Valley of the Dead (film)

Valley of the Dead (Malnazidos) is a 2020 Spanish zombie action film directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera and Alberto de Toro. Set in the latter period of the Spanish Civil War, the film features an ensemble cast of Miki Esparbé, Aura Garrido, Luis Callejo, Álvaro Cervantes, Jesús Carroza and María Botto.

The film premiered at a 53rd Sitges Film Festival, and was set to be theatrically released in January 2021, to be distributed by Sony Pictures, but its release was delayed twice as a result of COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. The film was eventually opened to Spanish theatres on 11 March 2022.

Plot
During the Spanish Civil War, a column of Waffen-SS troops arrive at a village and slaughter the inhabitants before hurling gas canisters containing a substance onto the corpses.

Jan, a Nationalist soldier, is saved from execution for assaulting a judge by his uncle, General Lozano, who, in exchange, orders Jan to deliver a message to a frontline unit. Private Decruz, who Jan had saved from being executed for desertion, is assigned as his driver. Along the way, the two witness a Nationalist pilot ejecting from a shot-down aircraft. Seeking to rescue him, Jan and Decruz go to the crash site, but find the pilot dead. They are then captured by a group of Republicans led by a man who simply calls himself "Sergeant".

As the Republicans lead Jan and Decruz to their encampment, the group's photographer is bitten by the now-reanimated pilot and turns into a zombie; whom both are dispatched. Arriving at their recently bombed encampment, they are attacked by their reanimated comrades, forcing them to escape by boat, but Brodsky, the Russian member of the group, is overwhelmed by the infected. Reaching a cabin, they find it occupied by Nationalist soldiers Jurell and Rafir, and a nun, Flor, resulting in a standoff that lasts until Jan convinces the two sides to form a truce. Jurrel and Rafir later spot a large horde of infected heading towards the cabin, and Sergeant orders an evacuation who they all manage to escape. They come across an electric fence with a zombified Brodsky stuck in it and realize that the SS had sealed off the entire valley. Jan dispatches Brodsky to spare Sergeant from the pain.

Jan reveals that the message he was carrying contains a map written in invisible ink, showing the location of what he suspects to be experiments. The group agrees to investigate. At the village, they find a lone survivor of the earlier massacre—Ana, who was shielded by her husband from gunfire and says that the SS conducted experiments until they were slaughtered by the infected. Jaime, the Republican unit's commissar, discovers the formula for making zombies and plans to bring this to his superiors to win the war. His companions disagree, and a standoff ensues before Jaime is swarmed and killed by the infected. The group flees through the church tunnels. Rafir is almost bitten by a zombified Ana, while Flor reveals that she had been bitten and stays behind to hold off the zombies.

Jan convinces the group to go to his base to find an antidote for the plague, revealing that his brother is a Republican soldier. Upon arriving, Lozano reveals that he knows of the outbreak and pleads Jan to leave the valley before the Germans launch a bombing raid, but Jan refuses. The SS Commander subsequently kills Lozano when he attempts to delay the bombing. Decruz reveals he was bitten earlier and volunteers to sacrifice himself, blasting a hole to allow the group to enter the base. The explosion also attracts a horde of infected who swarm the base, slaughtering the Germans and the Nationalists. Rafir is pulled down by a zombie while assisting his companions, while Match, a Republican, and Jurrell are trapped inside a truck surrounded by zombies. After reconciling with one another, they discover a large crate containing explosives at the back, which Match ignites to blow themselves up along with the zombies.

Jan and Priest-killer, the only woman in the Republican group, storms the laboratory train car and confronts the SS commander, who injects himself with the formula and declares there is no antidote. Priest-killer shoots the SS officer in the head before he could reanimate, but Jan is bitten on the hand by another zombie. Priest-killer immediately amputates his hand with her machete, preventing his transformation. Sergeant manages to get the train moving but sacrifices himself as zombies close in on him. German bomber planes arrive and pummel the valley, obliterating the base and engulfing the train as Jan and Priest-killer kiss.

Rafire, Jan and Priest-killer survive the bombing. Priest-killer brings Jan to the Nationalist lines and tells him her intention to escape into France, before going their separate ways.

In the mid-credits scene, a hand moves amongst the train wreckage on the train as a scream is heard.

Production
Malnazidos is an adaptation of the novel Noche de difuntos del 38 by Manuel Martín Ferreras. The film was produced by Telecinco Cinema, Cactus Flower Producciones, Malnazidos AIE, La Terraza Films and Ikiru Films. It was co-directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera and Alberto de Toro whereas the screenplay was written by Jaime Marqués Olarreaga, Alberto Fernández Arregui and Cristian Conti. Ghislain Barrois, Álvaro Augustin, Cristian Conti, Javier Ugarte and Edmon Rochare were credited as producers. Shooting took place in Catalonia.

Release
The film premiered on 8 October 2020, at the 53rd Sitges Film Festival (FICFC).

Initially intended to be theatrically released in Spain on 22 January 2021, the release was postponed to 24 September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the shelving of all Telecinco Cinema titles pending for theatrical release. Postponed again, its release was eventually rescheduled for 11 March 2022.

Accolades

 * rowspan = "4" align = "center" | 2023
 * rowspan = "2" | 15th Gaudí Awards || Best Visual Effects || Lluís Rivera, Laura Pedro || Nominated || rowspan = "2" |
 * Best Makeup and Hairstyles || Montse Sanfeliu, Jesús Martos || Nominated
 * rowspan = "2" | 37th Goya Awards
 * Best Costume Design
 * Cristina Rodríguez
 * Nominated
 * rowspan = "2" align = "center" |
 * Best Special Effects || Lluís Rivera, Laura Pedro || Nominated
 * }
 * rowspan = "2" align = "center" |
 * Best Special Effects || Lluís Rivera, Laura Pedro || Nominated
 * }
 * }