CTV.ca | FIDO resurrects zombie genre in Canadian film

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FIDO is a film about domesticated Zombies.

Carrie-Anne Moss learns that even zombies can capture your heart despite the fact that they'd probably prefer to eat it.

FIDO resurrects zombie genre in Canadian film

Updated Thu. Sep. 7 2006 9:23 PM ET

Philip Stavrou, CTV.ca News Staff

It's not easy to love a zombie that's big, ugly and can only grunt and moan. But in the Canadian film FIDO, Carrie-Anne Moss learns that even zombies can capture your heart despite the fact that they'd probably prefer to eat it.

Moss, a native of British Columbia, plays housewife Helen Robinson in this clever 1950s-style Zombie flick about a community that has domesticated its zombie population using an electronic neck device that turns the scary creatures into gardeners, milkmen, servants, and even love pets.

"She changes through the movie in how I see her, she starts off much more detached and ends up becoming more open to her child," Moss told eTalk on Thursday.

"That part was easy for me feeling close to the boy and having love for the family. The other part of being cold and detached to him is hard for me to even watch even though it's subtle I go "ohhh' because I'm not that person at all."

Moss says the transformation of her character, who is not a zombie, from a reserved and uncompassionate mother to an involved and caring woman was also made easier since she was pregnant with her own child during the filming of the movie.

"When Carrie-Anne went to wardrobe she was really showing and we actually had to rewrite the script and write the character of Helen being pregnant in the film and it actually added a really nice depth to the film. It was a wonderful coincidence," FIDO's writer and director Andrew Currie told eTalk.

Helen and her husband Bill (Dylan Baker) along with their son Timmy (K'Sun Ray) appear to be the idealistic 'Leave it to Beaver' family except they lack one thing: their very own zombie servant.

After Helen begs Bill, he eventually gives into his secretive fear of the creatures and permits the family to have a zombie pet, which Timmy names FIDO (Billy Connolly). The pair becomes close and FIDO reveals he has a personality even though he's the walking dead.

The premise may sound like a typical genre-style film but Currie manages to put his own twist on things and examines a plethora of themes.

"In FIDO, I wanted to explore melodrama, social satire, comedy, boy and his dog films, and the zombie film, all within a 50's style Technicolor world. And, although it felt like a risk, it was so clear in my head that I felt that others would connect to it as well," says Currie.

While the Robinson family appears to have it all with their new zombie acquisition it quickly becomes apparent that Bill is completely devoid of emotion. After Bill turns down a chance to spend a day with the family to go golfing, Helen begins to show an interest in FIDO.

Bill's fear of zombies essentially makes him even deader than FIDO to his own family.

"Bill is someone who can't overcome fear, and through his character we help understand the theme, and the potential damage of living in a world where we let fear rule the day," says Currie. "It's odd and ironic, but in this film anyway, it does take a dead man (FIDO) to make us all feel more alive."

But for Connolly, playing a silent dead man proved to be a bit of a stretch from his onstage act. The comedian credited his own feelings of bewilderment with developing his character.

"I'm a nice zombie, I'm a bewildered guy," Connolly told eTalk. "It was a lovely opportunity to be able to act like that because it's very challenging to have to act with your eyes all the time."

Spending hours in the make-up room preparing for his role as a zombie, Connolly had to give in to the demands of others.

"I'm an anarchist when I'm on stage, what I say goes," says Connolly. "But when you're on a film, where everything that moves is someone else's... it was very good for me to come in from the cold and be disciplined."

And for those concerned that zombies were even more marginalized in the making of this film, the producers have taken the time to add a reassuring note on their press release.

"No zombies were hurt in the making of this motion picture. The characters and events portrayed are entirely fictional. Any similarity to actual persons, living, dead or undead is purely unintentional."