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Just a couple of decades ago, radioactive chemicals turned the world’s dead into zombies who began roaming the streets, looking for their next kill. But the terrible Zombie Wars came to an end after a company called Zomcon figured out how to contain the zombies—and even domesticate them. Now, as long as the red light on their collar is on, they’re as submissive as household pets—and they make great servants. If the light goes out, though, they immediately return to their flesh-eating ways—so even young children are taught to shoot for the head in case of a zombie attack. It’s the only way to protect themselves.
Tired of being the only family in the neighborhood without a zombie of their own, Helen Robinson (Carrie-Anne Moss) ignores her husband’s fears and brings one home. Though their son, Timmy (K’Sun Ray), is initially afraid of the new zombie, he soon finds that it makes a great friend—which Timmy needs, since all the kids at school think he’s a freak, and his dad’s too busy golfing to play with him. So Timmy and his zombie, Fido (Billy Connolly), become the best of friends. And though Timmy’s dad wants Fido gone, even Timmy’s mom gets attached to him. In fact, she realizes that he’s much more loyal and attentive than her husband. But when Fido’s collar accidentally shuts off—and he ends up eating the old lady across the street—Timmy’s got to work to cover it up, or he’ll lose his only friend.
Fido is a mix of Leave It to Beaver (or, perhaps more appropriately, Lassie) and Night of the Living Dead. The idealistic ‘50s setting, populated with the living dead makes for one quirky movie. It’s definitely unlike anything you’ve seen before—but it’s not as outrageous as you might expect. Believe it or not, it’s not even all that scary, considering it’s technically a zombie movie. In fact, when it all comes down to it, Fido is just the story of a boy and his, um, pet—that is, if that pet were a naturally blood-thirsty yet domesticated zombie. Replace Lassie with a zombie, and you’ve got the gist of it. Though its subject matter is absolutely bizarre, this eccentric film has a pretty standard story. There’s not as much action as you’d expect from a zombie movie, and there aren’t as many solid laughs as you’d expect from a quirky comedy. And after you get beyond the whole zombies-as-pets novelty, there’s not much left to keep you entertained.
Fido is worth checking out, if only for the fact that it’s so…odd. But don’t expect too much. The concept is brilliant, and it has its share of great moments, but this quirky zom com could have used a little more life.
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