Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘It Stains the Sands Red’

Written by Scott Edwards

Sometimes in life we need a little kick in the butt to make sure we are moving forward. While at the time it might seem like our loved ones are being a little out of line when doing this, they do have our best intentions in mind while doing it. Becoming complacent in our lives might be good for some people, but when all is said and done, there are brighter pastures out there for all of us if we are willing to take the shot. Keep your head up and keep moving forward in life, because if you keep your head down and are afraid to take the next step, you may never know the joys that your life has in store for you.
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With a zombie outbreak taking place in Las Vegas, Nick and his girlfriend Molly are making their way out to a small out of the way airport to meet up with friends and make their way to Mexico. While everything seems to be too good to be true when leaving the city, Molly does a little too much Coke and the two are forced to pull over. After throwing up in the desert, the two see a dark stranger making his way down the road towards them in a sinister sort of way. Seeing that this is a zombie, Nick does his best to try and take down the undead man, but when his shots fall short of the head, the two are forced into the confines of their car, only to find that it is stuck in the sand.

With the promise of leaving in a few minutes as the zombie will be forced to move on, the couple waits until it gets dark and loses sight of the undead. Needing to find Nick’s phone to call his buddy Jimmy for help, the zombie is a little bit more clever than the couple expects and winds up catching Nick off guard. Watching as her boyfriend is eaten, Molly packs up all of the survival gear that the couple has and takes to the desert for a long walk that will change her life forever. Seeing that the zombie is always a few steps behind her, Molly knows that if she keeps moving, she will find her way to the airstrip before she becomes the undead’s next meal. 

Seeing that her new zombie friend is not going to give up on the hunt, Molly finds out that her smell is helping him to track her. But seeing that the zombie is not able to run, she is able to keep a good pace through the desert hike and starts to strike up a conversation with the undead. Keeping hydrated and using a little bit of nose candy to keep her moving forward, Molly only needs to find a place where her new friend ‘Smalls’ is not able to reach her during the night. But there are other things in the desert that she is forced to deal with as a sand storm overtakes her and Smalls, yet there still might be a little bit of humanity left in Vegas as two strangers show up looking to give her a ride to her destination…but they might not be as kind as they seem…

When I see a listing for a zombie movie being pegged more as Drama than Horror, I would usually take a step back, because in reality, I want a zombie movie to be filled with blood and splatter. This movie really surprised me, and while you get these wonderful things, you also get to join Molly on her journey of self-discovery while fleeing a slow-moving flesh eater. With plenty of don’ts on display when it comes to trying to avoid a zombie, like turning on the lights and starting fires, there is one thing that Molly is unable to stop when that time of the month comes around and it plays so well into the storyline. With a zombie named Smalls, a walking conversation that opens Molly’s eyes, a tampon escape plan, a zombie that can track like a bear, a budding relationship, some giggles that might make you feel bad for doing so and a couple of zombie kills, this movie just gives us a fresh perspective on the zombie genre. It might be the most romantic zombie movie I have ever seen and that is far from a bad thing. Stay Scared.

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