I do believe this is a first for me. Prior to watching this movie, I do not believe I have ever seen a movie from the Czech Republic. Of course, it has to be a horror film. It seems that when it comes to foreign cinema, it is generally easier to get genre related films, as genre fans tend to soak up whatever they can get their hands on. I could be completely off base here, but that is the way I see it. Anyway, this zombie film is my introduction to Czech film and it is a decidedly mixed bag.
Choking Hazard is a horror comedy that has the unique distinction of bringing in existentialism to the mix, using the zombies as an example of the battle between instinct and reason, topped with the struggle to find a balance between the two, which, when reached, would lead to a profound understanding of the meaning of life. Does it succeed? Not really, although to be fair, I suspect there is something lost in the translation, cultural differences that do not come across all that clearly.
The movie centers on a small and varied group of people, or victims as many of them turn out to be. They are not friends, buddies, or co-workers, but rather they have all signed up for the same class. It is a philosophy class being given by a blind man who bears a passing resemblance to Bob Hoskins crossed with Anthony Hopkins. Much like in The Haunting of Hill House, the teacher takes the group to an abandoned hotel in order to be secluded from the real world in a location where they can focus more strongly on what they are attempting to accomplish.
Before the group goes to the hotel, they were charged with creating a video representing what they are about and what they are looking for. We get to see some of these clips during the opening credits. It is an element that comes into play throughout; you know, if it isn't recorded, it never really happened.
Before the group is able to get too far into their examination of existence, of that struggle between instinct and reason, the dead rise up from the woods all around them and make their way to the hotel in the hopes finding the one thing that can quench their hunger. That's right, they are looking for brains.
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