The Breakfast Club Meets Zombies In This Forgotten Sci-Fi Horror Movie
"The Breakfast Club" is easily one of the most important '80s films. From its cast boasting members of the Brat Pack like Emilio Estevez and Molly Ringwald to its inclusion in the National Film Registry in 2016, the movie has made its mark in cinematic history. Unsurprisingly, other projects have tried to evoke a similar feeling in audiences, including the 2025 zombie horror "This Is Not a Test."
The film follows a group of teens who come together thanks to a zombie apocalypse. Running from zombies leads them to their high school, where there's an infected teacher in a closet and a zombie principal. Nothing about their new normal is safe, causing them to make tough decisions when people are bitten by zombies or make sacrifices to help the majority survive.
"The Breakfast Club" similarities are mostly rooted in the setting, since it's a group of high school students stuck in their school alongside a few authority figures. Just swap out Saturday detention for the zombie apocalypse, and you have a "Breakfast Club"-inspired horror romp.
This Is Not a Test didn't perform well with critics
In what is arguably an incredibly saturated zombie movie market, "This Is Not a Test" didn't stand out to critics, despite its "Breakfast Club" vibe. Critics gave it a 42% on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews highlighting a lack of character development. Simon Abrams wrote for Roger Ebert that it is a "lifeless exercise in post-'The Breakfast Club' style adolescent solidarity," while criticizing "'The Walking Dead'-style dialogue" and the "flat" characters.
Though critics weren't impressed by the story, they widely praise lead actress Olivia Holt for her handling of the material and portrayal of the main character Sloane. MovieWeb's Eric Goldman compliments the actress's use of body language to get across "the burden Sloane feels" due to her life trauma, while But Why Tho?'s Vanessa Maki writes that Holt "drives the film" and "is the clear standout."
"This Is Not a Test" is based on the book of the same name by Courtney Summers, and she agrees with critics that Holt did a great job in the role. In her review on Letterboxd, the author describes the actress's work as "wrenching and devastating," noting that she gave "a really expressive performance."