Phoned-in terror fails to engage

Tod Williams (Paranormal Activity 2) directs and does create a few haunting images – including a good scare involving a teen on a swing and a vehicle driving over herds of the sleeping ‘infected’.

The production design (John Collins) and cinematography (Michael Simmonds) are also both impressive, with earthy woods, abandoned homes and cars and tight locations all adding up to a world that looks like it’s coming to an end.

However, Williams takes his zombie movie influences too far with an overreliance on action beats done better in numerous other films from the genre; worst of which is a 28 Days Later-aping underground chase and attack.

This may try to present a different take on zombies – they aren’t undead at least – but familiar tropes associated with movies featuring the horror icons are lazily rehashed; such as people hiding out, suspicious humans, hordes on the attack and investigating a seemingly empty house.

Taking them on is John Cusack’s artist Clay and the 50-year-old star fails to halt his descent into career hell. Sure, he’s decent enough here, but a long way off his pre2007 brilliance.

Samuel L Jackson’s everyman is one of his most low key roles in years and the lead pair are both outshone by Isabelle Fuhrman’s feisty-yetvulnerable teen.

Any sprinklings of goodwill Cell may have created earlier, though, is ruined by a dire ending that’s poorly-lit, abrupt and makes the previous 45 minutes feel utterly pointless.