Exclusive: Max Harwood and Hero Fiennes Tiffin on the Unique Zombies in The Loneliest Boy in the World

The Loneliest Boy in the World is a pastel-induced zombie fairy tale from the perspective of Oliver (Max Harwood), an isolated and bullied teenager grieving the sudden death of his mother. He used to spend all of his time with her at their home in the suburbs but is now tasked by his social worker to make friends.

Oliver struggles to do so and faces rejection in every step. One day, he sits alone at a graveyard and watches a wacky but heartfelt eulogy for a boy named Mitch (Hero Fiennes Tiffin). He later unearths the corpse, with the addition of a mother, father, sister, and dog, and brings an entire family to his home. Overnight, the dead family comes to life and helps him in a coming-of-age fashion while he tries to hide their zombie-ness from the world.

“I’m excited for the audiences to see his world and make their minds up whether they believe that this is all of his imagination, or whether they think that this is a real world that we’ve tried to create. And for them to hear the soundtrack and really feel the ‘80s vibe that we’ve gone for as well,” said Harwood.

“We were filming in the middle of COVID, and we had all of these rules and regulations, and just realized how important it is to escape that reality sometimes. I think that kind of idea had an effect on the film… I don’t think you can think about your day-to-day struggles and taxes and taking the bins out on time and stuff when you’re watching this,” added Tiffin. “It’s so far removed from reality and I hope it provides people with the escape that they’re after.”

Zombies in Comedy, Horror, Friendship, and Family

The Loneliest Boy in the World combines multiple lenses, bringing together zombies that are commonly placed in the horror genre with comedic dialogue and actions, tied together with a bow of friendship and family. It’s not the first that we’ve seen of this combination, with Tiffin noting how it resembles a bit of Shaun of the Dead, or perhaps some viewers could compare it to Fido, though it could be said to build upon both of those with its enhanced aesthetic and darker subject-matter.

“When I first read the script, it read with a bit of a darker, more dramatic lens than necessarily the fun ‘80s zombie-comedy, young adult teen flick that it kind of is. I think that lots of us were coming at this project from different perspectives, and it really was Martin [Owen] that was guiding us in terms of preparation. Martin’s vision is basically, what I think, makes the film successful. It feels like it subverts many genres, it feels like a family film, and it also feels like a dramatic film… it touches on so many things,” said Harwood.

“If we come remotely close to how much I enjoyed Shaun of the Dead, then we’ve done something right. But it’s a different style of movie. It’s a pretty original take on zombies from what I know, how we treat them, and how Martin’s vision brings them to life. It’s a refreshing take on films that zombie lovers like to see,” said Tiffin.

Related: Exclusive: Corey Feldman & Macaulay Culkin Were Original Choices for The Loneliest Boy in the World

Zombies in Effects

There are some scenes in The Loneliest Boy in the World where we see zombie limbs falling off and gore that appear masterfully done from a practical effects perspective. “The ripping of the arm was a practical effect,” explained Harwood, “I think the VFX on that is literally the tentacles that come off of the hand once it’s attached from the piece.”

“The entire team… they’ve been doing this kind of amazing work for ages now. It was such a pleasure to work with them and be able to embody a character that, literally inches away from the mirror before you go on, you’re seeing this tricking and thinking that you are this person. You’ll touch your cheekbone which is prosthetic, and your brain will kind of be confused into feeling the prosthetics, convincing you that you really do feel like you are that body that they’ve created for you,” commented Tiffins.

As for what they hope audiences take away from watching The Loneliest Boy in the World, Harwood and Tiffins echoed similar sentiments about hoping for them to be entertained, that it will provide a sense of escapism, and that anyone can be the hero of their own world.

The Loneliest Boy in the World comes to us from Well Go USA Entertainment and will release in select theaters on October 14, 2022, before its later release on demand and on digital on October 18.