| Portrait of a Zombie | |
| Director: | Bing Bailey |
| Music: | Amanda Rose Smith |
| Cinematography: | Clayton H. Haskell |
| Editing: | Bing Bailey |
| Studio: | Organ Hill Films |
| Runtime: | 85 minutes |
| Country: | Ireland |
| Language: | English |
Portrait of a Zombie is a 2012 Irish horror film directed by Bing Bailey and written by Bailey and Laura Morand Bailey. It was released on March 3, 2012. Patrick Murphy plays a young man whose family decides to accept him when he turns into a zombie.
During a zombie outbreak in Ireland, an American documentary film crew become interested in the story of a local Irish family who decide to keep their zombie-turned son a part of the family. When the film crew arrives in Ireland, they discover that the family's decision has angered their neighbors and a local crime boss. As tempers rise, the Americans document the controversy.
The film was originally more of a genre film, but budget constraints meant that director Bing Bailey needed to turn it into a hybrid of mockumentary and genre film. Bailey said that he wanted to "have his Evil Dead experience". Pre-production was done over the Internet, as Bailey was living in the United States at the time. Shooting took place in October 2009, May 2010, and May 2011; the additional shoots were due to a revamp of the initial concept that involved abandoned man-on-the-street interviews. Post-production took another 18 months.[1]
Portrait of a Zombie premiered at the 2012 Cinequest Film Festival.[2]
Mark L. Miller of Ain't It Cool News called it "a mix of comedy, gore, drama, and action that works in ways few others have."[3] Richard von Busack of Metro Silicon Valley wrote that the film "stands comparison to Shaun of the Dead itself."[4]