Didn’t Die: “Podcasting” the Zombie Apocalypse

If nobody podcasts it, does it really happen? Vinita would say “no,” so she started the zombie apocalypse survival “podcast.” Many of the people still living tell her she’s actually doing a radio show, since she broadcasts it over the airwaves, but she really never knew radio as a medium of mass communication. Having survived the zombie outbreak, she assumes she’s seen it all, but things are about to get even worse, just in time for her 100^th episode in Meera Menon’s Didn’t Die., which is now available on VOD.

Vinita and her little brother Rish have returned to their hometown hoping to stage a townhall-style 100^th episode. However, that means staying with their older brother Hari and his sequin-bedazzling, show tune-singing wife, Barbara. Vinita likes to think she is an expert when it comes to zombie survival, whose tips genuinely help her listeners. In terms of numbers, she doesn’t have many, but if measured as a percent of population, her market penetration is quite healthy.

Unfortunately, the rules are about to change. Zombies used to only attack at night, reverting to a catatonic state during the day. However, Rish insists he was chased by an alert zombie while putting up posters for Vinita’s show. Nobody believes him though, because of his reputation for being a panicky scaredy-cat.

Vinita is also distracted by an awkward reunion with her ex, Vincent. He’s not exactly the last man on Earth, but he’s pretty close. Vincent also hopes to find a home for the infant he found beneath the bodies of her dead parents, who were surprised by day-walking zombies.

Didn’t Die has intermittently amusing moments, but it feels incredibly small for a zombie movie. The principle cast gamely does its best to sell the material, but Menon (who previously helmed an episode of The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead) and her co-screenwriter husband Paul Gleason constantly recycle the same jokes and the same family arguments. Still, Gleason’s black-and-white cinematography serves as a nice homage to Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead.

Stand-up Kiran Deol deftly handles Vinita’s monologues, while George Basil’s understated sadness effectively counter-balances the rest of the cast’s manic loudness, especially Katie McCuen’s flamboyantly neurotic Barbara. In all honesty, her rendition of “Beautiful Dreamer” isn’t half bad. Indeed, the music is quite strong, particularly Samuel Jones’ distinctive, jazz-inspired score.

Considering its talkiness, Didn’t Die really ought to be funnier. Nevertheless, its personal take on global trauma resonates—maybe a little too much so for Menon and Gleason, who were inspired by the compounding Covid experience and subsequently, post-production, lost their home due to the incompetent handling of the Altadena fire. It isn’t perfect, but it has more to offer than the shuffling hordes of Walking Dead rip-offs. Recommended for zombie fanatics looking for something a little different, Didn’t Die is now available on VOD.