Film Crunch – ‘Harold’s Going Stiff’

By Andrew Rodriguez
Segment Producer

Halloween may be over, along with the thought of a zombie apocalypse, but Andrea Rodriguez has a zombie-themed movie for you to check out.

For the zombie film buffs who can’t get enough of the dead’s taste for human flesh, well, do I have a film that will satisfy your fetish.

“Harold’s Going Stiff,” is the most inventive zombie film of its time.
Director Keith Wright, in his interview with JunsuiFilms, said he wanted to create a place so realistic, where the audience would forget that it’s only a movie they were seeing. He accomplished this goal brilliantly.

“Harold’s Going Stiff”stars Stan Rowe and is about an old-aged lonely pensioner suffering from a new neurological disease that is slowly putting him into a zombie-like state. With every passing day Harold’s stiffness worsens to where he can’t even move his neck. Penny Rudge, played by Sarah Spencer, is a nurse who is sent to relieve Harold’s stiffness by engaging him in therapy everyday. She is a happy woman as well as a lonely one who is dedicated to helping Harold find love. With time they build a strong friendship.

In the UK more men are being diagnosed with this disease and are being murdered by a trio of local men who think they are protecting the public from these flesh-starving “zombies.” They drive around killing any they happen to find. While Harold waits for a cure, his friendship with Penny builds as does his stiffness. He soon loses all his mental faculties and his behavior becomes violent. It’s the last scene before the curtain falls… will a cure be found… what happens between his friendship with Penny… and does the group of vigilantes take him out like so many before him?

This is unlike any other comedy/horror film. It won an award at the 2011 Austin Film Festival, was the audience winner for Dead By Dawn International Film Festival 2011, the winner for best script at the Sixth Annual Cinefantasy International Fantastic Film Festival, among other festivals worldwide.

I’ve always thought that having such a low budget is no excuse for creating a bad film, and this independent film has proven my opinion correct. It’s a wonderful story that doesn’t sit in one genre but draws on elements from comedy, horror, drama and thriller. I highly recommend this indie to anyone who is interested in seeing an amazing zombie film. “Harold’s Going Stiff” is a well-crafted film that will tug on your heartstrings without a battle.