With The Walking Dead and Z Nation on television and a World War Z sequel on the way, it might seem like a bad time to recommend yet another piece of zombie entertainment. However, in the case of Dead Set, it’s worth risking a journey into the world of the living dead one more time.
A five-part mini-series made for British television, the run time of all the parts clocks in at just under two and a half hours. The length is perfect for the story, which revolves around an outbreak of the undead happening right outside the Big Brother house. That’s right, the series uses the actual UK Big Brother locale and show as a backdrop for the narrative, and it feeds into the series’ social satire.
And the creative team! Yann Demange, known recently for his stellar directing work on the series Top Boy and the award-winning ’71, brings a grittily realistic take to the script by Charlie Brooker. If you recognize Brooker’s name, it’s because he is the creator of Black Mirror, the brilliant sci-fi anthology series also currently available on Netflix.
Riz Ahmed appeared in Dead Set before his career took off in Nightcrawler, The Night Of, and Rogue One. Lead actress Jaime Winstone is a force to be reckoned with in the series, and she is no stranger to horror, having appeared in Donkey Punch and Elfie Hopkins: Cannibal Hunter.
With a smart take on the often overused zombie subgenre, a cast and crew who went on to equally impressive later work, and a zombie disemboweling scene so graphic and darkly comical it has to be seen to be believed, Dead Set is two and a half hours of your time well spent.
