Mulberry Street is a 2006 horror film co-written and directed by Jim Mickle (Stake Land). It was released by After Dark Films as a part of their 8 Films to Die For 2007. It was released on DVD in the United States on March 18, 2008. The United Kingdom DVD was retitled Zombie Virus on Mulberry Street.
A deadly infection breaks out on Mulberry Street in downtown Manhattan, causing humans to devolve into blood-thirsty monstrosities. Six recently evicted tenants must survive the night and protect their downtown apartment building as the city quickly spirals out of control.
Initially emergency services and city authorities attempt to contain the spread by shutting down public transportation, and closing roads, but soon hospitals are inundated with the wounded, and the virus begins to spread island wide. By the time the characters realise the severity of the situation, the infected have overrun much of the city and the streets are highly dangerous, with police seemingly overwhelmed and unable to respond. The survivors barricade themselves in their apartments as the news of the outbreak and subsequent quarantine of Manhattan breaks on TV and radio, waiting on promised rescue from the military, which the government promises will begin to restore order in Manhattan soon…
“Mulberry Street never quite comfortably makes the transition from a more realistic, believable form of horror (the rat attacks seem exaggerated in detail but not really impossible) into George Romero territory (with the obvious exception that the neighbors are turning into rats rather than zombies). As if sensing this, the director keeps the camera shaking and the cinematographer keeps the images dark, so that you cannot clearly see the “f-cking rat people” (as one character calls them). The technique ultimately grows irritating because it becomes almost impossible to follow most of the action.” Steve Biodrowski, Cinefantastique
“An amazingly cool take on Night of the Living Dead (1968) as well as being the precursor for [REC] (2007), Mulberry Street is a taught, contemporized story with uptown rat zombies and people locking themselves in the run-down building to fight off the hordes of skin-chewers. Amazingly, none of this is corny or goofy; The horror is as gritty as the underpants of the New Yorkers trying to stay alive (best of luck to you), and an ending that’s anything but upbeat.” Jeff Gilbert, Drinkin’ & Drive-In
” … one of the best zombie/infected running shrieking ghoul films of recent years, and more than survives any comparisons with similarly themed bigger budgets efforts. Tautly directed and gripping, it manages the uncommon feat of being both terrifying and believable, and is an excellent example of modern urban horror that should be enjoyed by even the most jaded genre fans.” James Mudge, Beyond Hollywood
Buy (Zombie Virus on) Mulberry Street from Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
Wikipedia | IMDb | Official website
