Christmas, singing, zombies, and a newly post-apocalyptic world, what could possibly go wrong? Everything, surely, but in the case of Anna and the Apocalypse, absolutely nothing.

Anna (Ella Hunt) is your average teenage girl, soon to graduate and trying to figure out what to do with her life. Her father wants her to go to college right away, but she wants to take a year off to travel, so this becomes a point of contention early on. John (Malcolm Cumming) is Anna’s best friend, but it turns out he doesn’t just want to be Anna’s friend. The rest of Anna and the Apocalypse’s cast is full of supporting characters who, in one way or another, add to the heart and soul of the film as their stories and motivations come into focus.

As the zombie apocalypse unfolds. so do the musical numbers. The song and dance numbers are what make this film as special as it is. The songs are lighthearted, with a Christmas twist, but they are effective in conveying how dire circumstances actually are and they do well to emit as much emotion and angst as possible.

What is especially remarkable about Anna and the Apocalypse is its ability to get the audience on its side and to actually care about the people on screen. Few movies are able to effectively do this, but Anna does a commendable job in winning over our hearts.

Most importantly, this movie is funny. The quick one-liners, references, and ongoing antics as zombies are fought off make for an incredibly enjoyable time while the stakes remain high. I firmly believe that Anna and the Apocalypse will go down as a cult classic and that, as it builds on the following it has already amassed in such a short time, it will become notorious and memorable, much like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Hedwig and the Angry Inch.