Original subtitles

- It's like something out of a horror movie.

A local boy dies and comes back from the dead

thanks to a pair of magical necklaces.

And if that sounds like the stupidest thing

you've ever heard, you're not alone.

- So what do you plan on doing with Benjamin Bloom?

- Well, if this were the '80s, we'd haul him off

to some creepy government lab and perform

all sorts of fun tests on him.

But in this day and age, human rights groups

wouldn't let us get away with any of that anymore.

God, I miss the '80s.

- Come on. Let's go, let's go, let's go.

Mrs. Bloom, how does it feel

to have your son come back from the dead?

- How do you think it feels?

This is the greatest day of my life!

Benjy, come home.

- It's her, it's her, it's her. Charley Albright, tell us.

What's it like dating a zombie?

- Oh, Ben's not a-- not a zombie.

I mean, you know, he's dead,

but just still himself, just dead.

Also, we're not dating, so. Um, don't--

Wait, don't cut that last part, 'cause I don't want Luke

to think that Ben and I are dating if he sees it, so.

Oh, you know what, and that part, the last part,

just, you cut that because I don't want Luke to know

that I don't want him to know that Ben and I are not dating.

- Uh, we're live. - Oh, fu--

- Um, Mom, Dad, I, again, just wanted to apologize

for not letting you know that I rose from the dead.

- No. No, don't apologize, Benjy.

We're just glad you're back.

Well, should we eat?

- Yes, please, I am starving.

- Good, because I made something special for you, Ben.

Now, I hope it's okay that it's a cow brain.

We tried to get a human one off of the black market,

but Bob couldn't figure out how to use the dark web.

You know how your father is with computers.

Is something wrong, sweetie?

I thought zombies love brains.

- Oh, my God, Mom!

I cannot believe you just used the Z-word.

- "Zombie?" Is that not PC?

Oh, I-I'm sorry.

What do you prefer to be called?

Biter, walker, roamer, rotter, lurker?

We've been watching a lot of "Walking Dead."

You know, for research.

- He's not a zombie at all, Mrs. Bloom.

He's a pescatarian.

- Oh, okay.

So you only eat fish brains then?

- No, Mom! No. No brains.

Okay? Not a cow, not a fish, not a human.

- Then what do you want to eat? - Salad.

I'll just take some salad, thank you.

- Thank you for having us over, Mrs. Bloom.

It all looks really good.

- Of course, dear.

Bob and I thought it would be a good idea

if we all sat down and discussed the situation.

- What's there to discuss?

- Well, Charley and Ben have to be around each other.

That's going to require some coordination.

- Right. I was wondering why I was invited here.

This is a custody hearing.

- Custody hearing?

That's a little extreme, don't you think?

Bob and I just want to make sure

that we get to see our son.

- And you will.

But obviously they should be spending

the bulk of their time at our house.

- Obviously? Why is that obvious?

- Because Charley is a junior in high school.

She's got her future to worry about.

- And what about my son's future?

- Christ, Mary, your son is dead,

he doesn't have a future.

- Mom, Mom, it's okay, really.

Really.

You'll see me every day before and after school.

Isn't that right, Charley?

- Yeah, no. Definitely. Definitely will.

- See? It's like I'll be around more than when I was alive.

Everybody wins.

- As long as I get to see you every day, I guess that's fine.

- You know, this cow brain isn't half bad.

- So, are you nervous for tomorrow?

It's a big day for you.

It's your first day back to school as Ben Bloom.

- No, not really.

I mean, once you die, wake up in a coffin,

crawl through 6 feet of dirt to emerge from your own grave,

there's not a lot to be nervous about anymore.

- That's a good point. - What about you?

You nervous for your homecoming presentation?

- Like, a traditional dictionary sense

of the word, yeah.

But, like, I don't know.

Say English wasn't, like, your first language,

or you're suffering from, like, a traumatic brain injury,

and, like, everything you say just means the exact opposite

of what you mean, then, like, no.

No, I'm not nervous, at all.

- Relax, okay?

Everything you've shown me so far has been amazing.

You're gonna kill it, Charley.

- Hey, do you remember those notes we used to send

to each other in fourth grade?

Like, secrets we were too afraid to admit to anyone else.

- Of course.

- I remember I wrote you a note.

Think I was nervous for a math test.

- No, it wasn't math, it was social studies,

and you were nervous because you found out

the night before you were studying the wrong chapter.

- Yeah, and Ms. Farnsworth caught you with it,

so she threatened to, like, make you get up

in front of the class and read it, so you just, like,

crumpled it into a ball and swallowed it.

- How could I forget? It got lodged in my throat.

- I never understood why you did that.

- What do you mean? - I don't know.

It was such a stupid note. Like, who cares

if you read it in front of the class?

- I cared. That secret was meant for me.

It doesn't matter how stupid it was.

I wasn't gonna show anybody else.

[soft knocking]

- So, I made up the air mattress

in my office down the hall.

Is that gonna be close enough

for your little magic whatever to work?

- That should be perfect, Mrs. Albright, thank you.

And Charley, seriously,

don't worry about your presentation.

You're gonna do great.

- Thanks, Ben. - All right.

- So, Charley.

Sorry for how I may have come across at dinner.

It's just a lot for me to process.

- I know it is.

- All I care about is your future.

You know that, right?

It's my job as a mother to make sure you stay

on the right path.

And I just would hate for all of this

to make you lose focus on who you are.

You know who you are, don't you, Cookie?

- Of course.

- Great.

- It's so weird being at school out of my Crad Barson costume.

I gotta admit, I'm gonna miss the guy.

RIP Cradley.

You left us too soon, bro.

- Great, that's just what we need.

Okay.

Let's sneak around the side, okay?

Keep your head down.

- Don't you think you're putting

the other students at risk

by allowing Ben into your school?

- Reseda Hills does not discriminate against anyone,

male or female, black, white, or brown, alive or dead.

Everyone here is treated with the same respect.

In fact, I expect students and faculty--

- There he is! Ben!

- Oh, God! - Ben Bloom!

- Come on!

Go!

So, this is what it feels like to have everyone notice you.

- Just so you know, this is the worst it's gonna get.

You know, everyone just needs a little time

to warm up to you.

♪

- Sup, doobies?

Wait, is that a thing? "Sup, doobies?"

Is that a thing the kids say?

- Officer Maloof, what are you doing here?

- The school board wanted more security, so they hired me.

I'm Ben's escort.

- Oh, sorry. There must've been a mistake,

because I told the escort service

I wanted a leggy redhead.

- Because escorts are prostitutes.

Oh, man. That is good.

I like this kid.

- Is Ben in some kind of danger?

- No, no. It's for the other students.

You know, in case Ben gets hungry,

starts gnawing on the other kids,

I gotta bash in his brains with a flashlight or whatever.

How do you kill a zombie again?

I'm not a big horror movie fan.

- Just so you know, this is the worst it's gonna get.

[school bell rings]

- And so, um... always think about, um...

the writer's intention.

And how, um...

diction and syntax

really, um, aid the character development.

You know what, I think that's enough for today.

Class dismissed.

Go on.

Get outta here.

No, no.

- That was so interesting.

Never really thought about how using first-person

can shape the narrative.

- Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's so interesting.

Hey, guys, can I get some space?

- Oh, okay.

- Yeah, I just-- I can't really concentrate,

and I have a lot of homework to do,

and I just-- with all the...

just, could I get some space?

- Yeah, no, I get it.

Besides, this will give me more time to spend

with Officer Maloof, here.

We're becoming fast friends.

Isn't that right, buddy? What the--

- You are not, under any circumstances,

to touch me.

I am an officer of the law.

- See, Charley? Fast friends.

♪

- Charley!

- Hey! - There you are.

I've been looking everywhere for you.

- Hey. - Hi.

- Hey, what's up? - Oh, right. Sorry.

I was wondering, is there any way you can do

your presentation after school today?

- What? No, it was supposed to be tomorrow.

- Yeah, but Janet-- you know,

she's getting her neck brace off then, and--

well, I suggested we do it without her, but, you know,

she's student council president,

so whatever Janet wants, Janet gets.

Do you think is there any way you could maybe do it today?

- Yeah. I mean, you know, my drawings are done,

I just don't really know what I'm gonna say yet.

- I'm sure your drawings will speak for themselves.

- Okay, sure. - Yeah?

- Yeah, today it is. - All right, perfect.

Great.

Um, how's Ben doing, by the way?

- He's good. - Yeah?

- You should talk to him. - Yeah... maybe later.

I get the feeling he's still mad at me

for flirting with you at his wake.

- What makes you say that?

- Nah, no reason.

Anyways, I'll see you later.

- Okay. - All right.

♪

- Hey, want me to go in there with you?

You know, for moral support.

- Nah.

I want them paying attention to me,

not staring at the dead kid in the room.

- Fair enough.

- Hey, Charley, we're ready for you.

- Knock 'em dead.

- Um, okay, so I didn't have a ton of time to work on these,

so they look a little rushed, but... whoopsie-daisy.

That's weird, I've literally, I've never said

"whoopsie-daisy" in my life, so that's, okay.

Um, should I just start presentating?

Nope, that's not a word.

Um... presenting.

I'm--that's what I meant.

- Just go ahead and start whenever you're ready, Charley.

- Cool.

Um, so, I wanted to go with kind of a fairytale vibe,

but not in like a cheesy, Disney way.

More of like a Tim Burton with a mix of Edward Gorey.

So, um, we have a castle exterior

along one of the gym walls, right there.

We have a haunted forest

where people can take their photos like so.

Um, for the dance floor, I thought we could do

a green meadow with flowers, and like a cobblestone path.

And...

That is what I got.

That is what I did.

So, I don't really know how to finish these things, but, um...

Should I bow? No. That's weird.

I'm not gonna bow. Um...

The end.

- All right.

Well, I don't know how everyone else feels,

but this seems like a slam dunk to me.

So, does anyone have any questions for Charley?

Go ahead, Bryce.

- Yeah, so, great presentation.

Loved everything you did. Uh, one question.

If Ben were to bite me, would I turn into a zombie too?

- Uh, no, because Ben's not a zombie.

- But if Ben bit me,

would I turn into whatever he is?

- No, um, and you really don't need to worry about it

'cause Ben would never bite you.

Like, ever.

- So, is Ben like a slow zombie from, like,

"Night of the Living Dead,"

or is he like a fast zombie from, like, "28 Days Later"?

Because if he's a fast zombie, we could totally use

that speed on the track team.

- No, see, that's not gonna work,

'cause Ben isn't a slow or fast zombie,

because he's not-- not a zombie at all.

- All right. Yeah.

Um, does anybody have any questions

that aren't about Ben Bloom?

- This isn't about Ben Bloom. - Great.

- It's about zombies in general.

So, how come in zombie movies, they're never strong enough

to break through car windows or glass doors,

but they're able to tear through your stomach

with their hands? It makes no sense to me.

- I-I don't know. That's actually--

that's a really good point, Toby.

- Do we have any other questions?

About Charley's presentation?

- How's our girl doing? - I can't really tell.

I think she might be doing okay.

[indistinct chatter]

- Guys, can we just settle down please?

Guys? - Guys, stop! Stop!

Hello? Stop.

What is wrong with you guys?

Ben is a sweet, compassionate guy.

He's never hurt any of you.

I used to think this school was really progressive.

But, I mean, you guys are all just treating him

like he's some monster.

I mean, yeah, like, Ben is undead.

But he's still a teenager.

- Sure, Ben was a sweet guy when he was alive.

But he's dead now.

- Yeah, I've seen "Pet Sematary," Charley,

and I know what dying can do to people.

It changes them.

- What you think, Janet?

- What do I think?

I think Charley's right.

We pride ourselves on how progressive this school is.

I mean, we bend over backwards to make students feel included,

to embrace those who are different than us.

Guys, we're student council.

It is our duty to make sure all students feel represented.

And that should include zombies.

- No, Ben is not a zombie.

- You know what we should do to make Ben feel more included?

We should make homecoming zombie-themed.

- OMG, that is an amazing idea. - Yes, we're doing that.

- Guys, all right, listen up.

Forget about Charley's fairytale idea?

You know? I mean, she put a lot of work into it, and...

- [chanting] Zombie! Zombie! Zombie!

all: [chanting] Zombie! Zombie! Zombie! Zombie!

- Wait, here she comes.

How'd it go?

Charley! Charley, wait!

- Go to her. - Yeah, I'm trying! Just--

- Go to her, Ben. - Then let me go.

Charley!

Charley, I'm sorry they didn't go with your theme.

- Why are you sorry?

It's my fault for putting so much effort into it.

I knew they were gonna hate my drawings.

- They didn't hate your drawings.

Even if they did, who cares?

- I care, Ben. I care.

I know you're dead and that you don't

really understand anymore, but I--

- Whoa, wait. Of course I understand.

Yeah, sure, a knife doesn't hurt me,

but rejection still stings.

I can still feel anger and envy and fear and love.

I might not feel things anymore,

but that doesn't mean I don't have feelings.

- Nice.

How long have you been holding on to that one?

- So long. Like, day one of being dead.

Can I show you something real quick?

- I don't know, Ben. I really just wanna go home.

- Tell you what, I'm just gonna start

walking this way, okay?

And if we get 30 feet apart, that's on you.

- Ben!

That's not fair!

Are we allowed to be up here?

- Yeah, I come up here all the time.

It's my little oasis away from school.

- It's adorable.

- Not the word I would use, but thanks.

Have a seat.

- Did you do this all by yourself?

- Wallace the janitor helped me add to it,

but, yeah, it was mostly me.

I like to come up here and do homework, read,

think, listen to music, whatever.

- I mean, no wonder nobody knew who you were.

You were always up here.

[man singing]

[mellow acoustic music]

Look that way.

- What's this?

- That is a secret that I am too afraid

to admit to anybody else.

- Good.

Because neither do I.

- Really? - Really? Yeah.

Why do you seem so surprised by that?

- I don't know, you just always seem

really sure of yourself.

- Oh, just because I blurt out the first thing that comes to

my mind doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about.

I'm just as scared of my future as every other kid here.

- Huh, I didn't know that.

- Maybe we're looking at it the wrong way.

Maybe before we know who we are,

we need to figure out what we're not.

- And what are you not?

- I'm... I'm not quiet.

- No. Definitely not.

I am not... my mother.

- I'm...

not capable of hiding my feelings.

- I am not... a good public speaker.

- I'm not a zombie. - I'm not... perfect.

- Yeah, but, pretty close.

- You're such a dipshit, Ben. - I know.

[man singing]

♪

What? It's my secret.

I'm not sharing it with anybody else.

♪

- ♪ Know that feeling

♪ When you first wake up

♪ You forget, you forget, I forgot my name ♪

♪ I can't move my mind right

♪

♪ If my priorities take you by surprise ♪

♪ There are dots in my eyes

♪ I'm telling lies to get out of socializing ♪

♪ If my priorities take you by surprise ♪

♪ There are dots in my eyes

♪ I'm telling lies to get out of socializing ♪