Outside is a 2024 Filipino post-apocalyptic drama horror movie, written and directed by Carlo Ledesma. It stars Sid Lucero, Beauty Gonzalez, Marco Masa, and Aiden Tyler Patdu. The movie was advertised as a thrilling horror film with zombies, but it focused more on family dysfunction.
The setting is a dangerous place with the usual goal of finding a safe zone, but they never find it or even show one. The father, Francis, practices shooting outside instead of inside, clearly just to add intensity to the scene. Sometimes the kids are hanging out outside, yet later a mob of zombies tries to break in. Is it safe outside or not? The characters aren’t sure if the zombies are getting weaker.
Give me the Beauty Gonzalez-James Blanco backstory. How did Joel Torre abuse Sid Lucero? Give me a uniquely Filipino action set piece, like a zombie outbreak during a political campaign rally where the attendees act like zombies anyway. Instead of a fast-paced horror film, it turned out to be a family drama about domestic abuse and generational trauma. Personally, I don’t mind that. I liked the ambiguity—whether Sid Lucero’s character was losing it from trauma, paranoia, or just a dog bite. The prosthetics and special effects were what you’d expect from a well-made zombie movie, but there’s a sadness in how the zombies are portrayed, especially since they repeat their last words.