The town of Centerville, Pennsylvania is overrun by zombies when polar fracking dislodges the Earth’s axis of rotation. Leaving police Chief Cliff Robertson (Bill Murray) and Officer Ronnie Peterson (Adam Driver) to try and protect its citizens. 

The Dead Don’t Die is a film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. Which means that it has a certain laconic laid back attitude, an air of cool and is a little peculiar. This is a horror comedy that is intensely political whilst taking aim at the consumerism that George A. Romero’s zombie films focused on. 

Centerville, a town whose slogan is “a real nice place” is a fictional rural town that sums up America as Jarmusch sees it. Early on we are treated to a tour of its motel, diner and other key places. It features a slew of interesting individuals and its story starts with Robertson and Peterson heading out to speak to Hermit Bob (Tom Waits) who has been accused of stealing a chicken by town racist Farmer Frank Miller (Steve Buscemi), a man who wears a red cap that reads “Make America White Again”. 

Hermit Bob is our narrator and perhaps our hero. Eschewing belongings and living in the woods he remains relatively untouched as he observes what unfolds to Centerville. Choosing musician Waits to deliver the narration is a great choice given his gravelly tone. 

Adam Driver’s Peterson is perhaps the most fun character on show, although he has an advantage because he has read the script. When Bill Murray’s character thinks that Sturgill Simpson’s song “The Dead Don’t Die” seems familiar, Peterson deadpan tells him that’s because it’s the theme song. Driver’s pronunciation of “ghouls” is also somehow genius in itself as well. 

In fact there are so many peculiarly fascinating characters it would take too long to discuss them all. Tilda Swinton plays a Scottish undertaker who likes samurai swords, Chloe Sevigny is a capable police officer unable to deal with what is happening, Caleb Landry Jones plays a film loving petrol station owner and Danny Glover owns the local hardware store. Then of course there are no less than four musicians in the film. Tom Waits is joined by RZA who works for WU.P.S, Iggy Pop and Selena Gomez whose character seems to be there purely to pay homage to Romero’s original zombie film. 

There is mention of why would we believe scientists, a children’s juvenile centre whose acronym is the CDC and all of our zombies want what they had in life, cue groaning murmurs of “Siri” and “WiFi”. 

It is brilliant.