THIS IS NOT A TEST movie poster | ©2026 IFC

Rating: R
Stars: Olivia Holt, Froy Gutierrez, Corteon Moore, Carson MacCormac, Chloe Avakian, Krista Bridges, Joelle Farrow, Jeff Roop, Luke Macfarlane
Writer: Adam MacDonald, based on the novel by Courtney Summers
Director: Adam MacDonald
Distributor: IFC/Shudder
Release Date: February 20, 2026

THIS IS NOT A TEST is based on Courtney Summers’s 2012 novel. Wikipedia describes the book thusly: “Although its premise primarily revolves around a zombie apocalypse, this is only a framing device used to explore themes of humanity’s perseverance and the long-lasting emotional damages inflicted by familial abuse.”

While Wikipedia is not necessarily the last word on any topic, as this reviewer has not read the book, we will trust their summation.

In contrast, in the film THIS IS NOT A TEST, scripted and directed by Adam MacDonald, the zombie apocalypse is pretty much front and center, even though it’s sometimes off-screen. Indeed, the movie’s first half plays a lot like a YA version of the 2004 DAWN OF THE DEAD remake, complete with almost identical early scenes of growling undead chasing screaming victims across suburban lawns.

Instead of the mall, our teen protagonists hole up in their high school, fortifying it against the undead while they try to figure out what to do.

THIS IS NOT A TEST is set in the (fictional) small Canadian town Cortege, a snowy middle-class place that stands apart from its American counterparts in that most people do not have guns. This does allow for more hand-to-hand combat than is common in zombie movies.

Sloane Price (Olivia Holt) is in the bathtub, contemplating suicide after her beloved older sister Lilly (Joelle Farrow) leaves their home. Lilly is unable to deal with their violent, alcoholic father (Jeff Roop) any longer and Sloane doesn’t think she can bear being alone with the man.

Then a neighbor woman crashes in through the window. In moments, Sloane is out on the street, running for her life.

Cut to the nearly empty high school, where Sloane is now taking refuge with self-appointed leader Cary (Corteon Moore), siblings Trace (Carson MacCormac) and Grace (Chloe Avakian), and thoughtful Rhys (Froy Gutierrez).

Then we flash back to a day earlier, which shows how the group came together, before returning to the timeline.

While the flashback is hardly the worst of cinematic sins, it’s never clear why filmmaker MacDonald wants to jumble up the narrative in this manner. It doesn’t give us any perspective that we wouldn’t have if the scenes were in chronological order, and since we’re still trying to figure out who is who, it is more confusing than artful.

For a while, THIS IS NOT A TEST follows the format of a lot of its zombie forebears – people take shelter, get on each other’s nerves, and contemplate whether it’s better to remain where they are or try to escape.

Eventually, character and conflict specifics emerge, but THIS IS NOT A TEST never manages to put together any kind of meaningful exploration of how being involved in a crisis affects suicidal ideation or vice-versa.

This is partly because we don’t get much sense of Sloane’s psychological history prior to being separated from Lilly, but also because Sloane’s ongoing depression mostly manifests in her walking around the empty school corridors. It’s valid but not illuminating. Otherwise, she behaves pretty much like her more recently traumatized peers.

There are some good, suspenseful chases and confrontations, the performances are all done well, and the gore is suitably messy.

THIS IS NOT A TEST is okay so far as zombie movies go, but it sets up opportunities for itself to do something original and then largely bypasses them.

Related: Movie  Review: GHOST TRAIN
Related: Movie  Review: COLD STORAGE
Related: Movie  Review: THE HAUNTED FOREST
Related: Movie  Review: “WUTHERING HEIGHTS” 
Related: Movie  Review: THE MORTUARY ASSISTANT
Related: Movie  Review: THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 3
Related: Movie  Review: PILLION
Related: Movie  Review: JIMPA
Related: Movie  Review: ISLANDS
Related: Movie  Review: WORLDBREAKER
Related: Movie  Review: MOTHER OF FLIES
Related: Movie  Review: 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE
Related: Movie  Review: NIGHT PATROL
Related: Movie  Review: THE CONFESSION (2026)
Related: Movie  Review: WE BURY THE DEAD
Related: Movie  Review: ANACONDA
Related: Movie  Review: AVATAR: FIRE AND  ICE
Related: Movie  Review: IS THIS THING ON?
Related: Movie  Review: MANOR OF DARKNESS
Related: Movie  Review: DUST BUNNY

Follow us on Twitter at ASSIGNMENT X
Like us on Facebook at ASSIGNMENT X

Article Source: Assignment X
Article: Movie  Review: THIS IS NOT A TEST

Related Posts: