Remains 2011
Directed by
Colin Theys
Made by
Synthetic Cinema International
Remains Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Remains (2011). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Tom, [Grant Bowler], and Tori, [Evalena Marie], are employees at the fictional Silver Star Casino in Reno, Nevada. On a slow day at the tables, Tom convinces Tori to join him in a stock room for a private moment. Meanwhile, a news report about Peace Day, the moment when the world’s nuclear arsenals are set to be destroyed, airs on the television. Something goes wrong during the event, and a nuclear blast disrupts the city, knocking out power and trapping the couple behind an electronic lock.
When power is restored, they find the casino trashed and people gone, except for an old lady in a power chair who attacks Tori. After dispatching the old lady with a chair leg, they meet Jensen, a magician’s assistant, [Miko Hughes]. He tells them he managed to turn the power back on and that he isn’t sure what happened. Tom and Jensen go up front to check the casino security cameras while Tori goes to the front door to look outside.
Tom and Jensen see Victor, [Anthony Marks], outside throwing a man to the zombies to save himself. Victor bolts into the casino and demands to be let in. Jensen lets him in and takes him to a bathroom to clean up, while Tom and Tori decide to start trapping the other zombies in the casino. The survivors trap zombies in various parts of the hotel and dispose of the dead off the hotel dock. They note that at night the zombies appear to be sleeping.
They spend the next few days drinking, smoking cigarettes, and playing cards to kill time. While on the roof, Tom spots a convoy of trucks but drops his radio off the roof before he can contact them. Deciding to use a spotlight from across the street to attract the convoy, they head out at night past the sleeping zombies. When the light is turned on music plays, waking the zombies.
The group is separated, with Victor running back into the casino and Tom and Tori trapped on a bus. The army convoy arrives, rescuing Tom and Tori and taking shelter with them in the casino. The army’s medic, Cindy, [Tawny Cypress], patches up Tom’s hand and tells them that the group is headed to Lake Tahoe. Jensen begins sneaking around and discovers that the army has taken all of the food and supplies from the casino with the help of Victor. He confronts the soldiers on the dock and a shootout occurs, killing Jensen. The army decides to leave immediately, but Tom stalls them by asking if they cleared out the pantry beyond the banquet hall. The soldiers force Tom to show them where it is, and he opens the door to release dozens of zombies that he and Tori trapped in the room earlier. The zombies overwhelm the soldiers, who flee the casino in a panic.
Tom and Tori make an attempt to escape in a car from the parking garage but cannot get the door open. After returning to the roof they spot Cindy returning in a pickup truck, which she rolls over in a crash when a zombie surprises her. Tom rescues Cindy and brings her back inside, where Tori threatens to shoot her. Cindy tells them that the convoy was attacked by a herd of faster, stronger zombies and that no one survived. Tori taunts Cindy about her father’s death. She then tells Cindy that Tom killed someone in a drunk driving crash in Vegas. Later on, while eating, Tom reveals to Cindy that he killed his wife and unborn child in the crash. They decide to travel to Carson City to try to find Cindy’s daughter.
In the morning, Tom and Cindy head to the roof to see that the herd of stronger zombies has arrived. At the front entrance, the stronger zombies are breaking down the barricade. Tom, Tori, and Cindy decide to try to use the explosives to escape. They open all the gas lines on the kitchen stoves and set a charge. As they are escaping Cindy is attacked and breaks her ankle. Tori tries to convince Tom to leave Cindy behind and when he refuses she hits him in the head with an axe, takes his gun, and leaves. Tori sets an explosive charge on the garage door and is attacked by a zombie. The zombie bites her on her face but is killed in the blast. A dazed Tori wanders into the street and is swarmed by zombies. Tom and Cindy make it to the exit as the second explosive goes off, destroying most of the hotel and casino. They make it to the parking garage where they find the door blasted open. They find the Smart Car that Tori and Tom tried to escape in earlier and use it to leave the casino.
In the final scene, a zombified Tori carries her shotgun and kills the weaker zombies with it, while clearly being stronger, faster, and retaining her human intelligence. Zombie Tori looks toward the direction where Tom and Cindy drove.
Remains Timeline
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Tom and Tori plan a private encounter; Peace Day blackout begins
On a slow day at the Silver Star Casino, Tom convinces Tori to slip to a stock room for a secret tryst. A news report warns of Peace Day as nuclear weapons are set to be destroyed, and then the power fails. The outage traps them behind an electronic lock inside the casino.
Power returns; old lady attack; Jensen arrives
Power is restored, but the casino is trashed and a threat remains. An old lady in a power chair attacks Tori, and Tom dispatches her with a chair leg. Jensen, the magician's assistant, explains he restarted the power and admits he isn’t sure what happened.
Cameras checked; outside threat revealed
Tom and Jensen check the security cameras while Tori peers at the front door. They spot Victor outside, tossing a man to the zombies to save himself, and he bolts into the casino. Jensen helps Victor, and the group decides to trap the zombies inside the building.
Trapping the zombies and days of captivity
The survivors trap zombies in various parts of the hotel and dispose of the dead off the dock. They notice the undead seem to sleep at night, which gives them a fragile routine. The group settles into a grim, self-sustained life inside the casino.
Coping through games and drink; routine settles in
Over the next few days they drink, smoke, and play cards to pass the time, clinging to a fragile sense of normalcy. The routine deepens as they stay alert for any sign of a renewed threat outside. The claustrophobic pace highlights how isolated they have become.
Night signal plan backfires; zombies wake
From the roof, Tom spots a convoy of trucks and tries to signal them, first by dropping a radio and then by using a distant streetlight. They venture out at night past the sleeping zombies, but when the light comes on and music starts, the zombies wake and force them back. The plan to regain contact with the outside world collapses.
Rescue arrives; Cindy joins the group
The group is separated; Victor dashes back into the casino while Tom and Tori end up on a bus. An army convoy arrives, rescuing them and taking shelter inside the casino. The army medic Cindy patches Tom up and explains their route toward Lake Tahoe.
Jensen killed; food stolen; pantry trap released
Jensen discovers the army has taken all the food with Victor’s help and confronts the soldiers on the dock. A firefight erupts, killing Jensen. Tom tempts fate by asking about the pantry beyond the banquet hall; when opened, it releases dozens of zombies, overwhelming the soldiers.
Car escape attempt; Cindy rescued; past revealed
Tom and Tori try to escape in a car from the parking garage but can’t open the door. They return to the roof and spot Cindy arriving in a pickup; she crashes, and Tom rescues her. Tori threatens Cindy and reveals secrets about Tom’s past as they decide their next move toward Carson City.
Morning attack; plan to blow out
In the morning, a herd of stronger zombies arrives and breaches the front. The trio decides to use explosives to break out, opening gas lines in the kitchen and setting a charge. Cindy is attacked and injures her ankle in the chaos.
Tori's betrayal and explosion; escape continues
Tori tries to convince Tom to abandon Cindy, but he refuses. She hits Tom with an axe and leaves with his gun, then is bitten by a zombie as she moves into the street. A second explosion goes off, destroying much of the hotel as Tom and Cindy reach the exit.
Escape to safety; final image of Tori
Tom and Cindy reach the parking garage, find the Smart Car, and drive away from the casino as it crumbles behind them. The film ends with a zombified Tori in the street, wielding a shotgun and watching them, implying she remains dangerous even in death.
Remains Characters
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Tom (Grant Bowler)
Tom is a pragmatic, risk-taking survivor who helps steer the group through the crisis. He pushes boundaries and makes hard calls to secure safety, often in morally gray ways. His past includes a drunken Vegas crash in which his wife and unborn child died, a truth he later shares with Cindy, revealing a troubled conscience. Throughout, he acts as a stabilizing force, though his decisions remain morally complex.
Tori (Evalena Marie)
Tori begins as a wary coworker who becomes an assertive partner in survival. She pushes for aggressive safety measures and becomes instrumental in planning escapes. Her arc grows darker as the group relies on her resolve, ultimately leading to a shocking transformation that hints at enhanced abilities. In the end, zombie Tori carries a shotgun, suggesting she is stronger, faster, and retains her intelligence.
Jensen (Miko Hughes)
Jensen is a magician's assistant who claims to have turned the power back on, adding an outsider’s perspective to the survivors’ dynamics. He moves through the casino with a calm curiosity, contributing to the group’s plans. He confronts the soldiers on the dock and is killed in a subsequent shootout, underscoring the peril of the military intervention.
Victor (Anthony Marks)
Victor is a self-serving outsider who uses the crisis to advance his own safety, often at others’ expense. He collaborates with the army to seize food and supplies, highlighting how desperation can drive betrayal. His presence complicates trust within the group, leading to tension and conflict as the survivors fight for dwindling resources.
Cindy (Tawny Cypress)
Cindy is the group’s medic who patches Tom’s injuries and provides crucial support. She reveals the harsh realities of the convoy’s looting and tests loyalties with her own secrets. She travels with Tom and the others toward Carson City to search for her daughter, adding a personal stake to the survival ordeal.
Remains Settings
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Time period
Present day
Set in contemporary times during a global Peace Day crisis, the immediate fallout isolates the casino and city. The plot unfolds over several days as the group adapts, fights zombies, and contemplates escape. The timeframe underlines a modern world suddenly turned to crisis and survival.
Location
Silver Star Casino, Reno, Nevada
The story centers on a large casino in Reno that becomes a sealed refuge after a nuclear event during Peace Day. The glittering interiors turn claustrophobic as power fails and the building is cut off from the outside world. Surrounded by zombies and dwindling resources, the survivors improvise to stay alive.
Remains Themes
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Survival
Inside a sealed casino, the group must improvise defenses, ration food, and fortify their refuge. The film probes how people adapt when civilization breaks down, balancing caution with risky decisions. Survival becomes a test of loyalty, courage, and morally gray choices in a tightening siege. The setting forces characters to redefine what counts as safety and humanity.
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Trust Betrayal
Alliances fracture as self-preservation drives decisions and lines between friends blur. Victor's manipulations reveal how quickly people will trade others for safety. The survivors' ability to rely on one another is tested as secrets surface and moral boundaries shift. Trust becomes as crucial and fragile as any weapon.
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Destruction Escape
Destruction is used as a tool for salvation, turning the casino into a perilous escape route. The plan relies on exploiting gas lines and explosives to break free, showing how violence can paradoxically enable survival. The climactic blasts reshape the setting and force a dangerous path toward freedom. Escape hinges on calculating risk against overwhelming odds.
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Ethics
The characters’ pasts and choices haunt their present decisions, highlighting the moral ambiguity of survival. Tom’s confession about a deadly crash adds weight to his leadership amid chaos. The film asks what counts as heroism when every option carries a cost, probing compassion versus ruthlessness in extreme circumstances.
Remains Spoiler-Free Summary
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In a world reshaped by an inexplicable catastrophe that has turned most of humanity into relentless, shambling predators, the quiet streets of a once‑bustling Nevada town lie under a permanent gray veil. The air hums with the distant echo of a disaster that erased the ordinary, leaving behind an eerie stillness broken only by the occasional, unsettling shuffle of the undead. Against this desolate backdrop, the neon‑lit corridors of a shuttered casino become an unlikely fortress, its gaudy past now a stark contrast to the raw, survivalist present.
Inside the empty gaming halls, two strangers are thrust together by circumstance. Tom, a pragmatic survivor whose calm demeanor masks deeper doubts, finds himself reluctantly partnered with Tori, a resourceful and fiercely independent woman whose sharp wit cuts through the suffocating tension. Their personalities clash and complement in equal measure, forming a fragile alliance that must navigate the thin line between cooperation and conflict while the looming threat outside grows ever more palpable.
The casino itself, with its maze of poker rooms, glittering chandeliers, and sprawling back‑of‑house corridors, becomes a character in its own right. Its cavernous halls echo with the distant moans of the infected, while the flickering emergency lights cast long, trembling shadows that turn ordinary objects into potential weapons or hazards. Within these walls, the survivors must contend not only with the ever‑present danger of the hordes but also with the psychological strain of isolation, the loss of normalcy, and the gnawing question of whether the sanctuary they’ve carved out can truly hold.
All the while, a muted dread seeps through every cracked doorway and sealed stairwell, reminding the duo that the world outside is unforgiving and that each night brings a new test of endurance. The film balances pulse‑pounding tension with moments of uneasy camaraderie, painting a picture of humanity clinging to hope amid relentless darkness.
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