Allison Goldstein
Wild Zero (1999) is an authentically fun and unexpectedly earnest rock ’n’ roll horror comedy that never quite found the audience it deserved. The movie follows Japanese garage punk band, Guitar Wolf (vocalist/guitarist Guitar Wolf, bassist Bass Wolf, and drummer Drum Wolf), as they bond with their superfan, Ace (played by Masashi Endō), and fight for survival during an alien invasion-slash-zombie outbreak.
Director Tetsuro Takeuchi manages to shove gun fights, exploding heads, and B-horror gags into every inch of this 98-minute film. Audiences are treated to a jet-fueled mix of real pyrotechnics and hilarious 90s CGI, along with live Guitar Wolf performances and an overall killer soundtrack – including a fight scene set to Bikini Kills’ ‘Rebel Girl’. Zombie fans will also appreciate the overt nods to classic films, including on-camera references to ‘zombies’ and even name-dropping Night of the Living Dead.
