We Bury The Dead (2025) – Review and Summary
We Bury The Dead is a horror-drama that pushes Daisy Ridley to hold the audience’s attention as she navigates Tanzania, after an American bomb creates zombies.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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“We Bury The Dead” Film Details
- Director(s): Zak Hilditch
- Writer(s): Zak Hilditch
- Distributor: Vertical Entertainment
- Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 34 Minutes
- Public Release Date (In Theaters, Early Screening | AMC Scream Unseen): December 22, 2025
- Genre(s): Drama, Horror
- Content Rating: Rated R
- Primary Language: English
- More Information (External Link)
Movie Summary
Ava and Mitch were recently married and were very much in love – they were even trying to have a baby. So when Mitch goes to Tanzania and the United States drops some neurological disruptive bomb, killing half a million, Ava fears the worst.
So, to find Mitch, she joins a volunteer organization to help investigate and find bodies throughout the island. She hopes to find her husband, but throughout Tanzania, maybe the world, there is a rumor that while many died, some came back to life – but whether they are simply zombies or could be fully rehabilitated is not yet known.
Ava, though, hopes her husband is one of the few who came back to life.
Noted Cast and Characters
Ava (Daisy Ridley)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: A physical therapist by trade, Ava hasn’t been married for too long but is deeply in love with Mitch and reminisces about their wedding day. She hopes to find her husband alive and fairly normal, or maybe in zombie form, functional enough to say goodbye.
Mitch (Matt Whelan)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Mitch is Ava’s husband, whose work deals with renewable energy, and he was struggling before he left for Tanzania. Due to having issues making a baby, it has put a strain on his marriage, and there was an argument before he left for an annual conference.
Clay (Brenton Thwaites)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Clay is from Australia, is a builder in his day job, has a daughter, and likely has a recently former significant other. But, in an effort to show himself as selfless, earn some brownie points, Clay goes to Tanzania hoping to do some good and show his strength isn’t to compensate for a lack of common sense in relationships.
Riley Harris (Mark Coles Smith)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Riley is a soldier stationed in the south of Tanzania, where he was hoping to find his pregnant wife, who was visiting family.
Other Noteworthy Information
What To Expect In “We Bury The Dead” (Rated R) – Content Overview
- Dialog:
- Cursing: Occasional
- Graphic Imagery or Violence:
- Gun Violence: Occasional
- Gore/ Blood/ Body Horror: Moderate (Context: Bleeding, Depiction of Open Wounds, Notable Disfigurement)
- Sexual Content:
- Nudity: Non-Sexual
- Miscellaneous:
- Drinking: Yes
- Drug Use: Recreational
- Smoking: Yes
- Gross/ Disturbing Imagery: Vomit
- Supernatural or Occult Imagery: Yes
- Intense Horror/ Jump Scares: Occasional
Review and Commentary
Highlight(s)
Grounded Horror [83/100]
While We Bury The Dead is a zombie horror movie, with the occasional jump scare, it doesn’t necessarily fit into being a thriller. Because things are so fresh, there is minimal information on what is going on; we don’t see the usual George A. Romero-style zombie running around, but you do get a sense that we’re still on the cusp of something potentially dangerous.
Now, whether these zombies can infect others, or will they come to eat people, these questions aren’t answered. There isn’t mass hysteria, and with that, you get to see a curiosity. Some, like Ava, look at these beings in the eyes, question if part of them is still human, and even desire to interact with them. It all feels very counter to how most zombie films are, but it is one of the rare times you are reminded that, before there are zombie hordes and quarantine zones, there are people who experienced something tragic, are now between worlds, and are confused.
So while, yes, We Bury The Dead has some violent zombies who chase and attack people, it is pushed that with now lacking impulse control, what we’re seeing for some is the monster those people truly were.
An Emotional Journey [84/100]
With the majority who go to Tanzania, even members of the military, going there to find loved ones, some to even redeem themselves, like Clay, there are a lot of emotions involved. Thankfully, the film never pushes to be a tear-jerker. However, it does make clear the feeling of loss that the majority of characters are facing, and the hope they can find closure.
For some characters, like Ava and a soldier named Riley Harris, this can lead to heavy and solemn moments, paired with the occasional shock as their secrets unravel. But, there are some lighter stories too, like Clay just doing the work, partly, to change how some perceive him.
Yet, what you ultimately get is a strangely balanced Horror/Drama hybrid that surprisingly knows when to produce a zombie, maybe a jump scare, but never has the fear of discovering a zombie surpass the fear of not getting to speak to a loved one ever again.
On The Fence
The Ending Could Have Been Shorter [77/100]
We Bury The Dead slightly overextends itself with how it ends. It seeks more resolution than needed, maybe even a silver lining or hope for Ava, after all she has been through. However, after the journey she goes on, and what she discovers, it is questionable if the way the movie ends was necessary, or whether it could have ended on a slight ellipsis, based on Ava reconnecting with a familiar face.
Overall
Our Rating (81/100): Positive (Worth Seeing)
We Bury The Dead might be a little long in the tooth, but compared to the majority of horror movies that venture beyond being thrillers, it stands above the majority. It knows how to give weight to its characters through giving them emotional depth and backstories that you can invest in. There is a balance in injecting horror moments but never letting them feel like they are meant to compensate for a disengaging story.
Ultimately, making We Bury The Dead the kind of movie that not only has you asking whether the lead will live or die, but also whether the person the lead is looking for will be alive, never mind alive long enough for her to say goodbye.
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