We Bury the Dead

"Volunteers needed."

2026 1h 35m EN

😐

6.1

MID

🍅

87%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

5.6

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 407🍅87%Rotten Tomatoes●61Metacritic★5.6IMDB · 8,014

HorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After a catastrophic military disaster reanimates the dead, Ava searches for her missing husband amidst an increasingly hostile world.

“Volunteers needed.”

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Cast

Daisy Ridley
Ava
Brenton Thwaites
Clay
Mark Coles Smith
Riley
Matt Whelan
Mitch
Chloe Hurst
Katie Harris
Kym Jackson
Lt. Wilkie
Holly Hargreaves
Mrs. Smith
Deanna Cooney
Bianca

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Zak Hilditch
Writers: Zak Hilditch
Languages: English
Countries: Australia, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Australia, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Zak Hilditch, shot by Steve Annis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Clark. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Merlin Eden shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Daisy Ridley and Brenton Thwaites and Mark Coles Smith carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Volunteers needed.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt29713093 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Zak Hilditch directs. Steve Annis behind the camera. Clark scores. Merlin Eden cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Australia, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
2International production across 2 countries: Australia, United States of America.
3Directed by Zak Hilditch, shot by Steve Annis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Clark. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Merlin Eden shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Daisy Ridley and Brenton Thwaites and Mark Coles Smith carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Volunteers needed.".
8IMDB entry: tt29713093 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 11 themes, including "australia", "undead", "zombie", "missing person".

The technical file

Cinematography: Steve Annis
Original score: Clark
Editing: Merlin Eden
Costume design: Lisa Galea
Makeup / hair: Hayley Atherton
Stunt coordinator: Chris Weir
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $3,745,163
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: We Bury the Dead (2026)
Rotten Tomatoes: 87% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 61/100
IMDB rating: 5.6/10 · 8,014 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

3 nominations total

Also by

Zak Hilditch

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2026-01-03
★ 6/10
Full review: https://movieswetextedabout.com/we-bury-the-dead-movie-review-daisy-ridley-delivers-a-masterclass-in-stoic-despair/ Rating: B- "We Bury The Dead ends up being a positive experience, where technical excellence and a sweeping central performance try to compensate for a script that loses its breath and coherence in the home stretch. Although it doesn't manage to keep the promise of its unique premise until the end, falling into conventions it sought to avoid, Zak Hilditch's film offers enough to deserve attention, especially for the way it treats horror as an extension of human pain. It's a visceral reminder that the true battle isn't against the monsters walking out there, but against the memories that refuse to let us go, proving that sometimes the only way to survive grief is to finally look it in the eye."
MovieGuys2026-02-06
★ 8/10
"We Bury The Dead" is truly compelling for the first half of the film but then loses its momentum. As the film begins, it crosses a spectrum of emotions from chilling, horrific to ultimately tragic. What's really disturbing about this film is that it's wholly believable, too. It's so well done. We get scenes of apocalyptic destruction in Tasmania, Australia. We see people emotionally broken and seeking answers as a result of the death of loved ones. Many come to help in the massive cleanup operation in the hope they can say "goodbye". You see a woman crying at the side of her dead son, while Australian soldiers look on and awkwardly try to console her. It's heart-wrenching stuff. Worse still, some people come back from the dead as zombie-like things who grow ever more violent the longer they are left in a reanimated state. Then we have the main character trying to find her husband, who was on a business trip to Tasmania. Her relationship with him, which is slowly revealed as the story unfolds, is complex, fraught and messy. In other words, wholly human. She is there to say goodbye not just to him but what her life with him represented. Backing all of this is excellent cinematography with images of Tasmania's natural beauty juxtaposed with scenes of universal death and destruction. Tasmania has become a beautiful graveyard. I was utterly drawn in by the first half of this film, which is why I was sorry to see it lose its impetus and coherence in the latter half. There are too many asides which don't add meaningfully to the story nor see it come to the heartfelt ending it deserves. In summary, this could have been an Australian great. The first half is so memorable, but sadly it fades to insignificance in the latter part of the film, depriving it of its impact. That said, I still recommend "We Bury The Dead" for the absolute cinematic gold the first portion of this film represents.
Chandler Danier2026-02-08
★ 7/10
Whoa, that's a nice motorcycle! This delivers what it needs to. The side quest is a bit tacked on but functional. It's really not that good but it's not trying to be. But it delivers some solid zombie shit. Some weird human shit. I like how they play the relationship reveal for instance.