This Is Not a Test

In the zombie movie This Is Not a Test, Canadian filmmaker Adam MacDonald follows a group of teenagers who take shelter in their high school during the apocalypse. The teen-zombie thing has been done before, from Warm Bodies (2013) to Anna and the Apocalypse (2017), though not with this level of self-seriousness. With titular wordplay that combines school testing with emergency broadcast announcements, the story plays out like a moody teen drama for the post-Walking Dead crowd. Filled with the usual tropes—fast-paced zombies, paranoia over who has been bitten, and power struggles over who’s in charge—the story’s sole unique aspect centers on the main character, Sloane, played by Heart Eyes (2025) star Olivia Holt. Like so much zombie fare, the movie uses the undead as a metaphor for her emotional state. Sloane’s depression and upbringing in a violent home echo her sense of isolation as a survivor. It’s a refreshing portrait of the complexities of girlhood, from suicidal thoughts to broken families to young love. 

Based on the best-selling 2012 novel by YA author Courtney Summers, the movie opens with a sequence that recalls Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead (2004). A sleepy suburban neighborhood soon explodes with flesh-eating zombies who sprint after their prey. MacDonald, who wrote, directed, and produced the movie, teams with d.p. Christian Bielz to shoot the action in a frenzied, shaky-cam style. Indeed, Pamela Bayne’s occasionally confusing edits look like they belong in a 2000s-era action flick. Amid the chaos, Sloane encounters some of her school mates: the hot-headed Cary (Corteon Moore), the twins Trace and Grace (Carson MacCormac, Chloe Avakian), and Sloane’s romantic interest Rhys (Froy Gutierrez). After they find refuge in their abandoned school, they consider what to do next, only to discover a teacher, Mr. Baxter (Luke Macfarlane), hiding there, possibly with a deadly secret.

Set in 1998, before the zombie genre’s resurgence in popular culture after 28 Days Later (2002), This Is Not a Test features teens who behave as though they’ve never seen a zombie movie—a frustrating choice for today’s viewers, who are still drowning in zombie movies and shows. The characters make plenty of stupid decisions, but then so do most teenagers. Still, with zombies outside, I probably wouldn’t touch alcohol or play Never Have I Ever, nor would I have sex with someone whom a zombie may have bitten. Not all of the teens can say that by the end. 

The zombie scares remain secondary to the underdeveloped teens, but they introduce a neat detail: When not ravenously looking for a fleshy meal, the undead lie down and sleep until disturbed. One sequence involves our heroes attempting to navigate zombies slumbering in the street. Another filmmaker might have developed this sequence to its full potential, building breathless suspense. Unfortunately, MacDonald doesn’t dwell, and the moment feels largely wasted. This Is Not a Test is like that, delivering a serviceable horror movie that never quite rises above the ordinary.