For his debut feature, writer-director Jason Bounds (using the name "Jason Hack" here as he thought it would sound more "horror"), brings his love of Romero's zombie movies to the screen by borrowing similar plot elements and devices from those films, but at least he has the sense to let his audience know he's aware of this by tossing out a few "winks" towards his idol's work - such as when one character compares this film's African-American hero to the Duane Jones character in Night Of The Living Dead.

From the opening scene we know that Day X is going to be of the "apocalyptic zombie" type movie as a siren wails in the distance, a nurse smashes in a doctor's head on a desk unprovoked, and our hero Frank Chambers (Ken Edwards) is shooting his way out of an underground parking lot filled with sick, not quite undead, victims.

It seems that Frank is a government agent who's been given the task of protecting a very special girl who not only has some sort of psychic powers, but also might be the key in finding a cure for the newly unleashed virus that is making its way across the globe. It's a good thing that he's such a take care guy then when he ends-up being holed up in a seemingly abandoned warehouse with a group of other survivors who have taken shelter there.

The rest of Day X sticks close to formula as Bounds puts his cast through the motions as some soldiers show-up outside and are promptly devoured, the desperate survivors constantly bicker, and everyone is on edge trying to fight off numerous attacks. They also decide that in order to survive they're going to have to get some key cards from the chewed-up Army men that will give them access to an underground bunker situated by the infamous Area 51 that is a series of tunnels set-up by the government in event of such disasters.

Bounds does, however, give his script a sub-plot that tends to work pretty well (and offers up a few interesting ideas) as he flashes back to the video diary of a scientist working in "Bunker 46" telling us all about the cause for the outbreak and just what sorts of experiments the government are up to out of the public's eye. It gave me visions of Day Of The Dead as there are some scenes of conflict between the rough soldiers and the scientists there, but it makes for nice fodder to bump up against the various low-scale, but generally okay, action sequences. It's actually these moments that turn out to be the best parts.

It's too bad, then, that the finale tends to feel much too abrupt and also is a little bit weak in tying things up. I'm not quite sure if Bounds just wasn't sure how to end the movie or if he was trying to leave it open enough so that he might one day be able to re-visit the story, but it might just be a case of him trying to give it a "even when they escape, they haven't" beat just before the credits roll. Either way, it just didn't work for me.

Sporting some decent make-up effects, some ideas more interesting than a lot of shoestring horror comes up with and generally solid direction, Day X is a moderately well done low-budget zombie romp. Sure, some plot points tend to feel underdeveloped (including a few side characters and, most regrettably, our mystery girl), but there's enough effort put forth by Bounds to make this watchable stuff for fans of undead fare. This might be another entry in the littered zombie indie landscape, but give it a shot, there's probably something in its 79 minute run time that'll catch your fancy. (Chris Hartley, 12/2/07)

Directed By: Jason Hack (Bounds).
Written By: Jason Hack (Bounds).

Starring: Ken Edwards, Jason Brenizer, Caitlin Cagle, Blair Cox.