Is Handling the Undead based on a book? Everything to know

On January 20, 2024, The Norwegian horror mystery film Handling the Undead premiered at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. The film garnered positive responses from the jury and audience at the festival, and was limitedly released in Norway on February 9, 2024. The film was released on May 31, 2024, by Neon in the UK and the US.

The plot for Handling the Undead is based on Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist's 2005 horror novel of the same name. Lindqvist's association with the movie did not end there, as he was also a part of the movie's scriptwriting process. He wrote the screenplay for the movie with scriptwriter Thea Hvistendahl.

On May 8, 2024, Neon released the first full-length trailer for the movie via its YouTube page. Under the video, the official logline for the film was also released, which read:

"On a hot summer day in Oslo, the dead mysteriously awaken, and three families are thrown into chaos when their deceased loved ones come back to them. Who are they, and what do they want?"

It continued:

"A family is faced with the mother’s reawakening before they have even mourned her death after a car accident; an elderly woman gets the love of her life back the same day she has buried her; a grandfather rescues his grandchild from the gravesite in a desperate attempt to get his daughter out of her depression."

It also added:

"Handling the Undead is a drama with elements of horror about three families, a story about grief and loss, but also about hope and understanding of what we can’t comprehend or control."

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Handling the Undead is based on John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel of the same name

In 2005, Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist published a horror novel titled Handling the Undead, Hanteringen av odöda in Swedish. The plot of the novel revolved around the mysterious re-emergence of dead people in Stockholm shortly after they died.

However, what set Lindqvist's novel apart from the others that dealt with the same premise was the sensitivity with which themes such as grief and loss were tackled. Hanteringen av odöda did not merely tell the stories of people who emerged as zombies after dying; it also humanized their stories, making room for a more nuanced representation of their lives and those around them.

The book amassed considerable popularity among Swedish folk, which resulted in the release of the book in English in 2009. In 2022, a Norwegian-Swedish film adaptation of the book was announced. It is the directorial debut of Thea Hvistendahl.

The same year, it was also announced that the film would star Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie, the duo that featured together in the 2021 Cannes Film Festival favorite movie, The Worst Person in the World. Later, it was revealed that Bjørn Sundquist, Bente Børsum, Bahar Pars, Kian Hansen, Inesa Dauksta, and Olga Damani had also joined the cast.

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Is Handling the Undead available for streaming?

Handling the Undead is available for streaming on multiple OTT platforms. On Apple TV+, the film is available to subscribers. On Google Play Movies, the film is available for rent and purchase, starting at $6.99. For those who already have an Amazon Prime membership, the movie is available for rent and purchase on Prime Video, starting at $6.99. Additionally, the movie is also available on Fandango at Home, starting at $6.99.

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If you like watching horror movies with a twist, then Handling the Undead is the perfect choice for you. The film not only deals with the horror aspect but also the psychological aspect of death, a combination that is relatively underrepresented in the media.