Full Moon Features is set to release the first movie to capitalize off the coronavirus pandemic with their horror film Corona Zombies. Since the emergence of the first-known coronavirus cases in December 2019, the entire world has changed drastically. Due to the worldwide spread of COVID-19, the entire country of Italy is under lockdown, airlines across the globe are on the verge of shutdown, and in the United States, social distancing has become the norm; restaurants, bars, and movie theaters are shutting their doors for at least two weeks. But that hasn’t stopped Full Moon Features from finding a way to make the most out of the mass panic.

Full Moon Features is a production and distribution company that specializes in sensationalist direct-to-video horror and sci-fi films. Established in 1988 by noted cult filmmaker Charles Band, the company is well-known for churning out films like Puppet Master, Evil Bong, and their countless sequels for very little money and on a tight schedule. Being in business for so long, Full Moon has always tried to find ways to keep their finger on the pulse and compete with larger companies in the film industry. They even got into the streaming craze in 2019 with the launch of their own channel and app, also called Full Moon Features.

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Announced earlier this week in an exclusive from Horror Society, the Corona Zombies logline reads: "A government asleep at the wheel! The wealthy shrugging it off! And a virus that causes its victims to get up and kill! The people they kill... get up and kill." Full Moon has already begun promoting Corona Zombies on Twitter, and the film is set to be released digitally on April 10th. With the film courting controversy due to the sensitivity of this global crisis, why might Full Moon Features make what could be a risky move?

Why Full Moon Is Capitalizing On A Pandemic With Corona Zombies

Exploitation cinema has a long and storied history capitalizing off of immediate fears and concerns of the public at large, almost solely for the purpose of financial gain. Whether people are enraged or entertained, exploitation films function off the adage that any press is good press. This is not lost on Full Moon's founder, a filmmaker who has operated out of the traditions of exploitation cinema for his entire career. Coronavirus has the unique position of being the one thing almost everyone in the world is thinking about right now. This makes it perfect fodder for exploitation cinema, and what better way to take advantage of that than by producing a horror movie called Corona Zombies?

Full Moon Features is already diving in head first, regardless of potential criticism for capitalizing off a global pandemic. Their Twitter account has been releasing promotional images playing off of hand sanitizer and toilet paper shortages. On top of that, they have also been posting photoshopped images from newscasts of President Donald Trump and other officials holding the Corona Zombies poster.

It remains to be seen whether Corona Zombies will be a success. Just because the entire world is dealing with the coronavirus doesn’t mean everybody will flock to a low-budget, quickie horror film even if it is the first movie to deal directly with the pandemic. For some, this may just be an exercise in bad taste. Regardless, it's hard to blame Full Moon Features for staying true to their exploitation genre roots. With movie theaters closed and most major productions shut down, some will surely consider streaming Corona Zombies from the safety of home to lighten the mood.

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