Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

People are voting emotionally.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

As the first person to ever contract Onset Rigors Disease (ORD), a condition that ultimately turns the sufferer into a violent zombie, Harold Gimble's deterioration is much slower than others; to help him cope with the gradual stiffening of his limbs, Harold (Stan Rowe) is appointed a nurse, Penny (Sarah Spencer), who relieves his pain and brings some joy back into his life. When Harold is talked into taking part in tests for an experimental drug for ORD, he initially shows improvement, but then takes a rapid turn for the worse, a fact that delights the local community volunteers, whose job it is to bash in the heads of sufferers who 'turn', but which proves hard for poor Penny to handle.In a world over-run by low-budget zombie movies, many of which are sorely lacking in originality, I admire any attempt to do something fresh with the genre; Harold's Going Stiff is not only incredibly innovative, tackling its zombie theme from a whole new perspective, but it's also a wonderfully made film, a real gem that benefits from touching performances from stars Rowe and Spencer, a brilliant and often very funny script, and sharp direction from Keith Wright, whose handling of the faux documentary style is nothing short of brilliant. A tragic tale with bags of heart, that touches upon sensitive issues such as old age, crippling illness, and euthanasia, this is worlds away from the movies of Romero or Fulci, and even Shaun of the Dead (which will no doubt get mentioned in many reviews), but it is certainly no less worthy for serious zombie fans.

With recently discovering that a friend was a big fan of the Zombie Horror Comedy Shaun of the Dead,I decided that for Hallaween,I would surprise her by sorting out a "serious" Horror,and a Horror Comedy that she could watch on the Hallaween weekend.Picking the 2010/11 movie Insidious to be the "serious" title,I went searching around on the IMDb Horror board,which led to me getting rec'ed a movie from a fellow,kind IMDb'er that sounded like one of the most off-beat Horror movies you could possible find.The plot:Being labelled as "the first victim" of a new disease spreading in the UK called O.R.D (rigor disease) widowed pensioner Harold Gimble lives his life isolated at home,with his bones slowly stiffening as the O.R.D. starts to turn him into a Zombie.Feeling uneasy around new people due to local gangs wanting to get hold of him for spreading the disease and local doctors desperate to perform tests on him,Gimble is initially nervous when nurse Penny Rudge pays her first visit to help him with the effects of his illness.Showing Harold a good natured,sunny side up personality,Gimble begins to feel much happier than he has been for months.But,with the O.R.D. beginning to have a serious effect on his health,Harold begins to fear that he does not have much time left before he completely turns into a zombie.View on the film:Setting the movie against the hauntingly beautiful South Yorkshire backdrop,writer/director Keith Wright's tremendous screenplay goes in the opposite direction of past Zombie movies to create a folksy Horror tale that even people who run away from Zombies will find impossible to resit.Focusing on the relationship between Harold and Penny,Wright uses the Zombie illness in a manner to paint a touching portrait of the light that Penny brings into Harold's twilight days,whilst also never forgetting to include a good dose of warm Comedy (with Harold putting washing up liquid into everyone's cup of tea being a particular highlight.)Watching an interview with Wright on the DVD,I was shocked to discover that the movie only took 9 days to film!.Impressivly,Wright makes sure that the limitation never get in the way of the story or the character's,with Stan Rowe and Sarah Spencer both giving heart-warming performances as Harold and Penny,and Wright also taking a delicate docudrama approach to the directing of the movie,which helps to create a real intimacy with the character's,and also leads the viewer in wanting to pay a visit to the nicest Zombie there has ever been right away again.

I enjoyed this film. It's quirky, different and whilst it is a bit amateurish in a way; I prefer to see it as quaint.I've watched it twice. It reminds me of "I, Zombie: The Chronicles of Pain" with a bit of a "Series 7: The Contenders" slant.Hollywood glitz is all well and good but sometimes it's great to watch something different and appreciate it for what it is, not berate it for what it isn't.There are a few plot holes but this clearly isn't supposed to be a "solid" narrative, the endearing characters more than make up for any inconsistencies for me.I can't wait to see what's next from Keith and the star of the show Sarah Spencer!

This film is not just a comedy with Zombies; this film is an emotional roller-coaster which will have you splitting your sides with laughter one minute, and soaking your hankie the next. What I liked most about the film was the social commentary; the fact that society, fulled by media panic, instantly reacts in the most extreme way and by the time they realise the damage of their actions, its too late and they have infected the most innocent in society. It also deals with old age, illness, euthanasia and care - and I felt, personally having a long-term illness, that it balanced well the need for survival through illness and the want of a speedy departure when the illness gets too far.10/10 from me.