely serviceable horror thriller, but in the years following that viewing I have grown to hate it. Not because of the movie’s quality but rather the profoundly uncomfortable experience that it created and for that reason the movie has lingered in my psyche more than most. Now, director Zak Hilditch is tackling another horror, this one a meditation on grief in the form of a zombie survival film. Read our We Bury the Dead review.

Starring Daisy Ridley and Brenton Thwaites, the movie follows a grieving woman who enlists to recover bodies from Tasmania following the detonation of a US military-created toxin that killed everyone in the state. Some survivors begin reanimating as undead, and with every passing hour, become more violent.

Despite premiering way back in 2024, the film has faced a lot of comparisons to another zombie survival film, 2025’s 28 Years Later. The comparisons stem from that film also being about grief, and coupled with the genre, the comparison is certainly apt. But I do think that the movies are very different in their handling of the subject matter, one focusing on the grief being channelled into other places and the other focusing on life as a whole.

I think while Australian movies aren’t uncommon, especially as an Australian myself, it’s hard to find truly good films, let alone ones with a unique identity. I think the combination of the location with the unique premise and inspired visuals (the cinematography by Steve Annis is particularly great) really gives this movie a life of its own, and coming in at a runtime of a little over 90 minutes long, the movie’s pacing is breakneck and makes for a really good time.

Where the film really wins, though, is with its horror. The zombies of the film are true zombies, as reanimated zombies don’t attack at first but instead linger, grinding their teeth. The first time we see one of them up close is in a dark garage, and covered in motor oil, giving the deceased a grimy, slick and genuinely horrifying look, made even worse by the shine in its eyes. Scenes like this are what make this more than just a normal zombie movie.

The movie is a little over-simplified, which does make it a little uninteresting at times, but not necessarily boring. I think with a stronger, more developed story, this movie would be an even more engaging time, bumping it up from its already good status. We Bury the Dead is not just another zombie film, but a strong entry into the catalogue of great zombie cinema.

We Bury the Dead stars Daisy Ridley, Brenton Thwaites, and Mark Coles Smith. The film is written and directed by Zak Hilditch. It hit US theatres back on January 2nd, 2026, and is set to debut in Australian theatres on February 5th. Watch it on digital and PVOD below:

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