Category: Movies

For fans of Demolition Ranch/Off The Ranch, you are going to recognize Matt and Hickock45. They had teased this zombie movie some time ago, and now it is out. Strain 100 has a simple, straight forward premise. A woman is in a car accident and when she wakes up, people are snacking on people.

My first thought as I watched the first few minutes was surprise. I was honestly not expecting the level of cinematography. A part of me was assuming this was going to be college movie project quality. So it was a pleasant surprise how good the cinematography was. Unfortunately, the professional quality of the cinematography didn’t carry over to the special effects. They might have had a high quality camera but that didn’t leave much money left over for special effects. The blood squirts are B- to straight B quality at best.

Time to Run

After a brief into where a scientist panics and tells her daughter Jesse to get someplace safe and hold up. The next thing we see is how Jesse ends up on the side of the road. Literally, we see her in her car which is on its side, on the road.

Jesse’s girlfriend, who she was trying to save after the girl was bitten at camp, has turned. This leads to a nice bit of gore in the car as Jesse is forced to kill her first Zombie. I guess her friend was still “fresh” enough to have a lot of liquid blood on board.

As she runs, we get the obligatory, kid zombie scene as well. It is just a random scene inserted for fun before Jesse finds her way into a strangers house.

Inside the house Jesse listens to a stranger’s voicemails? This made me think it was her house at first – because why else listen to them? But it turns out its just the first house she found with an unlocked door.

After Jesse listens to the voicemails she wanders deeper into the house. She slips on a massive puddle of blood which leads us to Jesse’s second zombie kill. It was an over the top, covered in blood kill.

Emma

With the Zombie killed, Emma, who has been hiding in the closet, decides to pop out now that its safe. Emma is apparently a combination waitress and EMT. She challenges Jesse about her bite wound. Emma doesn’t understand how Jesse has been bitten, and not showing signs of turning.

This leads to a common trope in Zombie Movies. Let’s not tell anyone else about the bite! I’m sorry, if I see people eating people and your bitten, I might let you live, but your going to have handcuffs on and a hockey mask/motorcycle helmet until I’m 100% sure your not going to turn.

With questionable decisions made Emma leads Jesse to the diner, and the small group of survivors holed up there. The survivors are the classic mix of individuals. We have the bossy gun toting owner of the diner, the old male chauvinist and his wife, the trash talker, and the nice guy.

When the generator at the diner goes out we see Roy, the owner with his back to the dark, talking loudly as he’s trying to get the generator going, which predictable results. The remaining survivors split up, with Jesse driving away with the group who wants to live while the old man and his wife decide to end things. It’s not super clear if the younger girl who stayed behind also did herself? There were three of them, and only two bullets after all.

Atlanta

On the way to Atlanta, Emma finds her sister, and her niece, but her niece didn’t make it, which results in Emma and her Sister giving up. I get what they were going for, showing how brutal live would be, but at the same time, these scenes felt a little forced.

This leads the dwindling group to seek supplies at a quickie mart, where Brandon quickly gets overrun. Again, I think I know what they were going for, but I felt like Brandon was smart enough to tap on the windows before going into the store?

On the way to the brother and sister’s family the car dies, which leads to an act of bravery as the sister’s brother makes a run for it to distract the zombies. Thankfully the older brother is fast and makes it to a truck that luckily has the keys in the ignition. This leads to a ridiculous bit of redneck shooting as a father and his two grown children decide they have to save the truck by shooting at it?

In the Uncle’s barn, we find that he’s maybe not the nice guy the survivors were hoping as he tells Jesse and the little girl that its time to receive “The Blessing”.

Following another played out trope, the Uncle isn’t really the Uncle, and he’s not interested in helping the girls. As he’s prepping what looks like a bomb the little girl’s brother creates a distraction by driving over mines? Why the hell does the vehicle got explosions around it?

The brother rescues the girls, but he’s been shot and dies along with the truck. No, it’s not really explained why the girls end up walking after he bites the big one.

Hickock45

As the girls are walking along the road they are swarmed by Zombies, which is when Hickock45 shows up to the save the day. I feel like the directors at this point knew this was a dud, and tried to leverage a few YouTube stars to try and guarantee that at least their viewers would buy/rent the movie.

The whole Hickock45 and Matt from Demo Ranch felt completely shoehorned into the movie, and while fans of their channels might want to see Strain 100 just for that reason, I have to be honest with you that it’s a little painful to watch. I love Hickock45 and Matt, but their scenes in Strain 100 didn’t really add anything to the story and felt very forced.

As Jesse and her ward go to leave Hickock45s house, we find out that Grace, the kid, was bitten. This leads to the obligatory scene where Jesse has to put the kid down and bury her by the side of the road, complete with a little stick cross.

Strain 100 ends with Jesse reaching Atlanta, where she meets up with a gun toting security guard badass. The security guard apparently brings Jesse inside to watch her moms final recording. Her mom has known her daughter has some super human immunity, and with the package she gave Tory, the security guard, she believes there might be hope for humanity.

The movie just kind of suddenly ends with Tori driving Jesse away on a motorcycle as she blasts away at Zombies, taking Jesse to another lab in Washington which leads to a WTF ending where Skynet is distributing the cure made from Jesse’s blood.

Strain 100 Score

Strain 100 earned a score of 42/100, putting it in the Rainy Day Movie Category. The first thirty minutes of Strain 100 were on track to earn a score in the low 70’s but the scenes at the diner cost the movie a few points and then things quickly went downhill from there. The other issue with the movie is the general atmosphere. The acting was B+ but the dialogue was often a little hokey and peoples reactions didn’t quite fit the gravity of the situation. Everyone seems a little too relaxed after having seen multiple people get attacked, eaten, and bitten. The other issue I had was the whole religion/reason for the Zombie Apocalypse. It’s been done in a ton of other movies, and quite frankly, done better.

In the end Strain 100 doesn’t really break any new ground. It suffers from feeling like someone watched a bunch of other zombie movies and tried to write a movie script using what they thought were the best parts of those movies, but everything doesn’t quite feel like it fits together smoothly, or at all. There are a lot of jagged edges to the story, and the atmosphere never quite feels right for the Apocalypse. If your going to watch Strain 100, save it for a rainy day when your having a few drinks.

Review	Year	Score	Type
#Alive	2020	100	Action / Infection
Dawn Of The Dead	1978	100	Action / Horror / Classics
Night Of The Living Dead	1968	100	Action / Horror / Classics
World War Z	2013	100	Action / Infection
28 Days Later	2002	100	Action / Infection
Train To Busan	2016	100	Action / Infection
Zombieland	2010	100	Comedy / Action
Flesh And Blood	2018	99	Shorts
Serenity	2005	99	Action / Sci-Fi
The Girl With All The Gifts	2016	95	Action / Infection
Land Of The Dead	2005	94	Action / Horror
Resident Evil: Apocalypse	2004	93	Action / Infection
Resident Evil	2002	92	Action / Infection
Rampant	2018	91	Action / Infection / Mid Evil
Day of the Dead	2008	90	Action / Infection
Cooties	2014	89	Comedy / Action
The Return of the Living Dead	1985	85	Comedy / Action
Night of the Comet	1984	85	Comedy / Action
Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula	2020	84	Action / Infection
Zombieland: Double Tap	2019	83	Comedy / Action
Fido	2006	82	Comedy / Action
Shaun Of The Dead	2004	81	Comedy / Action
Zombie	1979	80	Action / Horror
The Evil Dead	1981	80	Classic / Action
I Am Legend (2007)	2007	80	Action / Infection
28 Weeks Later	2007	80	Action / Infection
Infection	2019	79	Action / Infection
It Stains The Sands Red	2016	79	Action / Infection
Overlord	2018	79	Action / Horror
A Little Bit Zombie	2012	78	Comedy / Action
Plan Z	2016	78	Action / Infection
Wyrmwood: Apocalypse	2021	77	Action / Infection
Day of the Dead	1985	77	Action / Horror / Classics
Dead Rising: Endgame	2016	77	Action / Infection
Freaks of Nature	2015	76	Comedy / Action
The Dead	2010	76	Action / Infection
Cockneys Vs. Zombies	2012	75	Comedy / Action
Here Alone	2016	75	Suspense / Infection
The Battery	2012	74	Drama / Infection
Shed of the Dead	2019	74	Comedy / Action
Alone	2020	73	Action / Infection
Survival Of The Dead	2009	73	Action / Horror
State of Emergency	2011	73	Action / Infection
Remains	2011	72	Action / Infection
Dawning of the Dead	2017	72	Action / Infection
Dance of the Dead	2008	72	Comedy / Action
The Rezort	2015	72	Action / Infection
The Army of the Dead	2021	71	Action / Infection
Witness Infection	2021	71	Comedy / Action
Daylight's End	2016	71	Action / Infection
The Valley Of The Dead	2021	70	Horror / Infection
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead	2014	70	Action / Infection
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse	2015	70	Comedy / Action
Resident Evil: Afterlife	2010	70	Action / Infection
Night of the Living Deb	2015	70	Comedy / Romance
For A Few Zombies More	2015	70	Action / Infection
Zombie Night	2013	70	Action / Infection
Dead Rising: Watchtower	2015	70	Action / Infection
Zombie Hunter	2013	70	Action / Infection
The Dead 2: India	2015	70	Action / Infection
Among The Living	2022	69	Suspense / Horror
Exit Humanity	2011	69	Action / Infection
Bird Box	2018	69	Action / Horror / Possession
Republic Z	2018	68	Action / Comedy
Blood Quantum	2019	68	Action / Infection
Ravenous	2017	68	Action / Infection
Quarantine	2008	67	Infection / Horror
Forget Everything And Run (F.E.A.R.)	2021	67	Suspense / Horror
The Night Eats The World	2018	67	Suspense / Infection
Ultimate Zombie Feast	2020	66	Shorts/ Action
How To Kill A Zombie	2014	66	Action / Comedy
Cargo	2017	66	Suspense / Infection
Trench 11	2017	66	Action / Horror
Dead County	2021	65	Drama / Horror
Zombie Town	2007	65	Action / Horror
Zoombies	2016	65	Awesomely Bad
The End?	2017	64	Horror / Infection
Quarantine 2	2011	64	Action / Infection
Zombie Apocalypse	2011	64	Action / Infection
Red Spring	2017	63	Action / Infection
Virus:32	2022	62	Horror / Infection
Resident Evil: Extinction	2007	62	Action / Infection
Resident Evil Retribution	2012	61	Action / Infection
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead	2023	60	Comedy / Action
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter	2016	60	Action / Infection
Life After Beth	2014	59	Comedy / Action
Diary Of The Dead	2007	58	Action / Horror
Revelation Trail	2013	57	Action / Horror
Eat Brains Love	2019	56	Comedy / Horror
My Mates vs. The Zombie Apocalypse	2015	56	Comedy / Action
Deadsight	2018	55	Suspense / Infection
Anna And The Apocalypse	2017	55	Musical / Infection
Amigo Undead	2015	54	Comedy / Horror
Bong of the Living Dead	2017	54	Action / Infection
Black Friday	2021	53	Action / Horror
The Dead Undead	2010	53	Action / Infection
Redcon-1	2018	52	Action / Horror
Deadheads	2011	52	Comedy / Romance
Dead Don't Die in Dallas	2019	51	Action / Infection / LGBTQ
Day of the Dead: Bloodline	2018	51	Action / Infection
Road Wars	2015	50	Action / Infection
Disaster L.A.	2014	50	Action
Zombie Strippers!	2008	49	Horror / Comedy
Within the Woods of Undead County	2016	49	Action / Infection
Day Zero	2023	48	Horror / Infection
Rise of The Zombies	2012	48	Action / Infection
I Am Alone	2015	48	Action / Infection
Valentine DayZ	2018	47	Action / Infection / Awesomely Bad
Lethal Virus	2021	46	Action / Horror
Savageland	2015	46	Horror / Drama
Zombie Warz: Falls The Shadow	2011	45	Action / Horror
Infected	2019	45	Shorts
Bridge of the Doomed	2022	44	Horror / Infection
Block Z	2020	44	Action / Infection
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City	2021	43	Action / Horror
The Dead Don't Die	2019	43	Spoof / Drama
The Plague	2006	42	Action / Horror
Strain 100	2020	42	Action / Infection
Infected	2021	41	Action / Horror
Before Dawn	2013	41	Drama / Action
When the Fever Breaks	2019	41	Suspense / Infection
Zombie Undead	2010	40	Action / Infection
Hostile	2017	40	Action / Infection
Dead Before Down	2012	39	Horror / Supernatural
Gangs Of The Dead	2006	38	Action / Infection
Zombies	2017	37	Action / Infection
American Zombieland	2020	36	Comedy / Infection
Cannon Fodder / Battle Of The Undead	2013	35	Action / Horror
Zombie Diaries 2	2011	35	Action / Infection
Dead Trigger	2017	35	Action / Infection
Deadlocked	2020	35	Action / Infection
Another World	2014	35	Action / Infection
Evilution	2009	34	Action / Horror
KL24: Zombies	2017	34	Action / Infection
Re-Elected	2020	33	Comedy / Suspense
Antisocial 2	2015	33	Action / Infection
Aquarium of the Dead	2021	32	Comedy / Horror
Antisocial	2013	32	Action / Infection
By Day's End	2020	31	Suspense / Infection
Dead 7	2016	31	Action / Infection
Pandemic	2016	30	Action / Infection
Attack of the Southern Fried Zombies	2017	29	Comedy / Action
Zombie Hood	2013	28	Action / Infection
The Dustwalker	2019	27	Action / Parasite
Day of the Dead 2: Contagium	2005	26	Action / Infection
Solar Impact	2019	25	Action / Horror
Anger Of The Dead	2015	25	Action / Infection
The Last Hope	2017	24	Action / Infection
The Day of the Living Dead	2014	23	Drama / Detective
Zombie Road	2018	22	Shorts
Zombie Wars	2007	21	Action / Infection
Army of Thieves	2021	20	Heist / Horror
Last Rites Of The Dead	2019	20	Drama / Thriller
The Mad	2007	19	Comedy / Infection
The Living Dead	2020	18	Horror / Drama
Zone of the Dead	2009	17	Action / Infection
Killer Weekend	2018	16	Comedy / Not Zombies
G Zombie	2021	15	Drama / Infection
Quarantine L.A.	2013	14	Action / Infection
Driven	2020	13	Drama / Suspense
The Hive	2014	12	Demonic Possession / Horror
The Horde	2016	11	Action / Gore
Rebirth	2020	10	Action / Horror
The Last Starship	2017	10	Action / Infection
Rising Undead / Rise of the Undead	2005	9	Action / Horror
Rise of the Zombie	2013	9	Drama / Action
Plague	2014	8	Suspense / Drama
Flu	2013	8	Infection / Not Zombies
Red Days	2016	7	Action / Infection
The Returned	2013	6	Drama / Romance
Apocalypse Nerds	2012	5	Comedy / Action
Zombie with a Shotgun	2019	4	Infection / Drama
Soon Enough	2018	3	Action / Drama
Army of the Dead	2008	2	Action / Horror
Range 15	2016	2	Comedy / Action
Nazi Undead	2018	1	Paranormal / Horror
Pandemic	2009	1	Drama / Action
Eyes Of The Dead	2015	1	Action / Infection
All My Friends Are Dead	2021	0	Horror / Not Zombies
Curse of the Blind Dead	2020	0	Horror / Not Zombies
Carriers	2009	0	Drama / Not Zombies
Afflicted	2013	0	Drama / Infection
Broadcast Dead	2018	0	Horror / Thriller
Dead End	2003	0	Horror / Thriller

See all Zombie Movies here.