Blood Quantum is now available to watch on Shudder, and the film is certainly worth the price of the Shudder subscription. The film is written and directed by Jeff Barnaby, who was born an a Mi’gmaq reserve in Listuguj, Quebec. Part of Blood Quantum was shot in Listuguj, filming the movie at an actual reserve with an all Indigenous cast including Michael Greyeyes, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Forrest Goodluck, Kiowa Gordon, Brandon Oakes, Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs, and Gary Farmer.
The film begins with the onset of the zombie apocalypse, with a strange contagion bringing the dead back to life to feast upon the living. As with most zombie fiction, bites from the infected are fatal, quickly killing those bitten and turning them into more of the undead. What’s different about Blood Quantum is that the story follows the Indigenous inhabitants of the Mi’gmaq reserve of Red Crow, who are apparently immune to the virus. This is obviously good news for them, but when word of their immunity spreads throughout the neighboring communities, the attention leads to the group dealing with plenty of unwanted visitors. Survivors include the tribal sheriff, Traylor, who must protect his son’s pregnant girlfriend and apocalyptic refugees from the never-ending onslaught of hungry zombies.
Part of the fun in watching new zombie films is seeing the different rules established by that movie’s particular contagion. It’s quickly apparent that the zombie virus in Blood Quantum affects animals, though certain people appear to have immunity from the virus as well. The creative ways the characters deal with the zombies is also entertaining, and shooting the film on actual First Nations reserve makes for a very interesting location as well. Additionally, setting the film in 1981 was a nice touch, as it does feel more like a classic zombie film (albeit with better-looking gore). At its core, Blood Quantum is a zombie movie with a lot of the familiar tropes, but these extra qualities help separate it from most other zombie flicks of recent years.
Something else to appreciate about Blood Quantum is its cast of characters. This is always something that can make or break any zombie story, because if you don’t care about the survivors, then the film is dead in the water. I thought the acting was done very well with both the heroes and the villains, though I must say I particularly enjoyed Michael Greyeyes as Traylor. He does have the advantage of having experience with the zombie apocalypse as an actor from Fear the Walking Dead, though I definitely appreciate him much more in Blood Quantum.
Blood Quantum won’t break the mold of zombie movies, but it does stand out as one of the better films of the zombie horror sub-genre to arrive in recent years. If you’re a fan of zombie movies, you should definitely appreciate this one. Blood Quantum is currently streaming now on Shudder. You can check out the official red band trailer and poster for the film below!
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