This Is Not a Test Erases Any Zombie-Movie Goodwill 28 Years Later Earned

This Is Not a Test erases any zombie-movie goodwill 28 Years Later earned

Over the course of the last seven months, audiences have gotten to see two zombie horror movies that are arguably among the best ever made. But even as 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple are attempting to put some prestige on the subgenre, we're already crashing back down to earth. This Is Not a Test, from writer-director Adam MacDonald, based on Courtney Summers' young adult novel, didn't get the memo.

‘This is Not a Test’ lets Luke MacFarlane shine in a dark and terrifying role

The horror genre is littered with monsters that are equal parts menace and metaphor, and perhaps none feel so potent in times of political strife as the zombie. Time and again, this undead creature has stood in for consumerism, mob mentality, loss of individuality, “the other”—the list goes on. But in This Is Not a Test, which is based on Courtney Summers’ book of the same title, the zombies take on a new meaning: they represent the internal lif…

Film Review: This is Not a Test

Rating: 4 out of 5. Adapted from the 2012 novel by Courtney Summers, This is Not a Test is the latest in a long line of cinematic offerings torn straight from the pages of young adult fiction. This one embraces its R-rating by leaning into the violence of a wild zombie outbreak. It has shades of 2004’s Dawn of the Dead remake, but its character-first focus sets it apart from other movies of its ilk. The infected run ravenously, and one single bi…

{Movie Review} This is Not a Test (2026) High School Horror By the Book - Signal Horizon

This Is Not a Test is not a reinvention. It is not a genre landmark. It is a solid, well crafted piece of high school horror...

'This Is Not a Test' Director Adam MacDonald Talks Zombies, and Halloween

A mashup of The Breakfast Club, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Dawn of the Dead, the new horror movie This Is Not a Test hits theaters this week, and we talked to writer and director Adam MacDonald about what drew him to take a bite out of the unkillable zombie subgenre, balancing horror action with serious emotional themes, fast versus lumbering undead, and more. In our video conversation earlier this month, we also of course talked about Halloween…

Adam MacDonald Interview: Translating the Frenetic Chaos of Courtney Summers’ This Is Not a Test to the Big Screen

This Is Not a Test is a 2025 apocalyptic horror-thriller from writer-director Adam MacDonald, starring Olivia Holt, Froy Gutierrez, Carson MacCormac, and Luke MacFarlane. Adapted from the 2012 eponymous novel by Courtney Summers, the film follows Sloane and a group of classmates as they barricade themselves in their high school to survive a suddenly apocalyptic […] The post Adam MacDonald Interview: Translating the Frenetic Chaos of Courtney Sum…