Ever After (Endzeit) Blu-ray Review

German Zombie Apocalypse

Stop me if you’ve heard this scenario before: A zombie epidemic has wiped out civilization, overrunning the world. Only a few safe places remain for humans. Ever After (Endzeit in its native German) is a female-driven zombie thriller from Germany. Two very different young women make a run for an East German city that offers a little hope in the desolate world left after the zombie apocalypse.

A pitch-black zombie fairy-tale with the requisite amount of blood and gore, Ever After explores the psycho-social dynamics for the lucky few that survived the zombie apocalypse. The well-crafted movie sees Vivi (Gro Swantje Kohlhof) and Eva (Maja Lehrer) begin their journey in Weimar. Instantly killing any infected on sight, the city of Weimar tackles the zombies without mercy. The authorities in Jena have a different solution, hoping to cure infected zombies in the long run.

… Ever After offers a twist on familiar terrain already tread by The Walking Dead

Vivi and Eva share little in common. Their one common bond is wanting to leave the hopeless situation in Weimar behind. The timid and cautious Vivi suffers terrible guilt from gruesome flashbacks when the zombies first attacked her family. Eva is a survivor, hardened by this new world into a tough-as-nails woman. The unlikely pair make their way to Jena beset by zombies and other obstacles in their path. Eva hides being infected from Vivi.

Nicely crafted with solid performances by its female leads, the zombies look great when present. The indie film has strong make-up and prosthetic designs, always essential when pulling off a credible zombie threat.

Ever After is an introspective German horror film despite the occasional zombie. Its primary themes deal with survivor’s guilt and coping with the emotional trauma of surviving the zombie apocalypse. Poetic and laden with ecological ideas about man’s place in the world, Ever After offers a twist on familiar terrain already tread by The Walking Dead and countless other zombie programs.

Video

Ever After’s so-so picture quality likely reflects the European movie’s intended aesthetic. No one has ever really made a pretty zombie film. Continuing that tradition, the digitally-graded production offers a wide range of palettes when appropriate. Running nearly 90 minutes on a BD-25, MVD and Juno Films gives Ever After’s 2.40:1 presentation a fine transfer.

Struck from a digital intermediate with some CGI and composite work, texture and detail is serviceable. Nothing in the video greatly sticks out. It has an adequate contrast and a few minor issues with depth. A little more clarity and definition open up when the action moves outside, greatly improving black levels and shadow delineation.

If you don’t expect much, the German horror film’s video quality may positively surprise you.

Audio

The German film comes with its native German soundtrack in either 5.1 DTS-HD MA and 2.0 PCM. The surround mix emphasizes both subtle and overt ambient noises when active. The front soundstage has a nice presence that hits hard when necessary. Mastered with fine dynamic range, dialogue remains intelligible and upfront in the mix. A haunting score is nicely spread out, immersing the listener. Decent sonics for a low-budget horror film from Europe.

English subtitles in a white font are hard-coded and cannot be turned off. They remain in the active video area of the scope presentation at all times.

Extras

Distributed by MVD Visual for Juno Films, the only extras are the movie’s trailers.

Endzeit Trailer (01:45 in HD) – German Trailer

Ever After Trailer (01:51 in HD) – English Trailer

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The 15 unaltered images below represent the Blu-ray. For an additional 22 Ever After screenshots, early access to all screens (plus the 100,000+ already in our library), 100 exclusive 4K UHD reviews, and more, support us on Patreon.