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Outside (2024)

★★ — Outside (2024)

Carlo Ledesma, an Australian-Filipino director perhaps best known for the found-footage horror Tunnel (2011), returns to genre territory with Outside, a Filipino zombie drama produced under the Black Cap Pictures banner. Shot largely on location in the rural Philippines, the film leans into the isolation of its setting in a way that distinguishes it from the more propulsive, action-oriented zombie films that have dominated Asian horror since the South Korean wave of the late 2010s. Sid Lucero, one of the Philippines' more respected independent film actors, leads a small cast in what is, at its core, a contained family drama using the post-apocalyptic framework as a pressure cooker for long-buried domestic tensions.

Outside (2023), the Filipino zombie film that made waves on Netflix, starts with an intriguing premise, one that feels fresh within the crowded Asian zombie genre. It centres on a mutated virus turning people into feral, light-sensitive creatures, but the real horror isn’t just outside the house, it’s inside. The film takes a bold turn by revealing that the father, Malang (played by Sid Lucero), has been lying to his family, exaggerating the severity of the apocalypse to keep them confined at home. His motives are rooted in deep trauma, guilt, and a twisted desire for control, turning the domestic space into a psychological prison masked as protection. That idea (using the zombie genre as a metaphor for familial abuse, mental health, and manipulation) is powerful, even daring. And for stretches, it works. The tension between claustrophobia and revelation is gripping, and the film doesn’t shy away from showing how fear can be weaponized by those who claim to love us. But execution lets it down. The pacing is uneven, the zombie action underwhelming (especially compared to the intensity of Train to Busan or #Alive), and the creature design lacks impact. Some performances are strong (Lucero brings raw emotion to a deeply flawed man) but others feel flat or overly dramatic. The social commentary is there, but it’s delivered with too heavy a hand, and the horror elements often take a backseat to melodrama. Decent ambition, a unique angle on the genre, and a few genuinely unsettling moments. But as a whole? Not scary enough for horror fans, not coherent enough for drama purists. A missed opportunity to truly explore its dark themes without losing the thrills. Worth watching once for curiosity, but doesn’t leave a lasting mark.

Rating: ★★ | Year: 2024 | Watched: 2025-11-25

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Where to watch (UK)

Stream: Netflix · Netflix Standard with Ads
Physical: Amazon UK

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