Zombies are known for going after their prey with a relentless and single-minded approach that only the undead seem to possess. Well, maybe the undead and Andy Davis, the Maine-based filmmaker who approaches his job in much the same way and is set to release his 3rd full-length film in less than two years. Zombies also never sleep, which is another trait that Davis just might share to be able to crank out his films in such a short time.

It's fitting then, that the third film directed by Davis, titled 2, is a zombie flick. Davis and Producer Olin Smith, under the Motion Media/Emptyhouse Film company, along with Executive Producer John Lane, and Screenplay writer Al Lamanda, filmed 2 over a 12-day span back in February. The film is currently being finalized and its Maine premiere is set for sometime in July.

The idea for the movie came from a 2-page short story that Davis originally wrote in high school, which he had been waiting to turn into a film. As it turned out, Lamanda had written a similarly themed book coming out at the end of the year titled Dunstan Falls that he thought would make a good film. The two found each other, collaborated with their ideas, and produced the screenplay for 2.

2, filmed largely at an old mill in Biddeford, takes place after some sort of biological attack, and focuses on how the two remaining survivors cope with their situation. Unfortunately for the main characters, that situation happens to include hordes of zombies attacking them.

Jim Roberts and his wife, Molly Bryant Roberts, play the two survivors in the film. They brought an obvious chemistry to their roles, which Davis and Smith knew was essential since they are really the only two characters in the movie. Jim and Molly were excited to play the roles, although they approached their roles differently. Jim takes a very hands-on approach to acting, always looking at the “dailys” (footage shot that day) to find ways he can improve scenes and offer suggestions to make them better. Davis and Smith are open to the feedback, and Jim says, “Andy wants this to be all our movie.” Molly, who went to school with Davis and acted in his first big short film, The Dark, never looks at the dailys and is content to let the directors do their thing. The only other difference that came into play during filming was the fact that Jim has been a fan of zombie films since he was little, and Molly admits she's “absolutely terrified of zombies.”

Like Davis and Smith's previous films, 2 features a limited number of main characters (his first two films each had about 10 parts listed). But unlike their other films, Davis and Smith faced the new challenge of coordinating over a hundred extras playing the role of the zombie horde. The film used about 20 “star” zombies, although about 200 extras were used to play zombies throughout the movie and for larger zombie scenes.

Davis says there is definitely a large audience of zombie fans out there, and for many the chance to actually be in a zombie film was a dream come true. At one point during the casting call, Davis and Smith were receiving about six emails a minute from people wanting to try out to be a zombie. Extras of all ages came from all over Maine as well as some from the surrounding states. Dan Foley, a postal worker who works on the “zombie crew” during the overnight shift at the post office, jokes that he didn't have much of a stretch playing a zombie. “Two rules. Don't smile, and don't look at the camera. There isn't a whole lot of motivation to the whole zombie thing other than ‘eat brains.'”

Kristina Doak was another zombie fan who drove up from Massachusetts to audition as an extra. She did her own zombie makeup, complete with glass shards sticking out of her neck and face. When Davis and Smith saw how good her makeup looked, they didn't pick her for an extra. They hired her as a makeup artist for the film. Along with Ross Kearney, Sarah Tarling, and Tristan Gallagher, the four makeup artists spent hours each day getting zombies ready for their close-ups. Robert Dipietrantonio rounded out the effects crew, who spent weeks prepping all the special effects for the movie.

Each new film that Davis and Smith make seems to gain a little more attention than the last. “More people were interested [in 2] from the get-go,” says Davis. After 2 is released, Davis and Smith are thinking of packaging it together with Mud and I'm Sorry (their first two full-length films) and shopping them around to anyone who's interested. “Even if it doesn't happen, then we're having such a great time doing it,” says Smith. “That's the reward.”

In the meantime, Davis and Smith and their crew are just enjoying making movies. They can't say enough about the cast and the enthusiasm the extras have shown throughout the entire filming and editing process. The crew does a great job promoting their movies by giving regular blog updates about the progress of the film. They utilize online games, contests and other online content to build movie buzz. Photographer Mark Hensley has a great collection of images he took during the filming of 2. You can find the movie trailer and other videos posted on YouTube. What's more, Davis and Smith give the extras in his movies each their own copy, and they donate all the money raised from film screenings back to the theater.

Only time will tell where Davis' and Smith's creativity and hard work will take them. But in the single-minded spirit of the zombies from his latest film, they are plodding ahead and have already begun filming their next movie, a horror/comedy tentatively titled Monster In The Woods.