I don’t know how to talk about this movie without spoiling a major plot conceit. So, if you like to go into movies completely blank, I’d skip this review. I will say that I liked it, and if you do go into it without knowing anything, make it past the 30-minute mark before giving up.

And now, on to the review.

One Cut of the Dead is like a horror version of Noises Off! It begins like a micro-budget zombie movie. Or rather, it is a behind-the-scenes take on a group of people making a micro-budget zombie movie that is beset by actual zombies.

As the title of the film suggests, it is shot in a single take. They use a handheld camera with natural lighting. There are some clever moments and a few funny bits, but I spent the first half hour wondering why so many people rated this film so highly. I can enjoy a low-budget horror film, but this felt amateurish in parts.

The camera work was shaky, the acting not great, and numerous moments felt like the filmmakers didn’t know what they were doing. Like they hadn’t rehearsed well enough, or that something had gone wrong, but because they had this single-take conceit, they couldn’t do anything about it. I was mentally writing this review arguing why the single-take idea was a bad one.

But then, right around the half-hour mark, our hero defeats the zombies. There is a triumphant crane shot and actual credits roll. A title pops up telling us we are headed back in time a few months.

We meet the cast and crew of the film we just watched. The fearless director Takayuki Higurashi (Takayuki Hamatsu) is approached by some TV producers launching a new zombie channel to make a one-take zombie film. We get to know everybody a little bit and watch them in rehearsals, etc.

This section lasts about another thirty minutes. Then we watch them make the film we just saw. We get to see all the behind-the-scenes action on how they made this one-take horror film. But we also see why that film was not very good. All kinds of crazy stuff happens, causing everybody to rush around trying to fix it.

This stuff is excellent. It really ties that first act together and makes it worth watching. Those first thirty minutes are tough to get through. I expect more than a few people have bailed before that change is made. So, you do need to stick with it, but if you do you’ll be heavily rewarded.