Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)

Anna and the Apocalypse is that rare genre mash-up that shouldn’t work but absolutely does: a Christmas-set zombie movie that breaks into full-throated musical numbers without losing either its bite or its heart. John McPhail keeps the vibe buoyant and scrappy—part teen coming-of-age, part splattery horror, all wrapped in twinkly holiday irony—while Ella Hunt and the ensemble make these kids feel worth rooting for, not just surviving. The songs are catchy in a way that sneaks up on you, and the film’s emotional sincerity gives the mayhem real stakes, right up to a finale that lands with satisfying punch. It’s not for the squeamish or the musical-averse, but if you’re even slightly curious, this is the kind of crowd-pleaser you’ll be quoting and humming long after the fake snow settles.

Anna and the Apocalypse is clearly trying to mash up a Christmas teen comedy, a zombie splatterfest, and a full-on musical, and you can respect the ambition even when it doesn’t quite stick the landing. The problem is it leans hard on familiar high-school archetypes and genre beats, and once the novelty of “singing during a zombie outbreak” wears off, the pacing starts to sag and the film feels longer than it needs to be. The songs are hit-and-miss, and the momentum can dip right when you want it to go bigger and sharper. Still, if you’re the kind of viewer who enjoys scrappy charm, festive gore, and a quirky genre cocktail more than tight storytelling, there’s enough energy and likable leads here to make it a decent holiday oddity.