A unique mix of manic car chases, John Woo inspired gunplay, and good old-fashioned gore Necropolis Awakened is a fun, independent zombie schlock-a-thon. Shot on a shoestring budget in the deserts of Oregon, this was certainly a labor of love for Hudson Productions. After all, Hudson's really just a fancy name referring to Duke White and his two sons, the trio almost solely responsible for this production.

Duke White has two starring roles. He plays the hero, Uncle Bob, and the leader of a group of assassins named Judas. His youngest son, Brandon, handles the special effects and fills the roles of both assassin Johnny Gog, and the leader of a zombie army Nefarious Thorne. Oldest son Garret serves as the writer and director, while playing the role of Tiden. The only notable job not handled by a family member is Brandon Dubisar's portrayal of the third assassin Detroit.

Necropolis Awakened is obviously influenced by zombie cinema that preceded it. Scenes of walking dead rounded up in cattle herders feel like they were pulled straight out of George Romero's classic Day of the Dead. However, this film isn't just another rehash. In fact, it smartly builds upon the ideas of zombie intelligence explored in Romero's work, offering three distinct social classes. Nefarious Thorne is the top of the food chain, the leader of the undead. His semi-intelligent helpers, the Proletariats, command the simple brain-dead ground troops known as the Minions.

Nefarious plans to take over the world, one town at a time. After descending upon Skyhook and converting its residents into an undead army, preparations have begun to advance to a city with a larger population. Unfortunately, one man still lives in Skyhook. It's Uncle Bob, a stubborn drunk intent on resisting the evildoers. Fed up, Nefarious hires a team of assassins to kill Bob before he foils the devious plan. Along with his nephew Tiden, Bob plunges headfirst into a final confrontation with the undead.

Considering that the majority of its miniscule budget was spent hoarding a convoy of vehicles, it should be no surprise that a large part of the running time is filled with crashes, stunts, and redundant chases. This is the Road Warrior of zombie movies, and it's safe to say that the guys went a bit overboard with the motorized antics. What starts out exciting, soon becomes a bit of a drag as one chase blends into another.

The rest of the movie features plenty of blood and a good bit of ridiculous dialogue, making it enjoyable late night viewing. Brandon White does a great job with the special effects, especially with such limited resources. Visions of a zombie getting his face peeled off by a spinning tire are definitely the highlight. It's a wonderfully disgusting effect that couldn't look much better with a Hollywood budget.

Costumes are hit and miss, but some major cutting of corners is to be expected when the dollars are in short supply. The Proletariats generally look good, at least until we get up close. Then the lifeless latex masks and black material simply wrapped around them looks a bit silly. But hey, it just adds to the camp value. Nefarious Thorne has an impressive look and remains suitably menacing in his welding jacket and goggles.

While most of the performances are good enough to get the job done, Duke White's overdramatic approach is easily the most enjoyable. His portrayal of Judas, purposely or not, is more comic relief than intimidating factor. The constant Jim Carrey-esque contorted facial expressions drain him of any potential seriousness. Head crooked and mouth open; he's a source of constant laughs. The not too bright Uncle Bob is an equally enjoyable goofball, struggling to put down the bottle long enough to stop the onslaught of the "genetic extremists."

The movie is full of clever camera angles and some truly beautiful desert scenery. Garrett White displays a good head for action scenes, particularly during the car chases. With a complete lack of trained stuntmen, car stunts are certainly harder to pull off safely. Garrett captures the action with smart angles and close-ups that make the stunts look impressive, even though it's obvious the cars are barely moving at times.

With some tighter editing, cutting about 10Ð15 minutes, Necropolis Awakened could have been a non-stop blast. Yet even with its slow points, this movie's well worth a look. I can't imagine that any fan of goofy, offbeat horror wouldn't be entertained with this creative take on the zombie mythos.

The DVD itself is a fairly impressive package with a sharp clean picture, clear Dolby stereo sound, and plenty of extras. We get a feature length commentary with the White family, several deleted scenes, storyboards, still galleries, and footage of the filming process. Also included is the bizarre short film "Monster," which is billed as a modern adaptation of Frankenstein.