Whenever possible, I avoid zombie movies. I’m passionately sick of the undead and the tidal wave of indie, DTV, and big-budget outings that take on the zombie apocalypse. Away from the screen, when I hear of zombie walks and zombie parties, I roll my eyes. Zombies, leave me alone.

Then The Battery stepped up to the plate. Shot in 15 days in Connecticut for the incredibly low budget of $6K, Jeremy Gardner’s directorial debut injects a tremendous dose of humanity into the sub genre – completely putting the zombie horde in the background in favor of the daily lives of two begrudging post-apocalyptic survivors. Mickey (co-producer Adam Cronheim) is the sentimental one, still longing for a stable home and, if the situation allows, a love life. Ben (Gardner) is the brutal realist who knows the key to their survival is to stay on the move. They’re not really friends, they just happened to be at a baseball training camp together when the outbreak began. Both characters do questionable things – from panty sniffing to taking aim at the living – but it’s real tough not to like these guys. Now you can hang out with them forever thanks to Scream Factory’s new Blu-ray!

The Battery never explains how the zombie outbreak began or exactly how bad it is out there, which is a welcome change from most zombie flicks. All we know is that Ben and Mickey have been drifting for a while around New England, heading deeper for the woods where zombies are less likely to be milling about. When they do encounter some, it’s always Ben who does the killing. Mickey can’t bring himself to do it, which leads to constant discord between them.

On the surface The Battery comes off almost as a road movie, but there are more moments of stillness than travel. This is where the film’s comedy and heart shines through the most, when the two guys are sitting around and talking. Their conflicting personalities lead to some really funny moments, as well as some nicely honed dramatic ones. There’s also a lot of morose music montages and even a playful solo dance number performed by Ben that provides a welcome relief from the tension.

I wouldn’t even call The Battery a zombie film (the word “zombie” is only mentioned as a joke in the movie). It’s a sincerely funny and beautiful film. It’s an ambitious movie that explores the post-apocalyptic individual. Hell, it’s just a damn good movie. Now with Scream Factory’s release, fans can absorb themselves in Ben’s sweaty beard in glorious 1080p.

The Battery Blu-ray looks as sharp as you’d expect a film shot on digital to look. Christian Stella’s cinematography looks genuinely gorgeous, with his sun-drenched outdoor shots heightening the film’s inherent tension. The 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio sounds perfectly fine. No complaints in the A/V department.

The big special feature is “Tools of Ignorance: The Making of The Battery“, which runs 90 minutes. Fans are treated to clips of Gardner and friends’ early short films, including “Bags,” about killer plastic bags. The cast and crew detail their experience making the film, which wasn’t always pleasant. One girl even refers to a shoot as “the worst day of her life.” One of the great things about this feature is watching Gardner talk about the film’s origins, which came out of his frustration as an actor. Rather than try to “make it” the traditional way, he went back to his childhood roots and called on his friends to help make a feature. It’s a heartfelt and inspiring tale of indie determination.

The audio commentary (which was apparently recorded before they knew a Blu-ray was even coming out) features Gardner, Cronheim, and DP Christian Stella. It’s a fun track where they detail the musicians and bands involved, the one time they were worried they needed a special effect, and Gardner’s love of the Freddie Prinze Jr. classic Summer Catch. The guys have a story for pretty much EVERY shot, so there’s never a dull moment.

An 11-minute feature looks at Chris Eaton and Don Murray’s music for the film. Music is a major part of The Battery, so this feature is definitely great for anyone who digs what they hear in the film.

12 minutes of outtakes round out the disc. They’re not all bloopers though, it’s a lot of behind the scenes stuff, some of which you’ll recognize from the 90 minute making of.