"Britain has been hit by an epic problem. The dead are returning to life and attacking the living. The people they kill get up and kill. And it's spreading like wildfire. Within two days, 80 percent of the population is dead. No one knows how this problem started or how widespread it has become, because there are no news channels anymore.

The entire social structure has collapsed in the space of 48 hours. Tiny groups of survivors are holed up across the country, unaware of each other, besieged inside abandoned houses, abandoned hospitals - abandoned anything. Surrounded by growing hordes of the living dead - mindless eating machines powered by raw instinct - they fight to survive, around the clock.

Few people remain who aren't worried about this living nightmare: the remaining contestants in the reality TV game show, "Big Brother." Cocooned in the safety of the Big Brother house, they're blissfully unaware of the horrific events unfolding in the outside world... until eviction night when the walking dead descend on the studio.

In a cruel reflection of the game show they were cast in, one by one they fall victim - devoured by the hungry, unthinking masses outside. Staying alive requires teamwork - a tricky job when you're a group specifically selected by TV producers to not get along and drive each other crazy."

on IFC October 25 - 29 at 12AM (EST) / Halloween Marathon - 7:30pm (EST)

This is fantastic and I totally recommend it. It could easily be a companion piece to the 28 Days/Weeks Later films.

I was worried it would be hokey, but it is played straight and it very well shot. Check it out.

I have been chomping at the bit waiting to watch this for quite a few years.

Halloween night is going to be very interesting on my DVR with this and the premiere of Walking Dead being recorded.

Bring on the Region 1 DVD release!

I saw a blurb on this show in Entertainment Weekly. Is this really good? I saw they gave it an A-

Just wondering how really violent this is. Noticed that it is TV-MA and is airing at 12am for 5 nights in a row.

that's what made me track it down months ago.. It's pretty good... Violence wise, it's on par with your average zombie -shoot them in the head- sort of film..

if one is a fan of the Big Brother sort of shows it's even better being they have all the same sort of characters like one would sort of expect to see.. Flip side of that is if one sort of hates the Big Brother sort of shows, well throwing some zombies into the mix make things...errr lets say interesting. lol

it's already been mentioned but it really does have a 28 Days sort of vibe to the show, on a tv budget of course but it's very well done. Plus given the mini-series like time line for the show you really grow to hate/like etc some of the characters.

It would not have been as good with say a 3 ep run..

This is easily the best Zombie movie of the last few years. It essentially runs as a three hour movie. It's also a better tribute to Romero than anything I've seen since Shaun of the Dead. It's a great social satire, that is funny, grim, scary and extremely gory (especially for television). It really has the spirit of Romero's best stuff and is a lot more Romero than anything he's made since Day. There are some nice homages that come accross as genuine homages rather then rip offs. It's kind of everything the Dawn of the Dead remake should have been but wasn't.

I agree with everyone, this is must watch zombie fare. I was amazed at how good it was. I'm surprised it took so long to come across the pond, but anyone who is looking for something fresh to watch, should check this out.

This will make for a nice appetizer for The Waking Dead.

Best horror to come out of the UK since The Wicker Man.

Thanks for the heads up on this - was going to get the UK DVD but now can 'try before I buy'.

for the UK DVD the BBFC gave the disc a '18' certificate (NC-17 rating equivalent) so I'd think this get's a bit juicy - and I'm sure the language is a bit on the extreme side with the cast freaking out when the zombies attack.

for the record (the really cheap) UK DVD has the extras"
- interview with writer Charlie Broocker and Director Yann Demange
- Behind the scenes featurettes
- Special effects featurettes
- on the Dead Set
- Deleted and extended scenes.

The DVD is PAL region 0 - quite a few US players can playback this without any problems.

too bad directv doesn't have IFC in HD.

Is it The Walking Dead? I did a search on DTV based on your post and the only thing I could find was a VOD preview for Walking Dead, which I presume must be what you meant? I hadn't heard of it before.

not to derail the topic, but AMC had nearly a dozen ads for 'The Walking Dead' during the season finale of Mad Men - word is that AMC is being very lenient in the gore department.

for the record Bill, the series is based on a graphic novel of the same name:

I'd never heard of Dead Set, but now I'm excited to see it. I've got zombie wood.

Yes, sorry. I forgot the L.

Okay, I have plenty of DVR space and since this airs at Midnight, I guess I can give this a whirl.

So is it only a 5 episode series?

I was a little confused because really either title would work for the subject matter.

Thanks to you and the OP, fully looking forward to both now!

Thanks to you and the OP, fully looking forward to both now, and would have missed out on both without this thread!

Bump

5 part series airs tonight starting at Midnight

Synopsis for episode 1 from IFC's web page (Warning it's very detailed):



Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQjq639WPiU

Almost forgot this was on tonight. I've been waiting for over a year for this to premier. I have seen the series and loved it. Maybe we'll get a region 1 release.

You also have the option of doing a full blown marathon halloween night starting at 7:30

Yeah. Although, we've already planned out our Halloween marathon leading up to Walking Dead.