I love zombie flicks. I absolutely love them. I’m unsure why it took me 27 days before I actually watched one this month. 

You know, come to think of it, I should’ve waited 28 days before watching one. It would’ve been hilarious. 

If we’re nitpicking things, Virus:32 isn’t a zombie flick. Not really. It’s like 28 Days Later (2002) in that aspect. Actually, these two films share a lot of common elements. The visuals are gritty, the action is visceral, and there’s that deep foreboding music throughout them. Virus:32 really rocked the early 00’s vibe in that regard. 

Virus:32 is a Spanish film about a virus that spreads throughout a city, causing the infected to become vicious hunters. The main character Iris (played by Paula Silva) and her daughter Tata (played by Pilar Garcia) get caught up in the massacre while Iris is at work in a gym/club. 

The unique thing that sets Virus:32 and 28 Days Later apart from each other is that when an infected kills something (animal or human), it goes into a tranquil state for the next…. you guessed it… 32 seconds. 

I liked the 32 second rule. It made things different and a bit easier for the characters. Because, let’s face it, we’re rooting for the mom and daughter team here. There’s a lot of tense scenes where the characters are keeping track of the time. 

In terms of technical quality, the film is beautifully shot. Director Gustavo Hernandez likes to do these long one-shot scenes where the camera glides around the characters. The opening shot is like this and it’s a great opening because of it. There’s this one scene where Iris is stealthily making her way through this maze of lockers and the camera starts to turn with her as she looks down one row. When it pans back the other way, I braced myself for the inevitable jump scare. 

Even though it is a zombie-esque film where blood and gore is expected, there’s also a really nice story to it. Iris is plagued by the death of her son Nico and she has to come to terms with it, while also trying to redeem herself by keeping Tata safe. The screenwriter, Juma Fodde, was subtle in the hints about the backstory of Iris. The script didn’t beat the audience over the head with obvious plot points.  

The only thing I had a complaint about was the ending. There’s no “end boss” per se, but there is one last infected that Iris has to fight. And the way that infected is killed is so unrealistic that I just couldn’t believe the screenwriter wrote it that way. The rest of the film was excellent, but there was such a better way to kill that infected. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Virus:32. If you haven’t brushed up on your Duo Lingo, don’t worry, the film does come with subtitles. 

31 Days of Horror Rankings (from best to worst):

1. Deadstream (2022) 
2. Willy’s Wonderland (2021)  
3. Grimcutty (2022)
4. Smile (2022)
5. V/H/S/99 (2022)
6. Watcher (2022)   
7. Virus:32 (2022)
8. The Spine of Night (2021)
9. Mad God (2022)
10. Slaxx (2021)
11. She Will (2022)
12. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
13. Escape Room (2019)
14. We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2018)
15. The Cellar (2022)  
16. The Last Rite (2021)
17. Terrifier 2 (2022)
18. Revealer (2022)  
19. Sissy (2022) 
20. Halloween Ends (2022)
21. Dashcam (2022)
22. Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (2022)
23. Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1982)
24. The Collingswood Story (2002)
25. Werewolf by Night (2022)
26. Firestarter (2022)
27. The Bunker Game (2022)