This Is Not a Test Review: Olivia Holt Anchors a Hopeful Zombie Coming-of-Age

Olivia Holt leads This Is Not a Test, an adaptation of Courtney Summers' novel that strands a handful of teenagers in their high school as the town around them descends into a bloody outbreak. Holt plays Sloane, a withdrawn teen left with an abusive father after her mother and sister left; the film opens on a tense bathtub scene and quickly shifts to neighbors attacking one another in a contagious frenzy.

She and classmates Rhys, Cary, Grace and Trace barricade the halls and try to reclaim a thread of normalcy amid the collapse. Writer-director Adam MacDonald balances zombie mayhem with coming-of-age dynamics, using Lee Malia's dark, metal score and Pamela Bayne's frenetic editing to build a cold, immersive atmosphere without expository setup.

The story leans less on explaining the outbreak than on Sloane's emotional arc, and Holt captures the character's gradual movement from despair toward connection, particularly in scenes with Froy Gutierrez's character.

olivia holt, courtney summers, adam macdonald, sloane, zombie, coming-of-age, high school, froy gutierrez, pamela bayne, lee malia