Don't Say the Zed-Word.

Weekly Video: "Ghoul's Night Out" - The Misfits

2009-08-30T14:51:00.001-04:00

In the midst of a few computer issues, hence the lack of updates lately. Should be resolved soon.

Film Review: King of the Zombies (1941)

2009-08-23T14:38:00.007-04:00

Directed by Jean Yarbrough, written by Edmond Kelso, and starring Dick Purcell, Joan Woodbury, Henry Victor, John Archer, Patricia Stacey, Marguerite Whitten, and Guy Usher.

"During World War 2, a small plane off the south coast of America is low on fuel and blown off course by a storm. Guided by a faint radio signal, they crashland on an island. The passenger, his manservant and the pilot take refuge in a mansion owned by a doctor. The easily-spooked manservant soon becomes convinced the mansion is haunted by zombies and ghosts. Exploring, the 3 find a voodoo ritual in the cellar, where the doctor is trying to acquire war intelligence by transferring personalities into his zombies. But the interruption causes the zombies to turn on their creator."

I truly adore classic cinema like King of the Zombies. I simply can't get enough, especially between the 1930's and 1950's. Add into the mix a handful of voodoo zombies, and I have very few complaints. As a matter of fact, I'm one of the few people that still seem to be intrigued by voodoo zombies, which are few and far in between, just as much as the living dead or the infected. Enough about all of that though. King of the Zombies, unlike White Zombie nine years prior, is the first official zombie horror/comedy, and even after all of these years it's still one of the best. I'd just like to note that the movie The Ghost Breakers, which released one year prior, was a comedy, but only featured one 'zombie', and didn't really have much to do with the main plot. In what would be an otherwise standard and mediocre horror movie, the hilarious performance of Mantan Moreland as Jeff, the wisecracking, suspicious servant accompanying the two men to the Bahamas, was masterful to say the least. It's funny that even back in the forties black people were the voice of reason in horror movies. White people never listen, and that's why they always die.

The movie begins with a plane crash that had me already laughing. I understand the budget was small, so it wasn't the poor production value that I got a kick out of. They're on their way to the Bahamas and they didn't have enough gas to make it through the storm? Then the pilot sees 'an opening' that could best be described as a group of trees, and proceeded to land on top of them. I can tell you one thing: I would never fly with such an incompetent pilot over an ocean. Following the crash is one of the most comedic scenes in the movie when Jeff thinks himself dead, and Mac and Bill convince him otherwise. Even after this, there are a handful of classic lines by Moreland that I won't spoil for you. Moreland truly is the redeeming gem in this great horror/comedy, and I fully intend on checking out his other work. King of the Zombies has a pretty standard story, with a villain using voodoo magic to create zombie slaves on his island, but what's really worth mentioning is the hidden enemy that's never named: the Nazis. Behind the scenes, Dr. Miklos Sangre, the film's villain, is attempting to interrogate the recently crash-landed Admiral Arthur Wainwright in hopes of discovering military intelligence that he can radio to an unknown recipient. "Produced and released prior to Pearl Harbor, the film oddly dances around blatant references to Nazi Germany. While the villain is decidedly Germanic, radio traffic is spoken in German and there's spoken references to spying, neither Germany or Nazis are ever overtly mentioned. The plot, described in the presskit describes the evil Dr. Sangre as 'a secret agent for a European government.' The powers at Monogram were probably acutely mindful of the problems independent producer Ben Judell encountered when trying to exhibit Hitler - Beast of Berlin (1939) two years earlier. That film was unable to pass local pro-Germany censorship boards and Judell went broke."

Just as in White Zombie, the well-crafted atmosphere adds immensely to the overall effect of the film, most especially in the scenes in the cellar/kitchen and the voodoo witch doctor's soul transmigration dance. The acting is superb, most notably by Mantan Moreland, Joan Woodbury, Marguerite Whitten, and Henry Victor. Whitten and Woodbury were two truly enchanting ladies. The comedy is just pure gold and worth seeing on those merits alone. Yet, the movie has a few faults in its own right, namely the short run time, which reaches just barely over an hour. I would have enjoyed watching additional thirty minutes, especially considering how quickly the movie seems to wrap up. The small budget, which sometimes works in its favor, could easily have justified a larger sum in its production. One also has to consider the era in which the film was made when viewing, as there are quite a few racial references, that despite adding more reason for Moreland's character to crack another joke, tend to hinder itself in a politically correct world these days. It's not overly prominent, but still quite noticeable. One interesting little reference I found amusing was the main zombie being named Lazarus. Also, as with seemingly all horror movies during this time, Bela Lugosi was considered for a role in the film, the role of Dr. Sangre, but became unavailable. This doesn't hinder the movie though, as Henry Victor is a perfectly capable actor. All things considered, King of the Zombies is an excellent movie, and a pleasant view into the past of a now booming sub-genre of zombie horror. Don't pass this one up. I have my own copy of the movie, but for those who don't, I've posted the now public domain film from YouTube just below.

Best quote: "If there's one thing that I wouldn't wanna be twice, zombies is both of 'em."

The Undead News Thread (20090823.01)

2009-08-23T00:32:00.002-04:00

Resident Evil: Afterlife / Zombieland

According to Arrow in the Head, found here and here, two upcoming zombie movies just had their release dates changed. Resident Evil: Afterlife has been bumped up to a summer release of August 27th, 2010. So far, the only names officially attached to the project are Paul W.S. Anderson as writer and director, and Milla Jovovich, of course. Zombieland, originally scheduled for an October 6th release date, is now changed to October 2nd. I know, not a big difference, but still needs mentioning. Zombieland stars Woody Harelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Amber Heard, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, and Bill Murray. If you haven't caught the trailer for the latter yet, check it out below. You can also find a handful of funny clips called 'Zombieland Rules' right here.

Source: Arrow in the Head

Weekly Video: "Re: Your Brains" - Jonathan Coulton

2009-08-23T00:04:00.002-04:00

Online Game: The Last Stand

2009-08-22T02:04:00.003-04:00

"Survive the night fighting off zombies from your make-shift barricade. Survive longer than a day by making use of the daylight hours effectively by: - Repairing your barricade - Searching for weapons - Looking for other survivors to help." I just realized I haven't posted any links to online zombie games in a while. So kill a few minutes, and ghouls of course, by seeing how long you last in your little makeshift fort in Armor Games' The Last Stand. Man, you go through all of that trouble to build a wall around you, and all you brought was a pathetic, little pistol? You almost deserve to be eaten alive. Anyway, check the game out by clicking on the picture above.

Film Review: Resident Evil - Degeneration (2008)

2009-08-22T00:47:00.007-04:00

Directed by Makoto Kamiya, written by Shotaro Suga, and starring Alyson Court, Paul Mercier, Laura Bailey, Roger Craig Smith, Crispin Freeman, Michelle Ruff, and Michael Sorich.

"A zombie attack brings chaos to Harvardville Airport. Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield who fought the sinister Umbrella Corporation during the Raccoon City tragedy 7 years ago, are back. In high-octane Resident Evil style, they're ready to battle a rogue warrior who is seeking revenge after his family was killed in Raccoon City. The deadly G-Virus is unleashed and a new mutated monster goes on the rampage. Will Claire and Leon be able to terminate the virus before history repeats itself?"

Let me start off by saying that, though I'm a fan of computer-generated movies and all of the work that goes into them, I find it hard to connect to the main characters because of it. I tend to watch each one with a certain level of detachment. Now that that's off my chest, I've been a fan of the Capcom-created Resident Evil video games since the beginning. I still remember playing the first one over and over, and the first time I jumped out of my seat from the Doberman scene in the hallway. Then the second and third games came out, and I played them to death, too. After that, I never really played any of the others much, but I still respect the series considering there weren't too many great horror games at the time. Then Hollywood grabbed the rights, of course, and began making films based on the popular series (which I previously reviewed this week), and though they were decent movies in their own right, they left fans of the games wanting something a little more faithful to the source material. "This is the only Resident Evil movie created by its video game creator, Capcom. The live-action movies were created by Screen Gems and Sony Pictures."

Resident Evil: Degeneration picks up where Resident Evil 4 left off, and serves as a prelude to Resident Evil 5. As far as the visuals go, Capcom is back in full force, and I have to say, Degeneration is massive eye candy. In my mind, the only rivals here are Square-Enix and Blizzard Entertainment, which I still can't believe the latter has never made a full length movie as of yet. Another nice touch is the voice-acting. In fact, fans of the game series may even recognize a few voices in the film. "Claire Redfield, Leon Kennedy, and Ingrid Hunnigan are the only characters that come from the video game series, and voiced by the same actors." In fact, the most acute fans may recognize even more in the movie, such as symbols, images, and sound effects. For instance: "In the scene where Fredric Downing left his office with Claire inside, the sound effect of the door closing is exact same one used for doors closing in the earliest RE games." These are all welcome additions to the movie when considering the lack of resemblances to the game in the live-action movie trilogy. The action is well done, too, and it truly feels like a Capcom-created project in an almost classic Resident Evil glory.

Yet, despite these spectacular features, Degeneration is far from perfect. The film is plagued by mundane and inane dialog, and to be honest, the plot is pretty stale as well. Though, all things considered, the games were never groundbreaking in those departments anyway. So, it's not entirely fair to hold that much against the movie. But it does begin to wear on you roughly halfway in, and I found myself wanting to cringe at times. Still, you also have to consider the fact that the live-action movies weren't really any better either. Another downside to the whole affair is that, while it definitely fits in with the game series, it simply feels like an extended CGI-cutscene in one of its own games. It never really comes off as its own, stand alone entry into the series. It's been described as 'Resident Evil 4.5', and that's not far from the truth. After such a long wait, and sitting through three par movies more 'inspired' than 'based on', fans were somewhat disappointed with finally getting their wish granted in a likewise par, albeit more faithful, adaptation to an otherwise amazing series.

Overall, I'd recommend the flick to fans of the Resident Evil games and those who want a different, more faithful attempt at the story. As a horror/action film, it works. It's fast-paced, somewhat creepy, and absolutely gorgeous to look at. But is it what all of the fans have been waiting for? Not really. If the game series continues and keeps building strength, then we'll probably see another full length movie. Even if it turns out in much the same manner as Degeneration, I'll still check it out. But one can only hope for more in the end. The movie, for me, never achieved all of the glory of the core games, but it never once hindered my view of those games either.

Best quote: "I can't stand kids! They're a real pain in the ass!"

Film Review: The Dead Next Door (1989)

2009-08-19T23:07:00.007-04:00

Written and directed by J.R. Bookwalter, and starring Pete Ferry, Bogdan Pecic, Michael Grossi, Jolie Jackunas, Robert Kokai, Floyd Ewing Jr., Roger Graham, and Maria Markovic.

"The government sets up a Zombie squad after an epidemic has made the world run rampant with living corpses. Raimi, Mercer, Kuller, and others head off to Ohio to try and find a cure to the epidemic but soon run into a crazy cult of zombie lovers who are set on preserving the zombies and letting a new world be born because they believe that it's God's will. When Mercer gets infected with the zombie virus, Raimi and the others must work quickly to find a cure and avoid the cult."

So, let's say you're driving along, trying to escape a bunch of people that want to kill you. You decide to go off road, but there are some trees blocking your path. What do you do? Throw a grenade out the window and blow up the trees, of course. But wait...shit, you forgot your friend back at the house. Screw it. You'll come back later for him, right? What about if you saw a lone zombie walking along at the top of a hill? What would you do? That's right. Throw a grenade at him, so that you can draw scores of other zombies right to your location, presumably for more grenade-tossing practice. How about if a zombie is trying to bite your partner? See a pattern? Yes, you put the grenade in the zombie's mouth, pull the pin, and throw him out the window. Add all of that up, and it sounds like an amazing movie that I'd completely dig. Yet, it wasn't, and I didn't. What happened?

"The film was shot on Super-8, which is typically amateur grade film only used for home movies. Everyone involved worked on the film for free." Taking that into account, and the fact that it was filmed over the course of four years on roughly $75,000, I truly do appreciate many parts of the film. But unfortunately, the faults, in my opinion, outweigh what the director got right. Let me step back for a few though, and point out a couple of things. For instance, there's more than one nod to Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead, and with good reason: "Sam Raimi produced the film under the pseudonym 'The Master Cylinder' using a portion of his payment from Evil Dead 2. Bruce Campbell dubbed the voices of two characters that were Raimi and Carpenter. The movie was produced over nearly four years, in Akron, Ohio, for next to nothing." It's quite obvious, especially with the aid of Sam Raimi and the assistance of Bruce Campbell, that Bookwalter is a fan of horror. "Many of the characters are named after people who have made their marks in the horror and zombie movie fields, such as Savini, Carpenter, Romero, Raimi, and King."

This movie does a lot of things right. For starters, the gore is absolutely amazing considering its minuscule budget. In fact, it puts quite a few other zombie films, with two or three times its budget, to shame. There's more than a few scenes that I sat in awe by how violent and well-shot they were. I especially enjoyed scenes from the last third of the movie with Mercer tied up in the cult assembly. It was quite macabre, you could say, compared to the rest of the flick. Without giving anything away, these scenes also lead to an interesting twist. But I also felt that, while a great idea at heart, it never fully comes to fruition, leaving me a little disappointed. Another aspect to the film that really stood out was the music, surprisingly. I rarely ever enjoy the score to B-movies, though there are always exceptions. But in this case, music written by the director himself, the score definitely caught my attention on more than one occasion.

Where the movie falls flat for me though was the almost parody-like method in which it was filmed and acted. Now, as with all B-movies, there is always a certain amount of cheese to accompany the horror. Obviously I noticed the scene at the beginning with the zombies trying to rent other zombie movies, like Dawn of the Dead. So, I'm always willing to enjoy and/or overlook scenes such as these. But it felt different at times, in this movie, because more often than not I found myself wondering if they intended for these people, their actions, or even the plot and script to be this absolutely stupid. I sometimes found myself laughing at parts that I don't think I was meant to. Yet, even all of this could easily be forgiven, if the movie just wasn't so damned boring. Even at an hour and twenty minutes, the movie crept on at a snail's pace. The action even bored me. Of course, some of this could be blamed on the poor video quality as well. So, all in all, a sub-average film that never breaks new ground, never falls below the line that Uwe Boll's House of the Dead did, and stands as quite an accomplishment for the most expensive Super-8 movie ever made. For more information, head on over to the movie's official Myspace.

Best quote: "Welcome to Sunday school."

The Undead News Thread (20090818.02)

2009-08-18T22:14:00.002-04:00

RiffTrax LIVE: Plan 9 from Outer Space

Well, this is what happens when you don't keep up on your email. I get updates from Kerasotes Theaters, due to their being two different theaters under their name in my city, but rarely ever read them considering I keep up with upcoming movies well enough. Unfortunately, this is what I missed until last night: "Join the stars of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 for the comedy event of the year! Fathom Events presents RiffTrax LIVE: Plan 9 from Outer Space, an evening of LIVE riffing on the Worst Movie Ever Made beaming into movie theaters nationwide on Thursday, August 20th at 8PM ET/ 7PM CT/ 6PM MT/ Tape Delayed at 8PM PT. Join Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy (Tom Servo) and Bill Corbett (Crow T. Robot), now of RiffTrax.com, as they are reunited in HD for the first time ever on the big screen! The ultimate riffers will fling all new commentary on a COLOR version of 'Plan 9 from Outer Space'- a 1959 science fiction/horror film written, produced and directed by Edward D. Wood Jr. Audiences will also be treated to a brand new, never before seen movie short during the Live event!" To see if this awesome event is happening near you, go here to view all of the city listings. If I checked my email on a more frequent basis, I could have planned ahead, but it doesn't look like I'll be making it there. Shame. If you aren't familiar with this classic B-movie (which would be absolutely mad), check out the trailer.

Written and directed by Edward D. Wood Jr., Plan 9 from Outer Space goes a little something like this: "'Can your heart stand the shocking facts about Graverobbers from Outer Space?' That's the question on the lips of the narrator of this tale about flying saucers, zombies and cardboard tombstones. A pair of aliens, angered by the 'stupid minds' of planet Earth, set up shop in a California cemetery. Their plan: to animate an army of the dead to march on the capitals of the world. (The fact that they have only managed to resurrect three zombies to date has not discouraged them.) An intrepid airline pilot living near the cemetery must rescue his wife from this low-budget terror. 'Can you prove it *didn't* happen?'"

Source: Kerasotes

The Undead News Thread (20090818.01)

2009-08-18T01:58:00.003-04:00

The Eaters / Eat Me!

According to the official blog for the zombie movie The Eaters: "What do Madonna, New York City, Prince, Pepsi-cola, and OUR FILM all have in common? They've changed their names and become GREAT!!! THE EATERS is now known to the world as EAT ME!" The new post goes on to say: "We're gearing up for heavy festival submissions and wanted to begin with a title that would reach out and grab our viewers, be they festival screeners, potential distributors, or Johnny Youtubepeeper." You can read the rest over at the official blog. So, from here on out, the formerly known as The Eaters will be called Eat Me!, and I'm definitely digging it. Not to say that the original title was bad though. Directed by Katie Carman and written by Elizabeth Lee, this independent horror film started playing on June 26th in New York at the Anthology Film Archives. I'm looking forward to catching this one on release. Head on over to the movie's official site, Cold Hands Productions, for more information regarding the film.

"A Brooklyn band, General Malacarne, is practicing when once again, the power goes out. Little do they know that this blackout is unlike any other, and that while they relax and smoke up in the basement, everyone above ground is being transformed into vicious, undead eating machines. Will the band make it out of Brooklyn? Will they too become flesh eating monsters? Will their stash go dry? THE EATERS is the only horror comedy brave enough to find out."

Source: THE EATERS film blog

Film Review: Die You Zombie Bastards! (2005)

2009-08-18T00:43:00.007-04:00

Directed by Caleb Emerson, written by Haig Demarjian and Caleb Emerson, and starring Tim Gerstmar, Geoff Mosher, Pippi Zornoza, Jamie Gillis, Hasil Adkins, Joseph James, and Sandra Kennedy.

"Red Toole (Tim Gerstmar), a serial killer with a heart of gold and a cape made of human flesh, is on a mission to save his wife, Violet (Pippi Zornoza), and the world's population from wicked Baron Nefarious (Geoff Mosher). While Nefarious hatches an evil plot to turn everyone into zombies, Toole is hot on his trail, killing anything that gets in his way. Monsters and naked zombie girls add to the ambiance of this undead superhero free-for-all."

Wow. Where do I begin? I was surfing through the 'Watch Instantly' zombie section on Netflix this evening, and decided to pick whatever movie had the best title. Based on that only rule, here we are, and I'm glad I picked this one. Make no mistake, this movie is demented. Demented, but hilarious all the same. The film seems very Troma inspired, and with good reason. Writer and director Caleb Emerson has worked on many Troma Entertainment projects, such as Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV and Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead. While working on Citizen Toxie, Emerson met many of the crew members that would eventually assist him in this production. Beyond the original Toxic Avenger and Poultrygeist, I'm not too familiar with Troma works, but compared to those two, I can definitely say that I feel Die You Zombie Bastards! comes out on top (with Toxic Avenger at a near second). Most of the actors and actresses are first-timers (including One Man Band Rockabilly Legend Hasil Adkins), with the exception of a few porn stars. But since the whole plan from the start was to have everyone overact in almost every scene, it really doesn't matter in the end.

The whole film is very random (and rabid), so it makes sense that the plot and story structure is as well. It starts off with Red, the serial killer who chops off the heads of hippies and wants to be a superhero, spending time with his wife, Violet. At a picnic, Baron Nefarious decides to kidnap her and make her his wife, while in the process of changing the world into zombie slaves. The zombies are really more of a side story, and resemble the almost forgotten voodoo zombies once featured in movies, which I found to be a nice throwback. So, Red sets off to find his lost love, but that's where the story pretty much halts, for a while. What truly makes the movie so crazy is all of the random places and odd people Red meets in his search, each one providing another clue to his next destination, while all seemingly to be practically useless. But it's still a hell of a screwed up, fun-filled ride. So, I won't spoil any of the twisted joy for you.

The film features original music by Paul Leary of the chaotic, genre-destroying band Butthole Surfers, and fits in absolutely well. There's really only one or two scenes in which I felt the music hindered it a little, but overall, it was well suited. For me, the best acting was done by the main star, Tim Gerstmar as Red, Geoff Mosher as Baron Nefarious, and Sandra Kennedy as Super Inga (who apparently is also a DJ, found here). As I said before though, it was all done with overacting in mind, so it's a bit hard too pick out the 'bad ones'. The props used in the movie didn't really do much for me in the way of humor. What stood out the most to me was the witty dialog, which was more adept than the usual B-movie fare. For instance, Red asks a Swedish woman, speaking in phony Swedish gibberish, if she speaks English, and she replies, "No, but I have subtitles." Even simple, little lines of dialog such as "Who...the fuck...are you?" had me laughing out loud because of the timing and the over-the-top manner in which it was presented. Also worth mentioning is the terrible sound editing, which, in actuality, is quite amazing. It's obvious that it was intentional, and I found myself chuckling numerous times just because of the mismatched edits.

Even outside of the movie, the film provides for ample entertainment. Case in point: "Editor Daniel Strange cut this film to fulfill his end of a bet made with director Caleb Emerson while the two were in film school together. Strange and Emerson hated each other (and claim to hate each other to this day). In an attempt to jinx each other they made an agreement that if Strange got funding for a feature film first that Caleb would have to do the special effects, and if Caleb got funding for his feature first that Strange would have to edit it gratis. The two never spoke throughout the process of editing this feature film; they communicated to each other only through notes, emails and messages relayed by assistant editor Paul Nadjmabadi." So, is Die You Zombie Bastards! worth it? Definitely. Sick? Yes. Perverted? Of course. Which is all the more reason to enjoy it. If you're interested, you can find the film's official site here. I'd also like to point out that my favorite scene (which is also the 'best quote' just below) is featured at the bottom of the review. Basically, the set-up is that two cops come to Red's house asking about three missing girls. He says he hasn't seen them, and then one cop sees a lot of blood on the floor. He asks what it's from, and he replies a "spider". Then he tells this completely random story to account for the massive amount of blood. It's not as funny with the extra scenes cutting away from his crazy face, and all of the screaming at the end, but it's still hilarious. The music is still the same, which added to the effect. But they left out his "Can you believe iiiit?" in between the lines, which was the best part, in my opinion.

Best quote: Officer Konash- "Sir, what's this?" Red- "Blood!" Officer Konash- "I know what it is. What's it from?" Red- "Spider!" Officer Konash- "Spider? Was it a big one?" Red- "Wicked! In fact, it is said that in the Tower of London, high in the bell tower, there lived a spider once, for over a hundred years. And in time, drinking from the oil lamps, it grew to the size of a man. Can you believe it? It is said that if left unchecked, there is no telling just how long a spider might live, or just how big a spider might grow..."

Film Review: Resident Evil - Extinction (2007)

2009-08-17T18:53:00.014-04:00

Directed by Russell Mulcahy, written by Paul W.S. Anderson, and starring Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr, Ali Larter, Ashanti Douglas, Iain Glen, Matthew Marsden, Chris Egan, Spencer Locke, Jason O'Mara, and Mike Epps.

"After the outbreak of the T-virus initiated in Raccoon City, the whole world is destroyed and crowded of flesh-eating zombies, and the humans keep moving fighting to survive. Alice travels alone in her motorcycle through the Nevada Desert, where she meets a convoy of survivors leaded by Claire Redfield with Carlos Olivera and helps them to fight against a bunch of zombie-crows. The group decides to travel to Las Vegas first to get fuel and supplies and then head to the decontaminated Alaska. Meanwhile, in an underground facility of the Umbrella Corporation, the evil Dr. Isaacs is researching an anti-virus to domesticate the zombies and cure people using clones of Alice. When Dr. Isaacs locates Alice through the satellite, he forges an order from the president and the troops chase Alice, while the group of survivors fight against a horde of zombies in Las Vegas."

The third feature in the series based off of the Capcom video games, Extinction, is now practically unassociated with the games entirely. For instance, there is yet another game character, Claire Redfield, thrown into the mix, but with absolutely nothing resembling the iconic heroine in actress Ali Larter's movie representation: "Claire Redfield's role in the movie is different than in the games. She leads a convoy of survivors across the dead desert, but in the games, she on a mission to find her lost brother Chris Redfield." We also see writer Paul Anderson taking the easy way out again, turning the script over to director Russell Mulcahy, known for directing the first two Highlander films. Just as with its predecessor, and less like the first movie in the series, this film is an action oriented popcorn flick. Not that the first one didn't have its moments though. But what we're left with here is a CGI-laden, non-stop free-for-all shoot-out and ass kicking film that is now so far from its source material that one wonders why it's called Resident Evil at all. There's no one residing anywhere in a barren wasteland on the run with a full convoy in tow.

Despite its lacking an intelligent plot (which is really nothing new) and its constant foray on our senses with clown car-like zombies in boxes, the third in the series does a few things right. The Resident Evil series has had two great scores already, and the third is no exception. This time the music is composed by none other than Charlie Clouser, better known for the music behind such films as the Saw series, Death Sentence, Natural Born Killers, Lost Highway, and Collateral, and for remixing songs by artists such as Rob Zombie, Nine Inch Nails, Deftones, Marilyn Manson, Rammstein, and Type O Negative, just to name a few. Also, the action, while sometimes overdone, is still quite incredible and entertaining. I miss the old Alice, who wasn't some kind of super soldier with telekinesis and extraordinary strength, but it does make for some adrenaline-fueled and fire-filled sky scenes. It's also nice to see some other returning characters for a change. Yet no explanation is given to what ever happened to Jill and Angela. Of course, the film also features a swarming mass of zombie crows, which can't go unmentioned, because who doesn't appreciate zombie crows?

There are some things that may work in the film's favor to a certain group of people and may leave others with an almost displeasure. Whether you consider it homage or just straight rip-off, Extinction features many scenes obviously inspired by well-known horror and post-apocalyptic genre staples, such as the likes of The Birds, Mad Max, Day of the Dead, and even the Fallout video games. But don't let those comparisons entice you, because the film doesn't truly achieve the level of greatness of any of its inspirations or comparisons. Where the film fails, though, is once again the stale and uninspired dialog and only passing acting. It's sad to see a decent actress like Ali Larter given such a boring and mundane role, and one can't help but feel her talents where wasted. The plot is lacking and unstructured, and haven't we all truly had enough of these damn clones popping up in movies these days? I, for one, know that I'm sick of the plot device so much so that I wish it was stricken from use in Hollywood for at least the next ten years. At least it's a small element to the overall film. But probably one of my least favorite things about the movie is the downright stupidity of the people in the convoy. What compels these people to all get out right away at every stop, long before the area is scouted and secure? Don't they ever learn, or do they just love dying?

Despite all of the factors weighing against it, what Extinction does right is enough for me to enjoy watching the film (on nothing resembling a regular basis). Most fans considered this one to be the same as or marginally better than Apocalypse, but critics remained constant on the series. As an anticipatory move, "the film was not screened for critics, most likely due to the overwhelmingly-negative reviews from critics for the first two films." If you made it through the first two films, then I see no reason as to why you wouldn't be able to enjoy Extinction with about the same measure of enjoyment. As with Apocalypse, it's nothing special or abysmal, just average. Also, as I've reported earlier, the fourth in the series, Afterlife, is already in casting mode with a script again penned by Paul Anderson, which will take place in Alaska and Tokyo. Unfortunately, it's also being thrown around that the film is going to be in 3-D, which I'm quite sick of seeing (and hearing about associated with other new horror movies).

Best quote: "Yeah, I know what you are. I knew your sister. She was a homicidal bitch."

Film Review: Resident Evil - Apocalypse (2004)

2009-08-16T18:45:00.009-04:00

Directed by Alexander Witt, written by Paul W.S. Anderson, and starring Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr, Thomas Kretschmann, Sandrine Holt, Iain Glen, Sophie Vavasseur, Jared Harris, and Mike Epps.

"Alice awakens from a terrible sleep to find her worst fears realized--the bloodthirsty Undead, which she and the now-annihilated squad of elite military fought to destroy, have been unleashed on the city that surrounds the secret facility of the Umbrella Corporation. Discovering she was an Umbrella experiment, Alice has been bio-genetically enhanced with new strengths, senses and dexterity--and she will need them. In the heart of the ravaged Raccoon City, a small group of uninfected people, including Jill Valentine, a recently demoted member of Umbrella Corp's elite Special Tactics and Rescue Services team, and S.T.A.R.S team leader Carlos Oliveira, fight for their lives against swarms of Undead and the deadlier and faster Lickers. Running out of luck and resources, the group is rescued by Alice, and they begin to wage an exhilarating battle to survive and escape before the Umbrella Corporation erases its experiment from the face of the earth. Their only hope lies somewhere within Raccoon City--Dr Charles Ashford, one of the leading scientists for the Umbrella Corporation, will help Alice and the others escape the city safely--if they find his daughter. Angie Ashford became separated from her father and now hides in fear. Alice, Jill and Carlos will have to fight their way through an army of Undead to save her. All the while, a secret weapon code-named Nemesis has been experimentally altered with greater modifications than Alice and has been programmed to track and destroy them. They will need all their strengths and skills to fight the battle of their lives against the mindless evil that has infected the city and the powerful forces that unleashed it on mankind."

The second in the video game-adapted series finds a few more elements from the games thrown into the mix, beginning with a plot resembling the third game, Resident Evil: Nemesis and incorporating its two main characters, Jill Valentine and Carlos Olivera. Despite its many similarities, fans (myself included) of the game series were displeased with its new, wooden game characters and constant changes to the original story. The game's main villain, Nemesis, is a far cry from the terror and over-dominance of its original incarnation, and one can't help but wonder what happened along the way. Gone is the creepiness and overall atmosphere that made the first film a decent horror movie. One might very well contribute this to writer Paul Anderson taking the back seat on its production, giving the director's seat to first time (and so far, only) Alexander Witt, known better for being the director of photography (usually second unit) on the likes of Twister, xXx, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Hannibal, Daredevil, and Gladiator. Then again, I could also be giving Anderson too much credit for his own deserving.

Since the horror is practically non-existent, the action is brought prominently to the forefront. This is where the movie achieves its small level of success. It's the definition of a popcorn flick through and through, and it that respect, provides a small measure of entertainment. But it never once achieves the level of enjoyment of its predecessor, unfortunately. The acting is still average, the plot is below, and the dialog, well, I truly feel that Paul Anderson never had a knack for writing dialog: "We're assets, Nicholai. Expendable assets... and we've just been expended." Sometimes if it just feels like he would be right at home writing the next House of the Dead sequel. It's so dry and boring at times, that if it wasn't for the almost constant action, I probably would have fallen right asleep. The characters are clichéd and almost parody-like to the point that I can't care whether they live or die, of which most do.

The movie isn't a complete loss though. The musical score is composed by none other than Jeff Danna, known for rewriting the music to the Silent Hill video games for its movie adaptation, the very strange movie Tideland, and writing with his brother, Michael, the addictive opening Irish theme to The Boondock Saints. Instead of the in-your-face method Marilyn Manson took with the original film, Danna approaches the project with a more subtle, in-the-background style that suits the idea of the movie, if not the movie itself. What I mean to say is that his talent was lost on this project from the start, which is a shame. Another nice touch, I found, was providing us with a physically representation of the first film's Red Queen, which character Angela Ashford's character was the main inspiration. Funny enough, this young girl was easily the most mature actor in the movie.

The film was a critical failure, and despite it doing well at the box office, fans of the game series and the first movie also consider this to be a weak film, to put it lightly. After having watched it again yesterday for the first time in quite a while, I fond myself looking at it in a less harshly view. While I'm still disheartened to see a horror movie without almost any horror at all, if you go in expecting an action flick with cheesy dialog and brain dead plot, you'll have a decent time. In my mind, it's the worst in the series, but far from a terrible zombie film. Trust me, there's worse out there. It's just average: not good, not bad. Keep in mind, Snoop Dogg was originally attached to the film to play L.J. So it definitely could have turned out worse. Besides, Sienna Guillory looks pretty hot in the game-inspired outfit, doesn't she? I also just stumbled onto a site that points out that the German version is extended, making the constant action sequences not so seamless, and breaks up the mayhem with a bit more 'small talk' and story, but not much. You can find it all right here. I'd also like to point out that I liked the original teaser for Apocalypse much more than the actual trailer that came later. You can find it just below.

Best quote: Major Cain- "Wait! Killing me won't make things right." Alice- "No, but it's a start!"

Film Review: Resident Evil (2002)

2009-08-16T17:14:00.007-04:00

Written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, and starring Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, James Purefoy, and Martin Crewes.

"Something rotten is brewing beneath the industrial mecca known as Raccoon City. Unknown to its millions of residents, a huge underground bioengineering facility known as The Hive has accidentally unleashed the deadly and mutating T-virus, killing all of its employees. To contain the leak, the governing supercomputer, Red Queen, has sealed all entrances and exits. Now a team of highly-trained super commandos including Rain, Alice and Matt must race to penetrate The Hive in order to isolate the T-virus before it overwhelms humanity. To do so, they must get past the Red Queen's deadly defenses, face the flesh-eating undead employees, fight killer mutant dogs and battle The Licker, a genetically mutated savage beast whose strength increases with each of its slain victims."

Based off of the long-running Capcom survival horror video game series of the same name (originally called Biohazard in Japan), Resident Evil is rooted in deep potential. Even the new material written for the movie added more depth and more viable possibilities, almost none of which are realized or come to full fruition, which is ultimately unfortunate. The script borrows elements from both the original game and its sequel, but instead of following characters such as Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon Kennedy, and Claire Redfield, the film centers around an amnesiac woman named Alice, her also amnesiac husband Spence, a man named Matt, and a team of Umbrella Corp. commandos. In fact, there are very few similarities between the movie and the two games, some of those similarities being Umbrella, the mansion, and that the T-virus revives the dead. If the movie had achieved its potential with the new material in its script, then this could have easily been forgiven.

While writer and director Anderson's series is an action extravaganza at its heart, Resident Evil was always meant to have its shrieks and scares. Unfortunately, the first in the series is the only one to retain this idea. The atmosphere, the make-up, and the slow build-ups to the frightening scenes are all quite well done. Actually, without those elements, I never would have appreciated this film as much as I do. There's also no doubt that the musical score, fittingly written by Marilyn Manson, enhanced the movie throughout. Hell, even one of George Romero's Land of the Dead trailers featured the track "Seizure of Power", which I find especially interesting, considering Romero wrote the initial script for this movie and was eventually rejected (or he dropped out for one reason or another). Either way, I've always wondered what his version would have been like, but I figured he ended up throwing many of those story elements into his later Land of the Dead.

The movie is by no means perfect though. For almost every pro to the movie, there's an equal or greater con. Sure, the zombie Dobermans, a nod from the original game, are very cool, but then again, the dialog is uninspired, stale, and not humorous when it was clearly meant to be. For once, I actually agree with Roger Ebert, when he says the film's "characters have no small talk. Their dialog consists of commands, explanations, [and] exclamations." But I still found that this movie succeeded on many other levels. The action is amazing, as all Anderson films tend to feature (the poor man's Michael Bay, as I like to call him), the horror is above par, and the homages and incorporation of other stories and films, especially the obvious Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, all helped to raise the bar in video game-adapted movies. "Connections to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: - Main character's name is Alice. - Computer is named 'Red Queen'. - 'The Red Queen' needs to kill someone who is infected, so she tries to get someone else to chop off their head. (Off with her head!) - Alice in Wonderland paperweight. - A white rabbit was use to test the T-virus. - To enter the hive they go through a mirrored door (through the looking glass). - The Red Queen also succeeds in cutting off 'her' head - the medic in the laser hallway. - Kaplan worries about time, as the White Rabbit does. (Mentioned in commentary) - Matt is sitting on the ledge when Rain and JD hear the first zombie. This is mentioned in the commentary as a reference to the Caterpillar." There's also a direct nod to Romero's Day of the Dead on a newspaper headline reading: "The Dead Walk!" Even if he was no longer attached to the film, at least they paid their respects.

In the end, I find the original film in the series to be the best, easily. The action isn't over-the-top like the other two, there's still horror in a horror movie, it's the most resemblant of the games its based off of, and Alice is more fragile and more vulnerable, which doesn't make her seem like some kind of zombie-slaying immortal. Isn't it more fun to root for John McClane than Neo? At least, that's how I feel. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it, but I still remember watching this opening weekend with my brother and getting very pumped when seeing the panning back shot at the end. If you're a fan of the games, you have to admit that that scene got you at least a little excited. Two little interesting tidbits about the movie are simply to words that are never said throughout its entirety: zombie(s) and Alice. The zombies are never called zombies, just like old Romero movies, and Alice is never referred to by any name at all until the credits and/or sequels.

Best quote: "Bitch wouldn't open the door, so I had to fry her."

Weekly Video: Guy's Guide to Zombies

2009-08-16T16:10:00.001-04:00

Part of the Portable Film Festival in 2007.

The Undead News Thread (20090812.02)

2009-08-12T18:00:00.005-04:00

Zombieland

By now you've all heard about the upcoming flick Zombieland, starring Woody Harrelson. Well, hot off the trail of the recently released red band trailer comes five little viral videos in which characters Columbus and Tallahassee give you their rules for surviving in a zombie-infested world. Check them out. The first released, #15, looks to have been released the same day as the red band trailer, and there are supposedly 47 in all. But I doubt we end up seeing that many before the film's release. "In the horror comedy Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus is a big wuss -- but when you're afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee is an AK-toting, zombie-slaying' bad ass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita and Little Rock, who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies." Zombieland also stars Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, and Abigail Breslin, and will be unleashed October 9th.

Rule #6 - Skillet

Rule #12 - Bounty Paper Towels

Rule #15 - Bowling Ball

Rule #29 - Buddy System

Rule #33 - Swiss Army

The Undead News Thread (20090812.01)

2009-08-12T01:09:00.004-04:00

The Walking Dead

According to JoBlo: "Horror and comic fans will be thrilled to hear that the zombie series THE WALKING DEAD is coming to screens. But while those screens will be small, the talent involved is pretty big. Filmmaker Frank Darabont (THE MIST, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) is developing the fan-fave ongoing Image comic as a new series for cable channel AMC, currently on fire thanks to acclaimed shows 'Mad Men' and 'Breaking Bad'."

I recall reading a few notes from fans in the letters section of the graphic novels asking what writer Robert Kirkman thought of having it developed into a movie/mini-series, and while he said there were no current plans for a project, he was definitely up for it. The black and white zombie series began back in 2003 and is still going strong (current issue: #62). I've made it about halfway through the series, which you can find my reviews for the graphics novels under The Library, and I must say, I'm quite excited for this to happen. The comics continue to get stronger and stronger. Though, as with all book-to-movie adaptations, I'm a little worried as to how much may end up lost in the shuffle. Time will tell. Check out the official site for more information on the graphic novels.

"The Walking Dead is centered around Rick, a small-town police officer from Cynthiana, Kentucky, his family, and a number of other survivors who have banded together in order to survive after the world is overrun with zombies. As the series progresses, the characters become more developed, and their personalities shift under the stress of a zombie apocalypse. Fighting growing despair — and sometimes each other — the group searches for a secure location which they can finally call home."

An interesting little tidbit: "Max Brooks, author of World War Z, told Kirkman that he had read The Walking Dead and liked it, but Kirkman said he could not read World War Z until he finished The Walking Dead which would not be 'any time soon, so I’m never going to read his book.'" So, does anyone else follow this series?

Source: JoBlo

The Undead News Thread (20090811.01)

2009-08-11T22:29:00.003-04:00

Survival of the Dead

Thanks to Arrow in the Head, today we have the first official trailer for George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead (found below). It looks to be a bit low budget, and reminiscent of Night of the Living Dead, which I consider to be two good things. One of my minor complaints with Land of the Dead was its tendency to excite with excessive action, drawing away from a better plot. And Diary of the Dead mainly suffered from poor acting and badly written dialog. I have my hopes up. Survival looks to be another great Romero film. "The film will have its WORLD premiere at the "Midnight Madness" section (of TIFF) come September. Says Romero, 'We’re in the final stages of post-production and it’s great to come up for air and find out the film’s been chosen to appear at the Festival. It’s just a terrific honor.'"

"In a world where the dead rise to menace the living, rogue soldier Crocket (Alan Van Sprang) leads a band of military dropouts to refuge from the endless chaos. As they search for a place " where the shit won’t get you, " they meet banished patriarch Patrick O’Flynn (played with zeal by Kenneth Welsh), who promises a new Eden on the fishing and ranching outpost Plum Island. The men arrive, only to find themselves caught in an age-old battle between O’Flynn’s family and rival clan the Muldoons. It turns out that Patrick was expelled from the isle for believing that the only good zombie is a dead zombie, while the Muldoons think it’s wrong to dispatch afflicted loved ones, attempting to look after their undead kinfolk until a cure is found. But their bid for stability on the homestead has turned perverse: the undead are chained inside their homes, pretending to live normal lives – and the consequences are bloody. A desperate struggle for survival will determine whether the living and the dead can coexist."

Source: Arrow in the Head

5 Items Apathists Need in a Zombie Outbreak

2009-08-11T02:18:00.005-04:00

"Apathist: Ap"a*thist\, n.; One who is destitute of feeling." Throughout time there have been many great apathists. Even today there are surely a few. Unfortunately, due to the direct nature of their character, not a single name has ever been recorded in an historical document of any kind. It is in this relation that a great number of apathists are likely to survive an inevitable zombie apocalypse. Despite there being no chance whatsoever of an apathist being the direct cause of an outbreak, they will all ultimately be effected by it nonetheless. But their severe disinterest and complete apathy that hinders their capability to entangle themselves in any kind of action or physical exertion will increase their chances of survival almost tenfold. Don't get involved, don't care, and you'll be just fine. But what kind of items would such a lazy person need to continue living? Well, besides buying a warehouse full of Ramen noodles, converting your stairs into escalators, or hiring a maid that will soon realize she's not getting zombie fighting-related wages, here are five items an apathist needs in a zombie outbreak:

1. Whiskey: Why worry about shotguns or machetes when you have a nice, big bottle of Tennessee whiskey? I suggest stocking up on quite a few fifths now while you have the access, seeing as how the streets will be too overrun for you to care any longer, and as the days go by, you'll start to see your alcohol tolerance rise, thus depleting your supply. If whiskey isn't really your thing, go for the tequila, because it's a party after all. There ain't no party like a zombie party. There's no need to invest in shot glasses though. You won't have the need to show off in front of friends, because in all likeliness, they're either fighting for survival on the streets or already dead. So just kick back and have a drink in their honor. Or don't, and just drink to your lazy genius.

2. Sleep medication: A person filled with (or lacking?) apathy shouldn't have any trouble sleeping during everyday, routine life, but a ghoulish invasion is anything but routine. You may find yourself having trouble catching shut eye when the horde of undead are attempting to beat down your doors and break in through the windows. Even this may not arouse you from your pleasant sixteenth hour of repose though. But how will you sleep through the gunfire, grenade explosions, and screaming women and children being torn limb from limb just outside your house? Even for such a lazy, worry-free person as yourself, constant cries for help will surely require some sort of help sleeping through. Well, try medicated sleeping aids. No more pesky screams ending your dreams of nothingness. Just don't use item number one that day if you go this route.

3. Video games: Every passionless person wanting to survive the overlong boredom of a zombie outbreak will most assuredly need at least one good video game console, and plenty of games, to pass the time. Of course, the chosen games would constitute a library amassed with the likes of Resident Evil, Left 4 Dead, Dead Rising, House of the Dead, and Doom. Just don't count on getting much use out of the zombie maps on Call of Duty: World at War, because, well, the world is definitely at war now. What you don't want is a Wii though. No need to waste precious energy that could be put to better use by doing absolutely nothing instead. A Game Boy is an adequate substitute while on the pot, but its limited fun-ability will quickly run dry, leaving you with no other option than to continue drinking whiskey and passing out on the living room floor.

4. Journal: You'll want to keep a journal or diary handy, to record information on the events that occurred during all of the days you survived without ever really doing anything, or all of the people you could have saved but didn't feel the need to, or simply how much more quickly you can beat Resident Evil 4 with each passing day. There is bound to be at least one lucky person to survive the apocalypse by actually fighting back, and nothing will give you more satisfaction than showing that person, after they've seen such terrible horrors, that if they had just stayed home and relaxed, they might still have a wife and son. The real challenge though will be making more than a week's worth of entries before simply succumbing to only four items needed in a zombie outbreak. I'll leave that up to you, because frankly, I don't care.

5. Robo Chair: You really can't argue with this one (not that you would have the will to). With the advanced technology of the Robo Chair you can perform the simple actions that the other four items require, allowing you to never have to leave the sitting position, except for bathroom breaks and nuking pizza rolls in the microwave of course. And since I'm such a swell guy, here's the link to a site that enables you to order the chair online, meaning you'll never even have to leave your less comfy, less-zombie-invasion-equipped chair until the Robo Chair arrives. Now you no longer have any reason not to make it through the undead war alive, provided you don't starting caring about anything before the outbreak, like women.

The Undead News Thread (20090810.01)

2009-08-10T22:35:00.000-04:00

Hide and Creep

Shoot for the Head is reporting that the special edition for the 2004 indie zombie flick Hide and Creep, inspired by the short film Birthday Call, is being released on DVD October 6th. I've never seen the film myself, but, due to the hilarious trailer, I'll definitely be catching this one once it's out. The dialog alone seems worth it. And I'm digging the blood-covered Grand Am. Here's the link to the official site.

"In the sleepy town of Thorsby, Alabama, no one had a life. Then the dead showed up. Now instead of just killing time the people of Thorsby are killing each other, taking up arms as the zombies take to the streets, the barbecue joints and the strip bars. Soon spaceships are flying overhead, federal agents are patrolling the grounds and a few fearless individuals are joining forces to run like hell."

Source: Shoot for the Head

The Zed-Word Press: "Honest Scrap" and "Great Read Award"

2009-08-09T19:58:00.006-04:00

Don't Say the Zed-Word was recently awarded the "Honest Scrap" award by Geof over at Enter The Man-Cave, a very essential blog that I recently came across. "The Man Cave is my pimped out basement, command center and the only room in my house in which I rule total domain! My lovely blogger wife recommended that I start doing something useful from the confounds of my Man Cave due to my colorful commentary on my travel experiences, love for films, addiction to video games, and devotion to sports." If you've never checked his blog out, then definitely do so. I'm very appreciative of the award, and so the rules are to list ten sites to award and then ten honest things about myself.

This blog's only been up about two months or so now, so until recently, I had only stumbled onto a few sites. I'm only going to do 5 awards because I'd feel too awkward giving an award out when I've only read the most recent posts, and haven't commented much, or at all, yet. Maybe I'll eventually give out my own awards, in which case, by then, I'm sure the list will be much longer. So, without further ado:

1. Radiation Cinema!: The only thing I love as much as zombies? Old b-movie sci-fi flicks. The site's truly beautiful, despite my being partial to the subject matter. Truly an original, amazing blog.

2. The Horror Club: Movie reviews for practically every horror movie in existence. And that's just the start of it. A be-all, end-all things that go bump in the night site, that is quite visually appealing as well.

3. The Vault of Horror: The Vault is one of the first horror blogs I ever started reading. I remember reading it long before I ever started blogging, and it's still one of my favorites.

4. The Zed Word: Zombie Blog: Aaron at The Zed Word was kind enough, and the first, to welcome me to zombie blogging. While I've set out to mostly only feature zombie movies, The Zed Word features all things zombies (reviews, news, festivals, zombie walks, and everything in between).

5. I Like Horror Movies: Carl's horror blog is well-known throughout the blogging community, and with good reason. You'd be hard-pressed to find a man who knows more horror. Period.

I rarely mention anything about myself personally here, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to do so. It might be one of the few times I ever do on Don't Say the Zed-Word. Here are 10 honest things about myself:

1. I'm a metalhead. I go to as many metal concerts as I can afford. Back in eigth grade, which would now be twelve years ago, I started listening to Cradle of Filth before I really even got into Metallica. So, being interchanged in my CD player was Cradle of Filth, Third Eye Blind, and Sugar Ray. True story. My first concert was Rob Zombie.

2. I have three roommates: my brother and two friends.

3. I love hot sauce. I mean, I really love it. If whatever I buy doesn't taste hot enough. I add a bit of the one million scoville pepper extract I have.

4. I was born in Florida. Eventually, my parents decided to move back to their home state of Indiana, and they made me come, too. I'm currently in the midst of correcting this mistake.

5. I go through little "phases". I used to draw and paint, for around 7 or 8 years, and then just quit. I don't even doodle anymore. I used to write poems and short stories, for about a good 9 years, but almost never write anything these days. I also have countless collections of things I never finished collecting.

6. I'm obsessed with Lost.

7. I only watch about 3 hours of television per week. When I first moved out on my own I ended up living without cable for 5 years. I just rented or bought movies, or watched movies online. Now that I have cable, I rarely watch it.

8. I'm a heavy drinker. The courts would agree.

9. I have a tendency to not finish about 1 out of every 4 books, because around 3/4 of the way through, I realize I don't like where the book is heading and keep thinking of how I would write it differently.

10. I'm in the process of teaching myself keys. In my spare time I make (crappy) electronica, which some of it can be found here.

I would also like to acknowledge Radiation Cinema! again, for awarding Don't Say the Zed-Word with the "Great Read Award for Blogs of Horror" about a week and a half ago. Listed among other great horror blogs (which I've started reading) was a nice write-up on Don't Say the Zed-Word. Hopefully you've already checked out Radiation Cinema!, but if not: "On July 16th, 1945, the first atomic bomb test, Trinity, was detonated at the White Sands Missile Range . Welcome to the Atomic Age! It was not at all immediately clear what this new age would bring. New words were buzzing around, none of which had pleasant associations: plutonium, uranium, fission, chain reaction, Little Boy, Fat Man; but the most disturbing of all was a word that created in the mind an image of a slow, unstoppable, scientific death: RADIATION! The Bomb was America's weapon and was supposed to create a feeling of security, right? Nope. Not even close. Judging by the great sci-fi and B movies of the era, nothing was to be trusted. We were now subject to a variety of calamities, including: animal mutation, human mutation, profound paranoia, soul corruption, alien invasion (both human and non-human in the form of Communism), Biblical retribution, insane scientific experimentation, the walking dead, pestilence, famine, war, death – pale horse and pale rider – the whole kit and caboodle. In short, the golden era of science fiction and B-movie cinema!"

It's truly a kind gesture, and special thanks goes out to both Mykal at Radiation Cinema! and Geof at Enter The Man-Cave for both awards. I would also like to thank everyone that follows and takes the time to read my blog. I appreciate every person that stops by and comments. As I said earlier today, I haven't updated quite as often as when I started, but I'll have a little more time on my hands and fully intend to get back into the swing of this. Stay tuned for more news and reviews.

Weekly Video: Tofu the Vegan Zombie in Zombie Dearest

2009-08-09T13:09:00.001-04:00

Head on over to the official site for more information. Special thanks goes out to the Mail Order Zombie site for bringing this one to my attention. Go here to check that site out as well.

More frequent updates are coming again soon. Sorry. I've just been a little busy lately.

The Undead News Thread (20090806.01)

2009-08-06T00:12:00.003-04:00

Zombieland

Thanks to JoBlo, we have the official red band trailer for the upcoming Zombieland, starring Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, and Abigail Breslin, and even a cameo by none other than Bill Murray (as a zombie). "In the horror comedy Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus is a big wuss -- but when you're afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee is an AK-toting, zombie-slaying' bad ass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita and Little Rock, who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies." I think I'm loving the feel of the movie even more than the last trailer. It looks more violent than I expected it to be, so hopefully the comedy is just as good, too. The Ruben Fleisher-directed mayhem begins on October 9th.

Source: JoBlo

Weekly Video: How to Survive a Zombie Attack

2009-08-02T08:43:00.000-04:00

The Undead News Thread (20090801.01)

2009-08-01T18:48:00.002-04:00

[REC] 2

Today, The Arrow treated us to the newest trailer for the sequel to the amazing Spanish zombie film, [REC]. To be honest, it's more of a teaser really, but still enough to get everyone pumped for the movie. I know I'm not in the minority when I say that the original was groundbreaking and completely chock full of fright and drenching gore. Near horror masterpiece even.

"Written and directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, both of whom returned from the previous film, the story takes place hours after the events of the first film with Filmax International describing it as having 'the same claustrophobic concept' as [REC] but with 'new means of transferring fear from the screen to the spectator through the recording lens.'"

You can still view the original trailer here, which I find to be slightly more engaging, despite both trailers being quite short anyhow. Look at that. I made it through a whole [REC] news segment without mentioning Quarantine. Oops...

Source: Arrow in the Head

August 2009 Pin-Up Girl: Rose Byrne

2009-08-01T17:49:00.007-04:00

Of Irish and Scottish descent, Mary Rose Byrne broke into acting in 1994's Dallas Doll. Turning in amazing performances in films such as Troy, Wicker Park, Marie Antoinette, Just Buried, and The Tender Hook, Rose Byrne is more than just a hottie from Australia. I thought her acting was subtle and amazing in all of these movies, Troy being the first time seeing her on screen (unless you count Star Wars: Episode II), but my favorites would definitely be Sunshine, Damages (though I've only seen the first season), and, of course, 28 Weeks Later. I'm even debating watching that recent shit Nic Cage movie, Knowing, with Byrne being the sole purpose. Interesting story about Troy: Rose was originally tipped to play Helen of Troy, but she felt more affinity for the character of Brisies. She's also co-starring in the Forgetting Sarah Marshall spin-off, Get Him to the Greek, with Jonah Hill and Russell Brand, due out next year.

In 28 Weeks Later, sequel to the zombie film 28 Days Later, Rose Byrne co-starred as Scarlet, a doctor in the newly militarized, quarantined section of London after the initial outbreak roughly 6 months prior. While Rose doesn't do much zombie-slaying herself in the film, surrounded by children and leaderless soldiers, her character becomes the voice of reason to the group. So that definitely qualifies her as August's Pin-Up Girl. SPOILER: "In the shooting script, it is Scarlet who is burnt to death whilst trying to get the car started and Doyle who is beaten to death by Don in the subway. Writer/director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and writer/producer Enrique López Lavigne changed this at the last minute because they felt that killing Doyle first and leaving the children with Scarlet would create more tension for the audience, as leaving the children with Scarlet as opposed to Doyle makes them seem more vulnerable."

She's gorgeous, intelligent, modest, soft-spoken, and she doesn't give off that typical Hollywood bitchy actress aura that most seem to have these days. She's also one of the few actresses that can act through her eyes alone. I'd even go so far as to say she's the most beautiful actress working today. Well, aside from Monica Bellucci, but that's just unfair competition. I'm pretty open-minded, but this one isn't up for debate. If your girlfriend isn't slightly jealous of Rose Byrne, then the only possible explanation is that you're dating Rose Byrne. Lucky bastard.

Weekly Video: "Dead Skin Mask" - Slayer

2009-07-26T11:45:00.002-04:00

In honor of seeing Slayer last night at Mayhem Festival, "dance with the dead." Get the War at the Warfield DVD here at Amazon.

The Undead News Thread (20090724.01)

2009-07-24T18:23:00.002-04:00

Resident Evil: Afterlife

The newest addition to the video game-based series of movies has been getting a lot of press lately (see here). Well, now Arrow in the Head is reporting: "First up Anderson announces that the film will be coming at us in 3D using the same camera system that James Cameron used for AVATAR! Secondly Anderson hopes that RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE will be the start of a whole new RESIDENT EVIL trilogy and that it'll have the largest budget of all the RESIDENT EVIL films. He doesn't even see AFTERLIFE as the fourth installment to the franchise. Instead he sees it more as a rebirth of the franchise. And lastly it seems AFTERLIFE and it's subsequent sequels will feature previous characters from both the RESIDENT EVIL movies as well as the video games."

It has also been reported that Anderson is back in the director's seat, which I personally rejoice in, due to the fact that he has only directed the first film, the only truly good one. I often wondered how much of his script was edited or blatantly destroyed by other directors and producers, especially in Apocalypse. Now I'll have the chance to see if it was all just a fluke in the original. I'm not too keen on the movie being 3-D, since there's such a craze going on with it right now (My Bloody Valentine and the upcoming remake of Piranha), but maybe zombies in 3-D could be pretty damn cool. I'm also happy to hear that other characters from the games will be making appearance in this new trilogy, but hopefully they're more fleshed out than Jill Valentine and Claire Redfield were in Apocalypse and Extinction, respectively. I'm praying Afterlife puts this series back on track. Or am I the only one who feels Apocalypse was terrible and Extinction mediocre?

Source: Arrow in the Head

Film Review: House of the Dead II - Dead Aim (2006)

2009-07-23T00:45:00.003-04:00

Directed by Michael Hurst, written by Mark A. Altman and Mark Gottwald, and starring Emmanuelle Vaugier, Ed Quinn, Sticky Fingaz, Victoria Pratt, Nadine Velazquez, and Ellie Cornell.

"In Guesta Verde University, the deranged Professor Curien is trying to bring back the dead, killing students for the experiment. There is an outbreak of zombies in the campus, and the government sends a NSA medical research team, formed by Dr. Alexandra Morgan a.k.a. Nightingale and lieutenant Ellis, with a special force leaded by lieutenant Dalton, trying to get the zero sample from the first generation zombie. The team has a very short time to accomplish their mission and leave the place before missiles are sent to destroy the area. However, the place is crowded of hyper sapiens and the group has to fight to survive."

"Director Uwe Boll did not return to the sequel due to his commitment to BloodRayne (2005). When asked about the "Dead" sequel during its production, Boll himself wished the crew 'good luck.'" And with that we enter into the rare realm of a sequel surpassing the original, in almost every respect. Gone is the camp, and the terrible action filming, and here we have a more serious approach to horror, though in the end it falls a bit flat. Though the the original's successor is somewhat stale, one has to find it a bit noteworthy in the fact that one of the screenplay writers was present for both movies: Mark A. Altman. There is still some tacky dialog here and there, that could in all probability be blamed on him, but the sole fault of the original's mess seems to rest on Uwe Boll's shoulders.

Even though the title makes less sense this time around, with the movie centering around a college campus, the second in the series based off the Sega arcade games is superior in many respects. Even a few new ideas to the zombie sub-genre are thrown into the mix, namely infection being able to spread through mosquito bites. The acting is slightly improved, mainly by to two leads: Emmanuelle Vaugier and Ed Quinn, two AMS agents. There are ties to the original, but not too many to drag it down to its level. Even "Ellie Cornell returned as Colonel Jordan Casper even though, in House of the Dead, her character died. Casper was inserted during a script rewrite." There are a few laughs to be had, but overall, the movie is darker and more serious in tone. Here and there you'll see references to other films, such as Ghostbusters and even Boll's Alone in the Dark. With the success of its rival video game adaptation Resident Evil, one can see many similarities hoping to draw in more of its fans. It's not overly prominent, but enough for zombie fans to notice.

Aside from the better action sequences and more competent acting, I found myself enjoying quite a few scenes, specifically fighting the undead football players on the field and one great scene features a stand-off between two female special forces soldiers and the team asshole, who reminds me a little too much of Jeffery Combs, although the outcome leaves a little more to be desired. Without spoiling anything, if the situation had gone down differently, it could have made for an interesting twist in the final thirty or so minutes.

Regardless, I found this SciFi premiere, zombie sequel to be a better paced, more engaging film than its predecessor. No alcohol needed. Though most fans seem to be practically unanimous on this, critics have panned it almost across the board: "[It's] the cinematic equivalent of a rectal exam. Uncomfortable, embarrassing, painful, disconcerting, you just want it to end already, and when you're done you're bitter and sour. And you can't shake that feeling that you've been violated." I have a feeling that the reviewer spent more time coming up with something witty to say than the whole time he sat through the 95-minute movie. Also, look for the always awesome Sid Haig at the beginning as the college professor who started this whole epidemic.

Best quote: "Hey, zombies don't read. And they ain't hooked on phonics. So give it a rest."

The R-Town Zombie Invasion

2009-07-23T00:21:00.005-04:00

My friends and I have a plan for the inevitable outbreak, like all good zombie fans do. We live in a somewhat rural area, but near enough to major cities to have us a little worried that, not only will the zombies eventually reach us, but scared people would soon be flocking to our local towns for shelter, food, and distance from the living dead. We all agree that they most definitely should be Romero's slow, half-decaying corpses instead of Boyle and Snyder's infected, sprinting zombies, because otherwise we'd be screwed. I write in my spare time, but I don't write zombie fan fiction. Most good ideas have already been had at this point anyway. But about a year ago, after discussing our plan at length, I decided to give it a shot in a short, rhyming story. So, addressing a little shameless self-promotion, here you go. And yes, the language is a bit excessive. Wouldn't have it any other way:

I was headed out on my way to work when I walked by a passive retail clerk who had empty eyes and a blank look. So I stopped him and threw a right hook, and grabbed the tire iron behind the seat and beat him down to the concrete. I knew this poor bastard had been bit and he would probably never make it. The R-town zombie invasion had begun. I knew the undead had finally come.

So I called Tyler and Sheebs, but they were already on their way to see me. There was a group between our trucks. So we sped up, jumped out and ducked. The sky lit up and left the group dead 'cause of all the nitroglycerin in the bed that I keep for situations just like this, 'cause I always knew that zombies exist. Out of ammo, so we went to the gun store ’cause we’d been through this before, but the guy at the desk had that same look and thirst. So we shot that fuck first.

I saw some zombie kids headed off to school, but to them I couldn't be as cruel. Rather than shoot them in the head, I ran them over with a school bus instead. John lopped off the head of an old bitch and she fell down and started to twitch. Kevin beat in a ghoul's brain with a spade like he was on a fucking crusade, and tore off another's arm with his own hands and beat down a marching band. Brock pushed a shopping cart full of kerosene at some fat chicks with ice cream and shot off a round that blew off their faces, and their hair, and their braces.

We hit the streets with shotguns and grenades as the zombies began to invade, and decided we probably needed an assist, so we called all our friends to enlist, but none of 'em lasted too long 'cause it was only we who had been ready all along. We blew up the mall and shot up Wal-Mart, but all of that was just the start. I rigged explosives to McDonald’s and BK, and then burned down China Buffet. We attacked every place where people go and left Richmond with a new asshole.

We hit the quarries on 121 and 227, 'cause the damned don't get into Heaven, and took two giant dump trucks 'cause they were dead and didn't give a fuck. Then we siphoned gas from Speedway and Shell after we sent them all to Hell, and turned the town into a police state and then we reassembled for our fate to blockade all of the roads and doors and load back up to prepare for more.

With Molotov cocktails and machetes, the fucking undead will never be ready for the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who severe heads and empty clips like a little kid begging for some candy. So sit back and crack open the brandy and celebrate the end of this shithole town as we four turn it all upside down. When you see us next you may want to grin. Otherwise we’ll have to kill again. The pandemic will spread across the USA. I've waited my whole life for this Z-Day.

END.

Here's a little hint: are they really zombies or do we want this to happen so bad that we jumped the gun? So, do you have a Z-Day plan?

Film Review: House of the Dead (2003)

2009-07-22T18:56:00.009-04:00

Directed by Uwe Boll, written by Mark A. Altman and Dan Bates, and starring Jonathan Cherry, Tyron Leitso, Clint Howard, and Ona Grauer.

"This film is a prequel to all of the The House of the Dead video games. Set on an island off the coast, a techno rave party attracts a diverse group of college coeds and a Coast Guard officer. Soon, they discover that their X-laced escapades are to be interrupted by zombies and monsters that attack them on the ground, from the air, and in the sea, ruled by an evil entity in the House of the Dead..."

Supposedly taking place before the events on the light gun arcade game of the same name, which was produced by Sega in 1996, House of the Dead features not only the corny turn-table technique 360° shots for its characters in battle, but also thirty-two, count them, thirty-two clips from the series of games themselves. The former of the two is actually the last film to feature this camera technique, for fear of risking an actor's life. But Uwe Boll didn't seem to have a problem. Nor was he concerned with a relevant plot, cohesive dialog, or any form of entertainment, at least the kind that isn't made at his expense.

I watched this movie again the other night, for the first time in years. It may very well be only the second viewing, and though I didn't hate it as much as the first time, I can't say I truly enjoyed any part of the movie except for the unintentionally ridiculous script and how amazing Ona Grauer looks in rave gear. Aside from that, there is nothing worth saving this movie from being burned in a summer bonfire. I suppose if you have an illegal copy on a DVD-RW you could always rewrite over it with something more point worthy. If that isn't an option and you don't want to waste the money you spent buying it on chance, then invite a few of your buddies over, knock back a case of beer, and laugh it up Mystery Science Theater-style.

The acting is terrible, criminal even, the monologues and voice-overs are painful to your brain, like a blow to the head, and in the end, the only thing worse for someone to endure without the aid of alcohol is probably meth. "Reviews were so bad that Danish cinemas refused to buy it." While the action is one of the film's strong points, the "big finale" is unpleasing to say the least, by being dragged down with constant slow-motion and the above mentioned rotating camera featuring every still surviving member of your teammates...I'm sorry, I mean "of the cast". I kept looking for my blue light gun to point at the television, thinking I had dropped it while pointing it away from the screen to reload.

The film's other saving grace (well, not that it really has one)? Actor Jürgen Prochnow, who's had many prominent roles in movie such as: The Da Vinci Code, Air Force One, Beerfest, The English Patient, and The Seventh Sign, just to name a few. How Boll got him signed on for this shitfest I will never know. Then again, Boll has a knack for signing big name stars for bombs being dropped on the box office. I can't think of one reason to ever need to watch this film again. I think it's sucked enough enjoyment away from me to last a good while. If you feel otherwise, like I said, down a few brews with friends and have a laugh at Boll's expense. He deserves every bit of it. The sequel, not directed by Boll, is an improvement, if only slightly.

Best quote: Rudy-"You did all this to become immortal. Why?" Castillo-"To live forever!"

The Undead News Thread (20090722.01)

2009-07-22T17:54:00.003-04:00

Doctor "S" Battles the Sex Crazed Reefer Zombies: The Movie

The Arrow reported today on a new zombie flick headed our way, calling it "a throwback to the horror films of the 50s and 60s, REEFER ZOMBIES is a black and white B movie (and proud of it) from director Bryan Ortiz." These reefer zombies have already taken the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the San Antionio Film Festival earlier this year, and looks to be well on its way to tearing up other festivals soon. Here's the official site, official Myspace page, and its own Facebook, for more information. And if it doesn't sound interesting enough already, here's the lengthy synopsis and a trailer:

"In a quiet American town, life has decidedly slowed down to a crawl. A small group of scientists have unwittingly unleashed a horrible force upon the town. Mary Jane, the all American sweetheart, parks on Make Out Hill with her boyfriend Billy Everybody. He smokes some of the reefer and is suddenly transformed into a sex- crazed reefer zombie. Just as Billy lunges forward he is pulled out of the car and thrown to ground and shot. Mary Jane looks at her brutal savior, Dr. S. Dr S. battles his way back to the city, while dragging Mary Jane behind him. While Mary Jane tries to come to grip with the possible reality of her family dead and asks Dr. S to explain how this all happened. Dr. S tells her of how he and his team developed the reefer for the military to use as a weapon, but it was too unstable. In a last ditch effort to create a more stable strain of the reefer, Dr. S tested some on himself. The reefer changed him, made him strong, but filled with an uncontrollable rage. Unable to stop himself Dr. S killed his whole team. Convincing Mary Jane there is a cure, Dr. S vows to set things right."

Source: Arrow in the Head

The Undead News Thread (20090721.01)

2009-07-21T18:39:00.003-04:00

Survival of the Dead

"The latest zombie opus follows a war-weary band of soldiers who are lured to a remote island that promises to be the last paradise on earth, only to discover that even here there is no escape from the appetites of either the living or the dead."

Well, George Romero's new film is no longer titled simply "...of the Dead". The new entry in Romero's now six-strong series is called: Survival of the Dead. It doesn't really have the great ring to it that I was expecting, but it does bring to mind a question or two. For instance, is he implying that the "dead" are the ones now fighting for survival? If, continuing with the social commentary of Land of the Dead, we may very well see a shift in the plot, which is nothing new for Romero. This could also just be me reading too much into the title, but if not, this could very much lead to an interesting new change of course.

"The film will have its WORLD premiere at the "Midnight Madness" section (of TIFF) come September. Says Romero, 'We’re in the final stages of post-production and it’s great to come up for air and find out the film’s been chosen to appear at the Festival. It’s just a terrific honor.'" Here's a few pre-release screens, and you can find the rest over at Bloody-Disgusting. Just click for the larger image. It's time to get pumped for Romero's next great feast for the eyes and the mind, like all good zombies should do.

Source: Bloody-Disgusting

6 Common Zombie Movie Misconceptions

2009-07-20T22:02:00.006-04:00

Some people think they know what zombies are. That's a very crazy notion they've let sneak into their bowl for a head that's full of zombie food, if you ask me. Over the last seventy-seven years we've seen the definition of "zombie" change dramatically. Some people think George Romero created zombies. Those people don't watch movies. Some people think zombies have rules and guidelines, like when you're the son of a famous parody director, or the writer of a black and white comic book. You want zombie commandments? Book a flight to Haiti or West Africa. Otherwise, just read cheap fan-fiction, which is no more the truth than the word of Romero. So, what are some common misconceptions about zombies and the undead in cinema history?

1. First zombie movie: White Zombie in 1932. You can't dispute this one, so don't even try. Thirty-six years before George Romero "invented" zombies, Victor Halperin's White Zombie mysteriously did the same thing. Unless you don't believe the world existed before 1968 (which is ironically when Romero made the world end), then everyone must acknowledge this as the very first zombie movie. And who better to create the first on-screen zombies than Bela Lugosi? Exactly.

2. First deviation from the definition of a zombie: Night of the Living Dead in 1968. Zombies eat human flesh? That doesn't sound right. Let me check my dictionary that I have right here at all times. Well, I'm be damned (just not the resurrected kind). George Romero was the first person to change the definition of a zombie. Not Danny Boyle. Now I can stop giving 28 Days/Weeks Later such a hard time, and apologize to him. Oh, wait. Boyle never called them zombies. Now I'm twice the asshole. And I'm finished with the sarcasm (thrice for those keeping count).

3. First full speed, running zombie: S. William Hinzman's cemetery zombie in Night of the Living Dead in 1968. That's right. The first flesh-eating zombie to ever chase a living person on screen was running after a car and trying to bust in the windows. Simple inconsistency or not, Romero needs to can his "zombies don't run" talk. I love Romero. I truly do. But he screwed up. And he screwed up first. Remember that.

4. First zombie to speak: Bub from Day of the Dead in 1985. Only the coolest zombie from what I consider to be "the" zombie movie masterpiece. Bub was also the first zombie that fans rooted for. Well, that may be debatable, depending on how much of a jerk you are. You don't like it when zombies speak in all of these new movies? Tough. Once again, blame Romero.

5. First vegetarian zombie: Bud from Day of the Dead in 2008. Now if, judging by my last one, I consider the original to be the supreme living dead film, and can sit through this myself, and enjoy it (marginally), then surely you can, too. When I first saw this, and Bud, the vegetarian, became a zombie who didn't eat his friends, I thought, "That's a pretty creative idea, but surely this isn't the first movie to do that." Well, I was wrong. It was. Yes, you read correctly: a remake of a classic with an original idea. I suppose we're all a little too quick to judge. Then again, that was a very minor element of the story, so...the movie still blew.

6. First zombie movie remake: Zombie Holocaust (aka Zombi Holocaust, aka Zombie 3, aka Doctor Butcher, M.D.) in 1980 was, for better or worse, a remake of Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2, released only one year before the Holocaust "reimagining," or whatever they call it these days. Though you won't find it called a remake anywhere, the similarities are closer than any remakes nowadays: "Zombie Holocaust uses Zombi II cast members (most notably Ian McCulloch and Dakar in nearly identical roles); both movies are set in New York and on a tropical island location; the climax in both movies features the zombies perishing in a hospital/church fire; some shooting locations are the same (especially the church); Zombie Holocaust uses footage from Zombi II, like the burning church and the camera panning across the lake with the landrover driving along the side of it; in some markets, Zombie Holocaust was released as Zombie 3; and both movies feature a main character named Peter." Try saying this isn't a remake with a straight face. Now get off Zach Snyder's back.

(Bonus) First recorded case of a zombie in real life: Jesus Christ (32 AD). Offensive or sacrilegious as it may sound, he was. I'm not the first person to understand this. And I won't be the only one to burn in Hell for thinking it.

People hypnotized by voodoo are zombies. The dead returning to life are zombies. Unlucky, alien-infested rednecks are zombies. Virus-infected, violent Englishmen are zombies. There are many causes to the effect, including but never limited to: radiation poisoning, toxic spills, evil spirits (from ancient books of the dead or otherwise), simian rage experiments, mad scientists, cancer cures, asteroids, alien viruses, military super-weapons, Sumatran rat-monkeys, Hell is overflowing, and simply the vengeful wrath of God. Sometimes there isn't even a reason presented. Some eat human flesh. Some eat human brains. Some will even eat animals or organic foods from companies that employ them. And in rare instances, some return from the dead and purge mankind of sin. But with how often that happens, it's better to shoot first and ask questions later.

Removing the head or destroying the brain sometimes works. Otherwise, you'll have to burn them in an incendiary or electrocute them. They aren't always violent though. While some manage to even speak, many others can actually blend into society with several people none the wiser. Some like to dance. Some frequent shopping malls and high school proms. Some are household pets and butlers. Some are Nazis. Some wield weapons. Some, while dead, can still give birth. Some are immortal because they want to live forever. Sheep can be zombies. Chickens can be zombies. Even Dobermans, crocodiles, and crows are unsafe. Some shamble around from the rigor mortise and some run as fast as a living person. Decay can take weeks, days, or even seconds. The truth is, a zombie is no longer truly defined in this present cinema-scape. So you'd better start getting used to it, because in the war on zombies, those that get left behind are already dead.

The Undead News Thread (20090719.02)

2009-07-19T21:58:00.002-04:00

The Dead Outside

"In a stark and terrifying future, a pandemic has transformed the general populace into murderous maniacs. Two of the uninfected, Daniel and April, meet on a remote Scottish farm. In spite of the situation outside the razor wire-encrusted walls of the farm, Daniel is certain there is both a cure and a solution. April has seen too much already in her 16 years on the dreadful and infected planet and clings to horrifying memories and the smoking barrel of her gun. Daniel has a number of hair-raising close calls with the infected. However, he ultimately finds the real enemy may not be the virus, but something equally deadly. THE DEAD OUTSIDE is a beautifully crafted nightmare within a nightmare. This film is presented flawlessly and delivers a haunting sense of ongoing fear and unsettling anticipation. THE DEAD OUTSIDE will scare you senseless!"

Directed by Kerry Anne Mullaney, who also wrote the screenplay with Kris R. Bird, The Dead Outside was originally premiered at the London FrightFest Film Festival on August 25th, 2008, then eventually at festivals in other parts of the UK, and most recently in San Fransisco, California, this past June. Though not officially zombies, these "dead outside" tend to look more like the infected from 28 Days/Weeks Later and Pontypool, which still lives in the realm of zombie, despite the best wishes of "purists" (who seem to overlook voodoo zombies). Amazingly, the film was shoot in only a mere 15 days, which is a great feat in itself. You can read more on the film's official site and its Myspace page. There's no definite date for a DVD release, but you can sign up here to receive information when everything is finalized.

Source: Another Hole in the Head

Film Review: The Last Man on Earth (1964)

2009-07-19T19:15:00.006-04:00

Directed by Ubaldo Ragona and Sidney Salkow, written by Furio M. Monetti, Ubaldo Ragona, William Leicester, and Richard Matheson (as Logan Swanson), and starring Vincent Price, Franca Bettoia, Emma Danieli, and Giacomo Rossi-Stuart.

"Dr. Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) is the only survivor of a devastating world-wide plague due to a mysterious immunity he acquired to the bacterium while working in Central America years ago. He is all alone now...or so it seems. As night falls, plague victims begin to leave their graves, part of a hellish undead army that''s thirsting for blood...his!"

Though technically a vampire flick, the book that the movie is based off of, Richard Matheson's I am Legend, was the main inspiration for George Romero's Night of the Living Dead, four years after this film adaptation released. One could also say that the manner of the vampires and the way they move and act is instead much closer to the modern interpretation of zombies. So I think I can let this one non-zombie movie slide considering we may never have seen very many living dead movies over the years without Matheson's novel. To me, not reviewing this fine piece of cinema would have been blasphemy. It's a landmark in film history and is greatly underrated and under-appreciated. The film has been remade three times since this version with Vincent Price: The Omega Strain (1971) with Charlton Heston, the unofficial adaptation I am Omega (2007), and I am Legend (2007) with Will Smith.

For whatever reason, "Richard Matheson felt Vincent Price was miscast as Robert Morgan," but I can't honestly think of one instance when I felt Price's acting faltered, nor in any other movie he's starred in. From his cleaning up of the dead bodies littered throughout the city, to his constant barricading of his home, to the ever-pursuit of ridding the world of vampires, section by section, Robert Morgan deals with the pain and feeling of loss of living in a dead world full of maleficent creatures. You feel his plague of loneliness and seclusion from the world his used to know, most especially in his old family videos of his wife and daughter during a circus, which leads into flashbacks. It begins with his finding out about Europe's plague from his colleague at his daughter's birthday party. This is one element of the film in which I feel drags the movie down a bit, but not much. It's one of my favorite and least favorite parts of the movie, due to its necessary back-story, but also due to its length. It takes up a good portion of the middle, and without it, would have been little more than an hour really. Another fault is the poorly recorded post-production dubbing, which is more noticeable in the flashbacks than "present day." It tends to convey an amateur effect to the production of the movie, and that's unfortunate.

Many are right, in the fact that the movie plays out more like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone. But this doesn't sway me against it in any way. I grew up on the old, black and white series (though in the form of re-runs), and I got a certain satisfaction from noticing this myself. The movie itself is beautiful in its cinematography, though to a keen eye, to resemblant to Italy (where it was filmed) to truly be an nameless American city. It's eerie and claustrophobic, despite a good portion of the movie taking place outdoors. With streets and buildings empty, and no people or animals to be found (except a little dog that Morgan is barely given time to befriend), the whole world feels absolutely barren and devoid of life. It's no wonder that, after three dreadful years, Morgan is slipping into anger, depression, and even insanity with nothing to comfort him, save for old home videos, cigarettes, scotch, and the ever-near undead.

I've never read the novel myself, though I need to, but others have said that this film is the closest adaptation to its original content, and it rightfully should be. Author Richard Matheson helped write the screenplay himself, but in the end, was displeased with it, and used a psuedoname instead. What it does basically keep intact, though, is the title's meaning, which Will Smith's I am Legend failed to do. I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it, but I will say that few movies have such a powerful conclusion to measure up or compare, that it simply leaves me wondering why more people don't fully appreciate this movie for not only all that it is, but all that it has inspired since. You owe it to yourself to see it. I've seen this many times over the years, but if you haven't, then you can watch the full movie for free, now that it's in public domain, on YouTube, which is actually better looking than the copy I purchased a couple of weeks ago. Figures.

Best quote: "You're freaks! I'm a man! The last man..."

The Undead News Thread (20090719.01)

2009-07-19T15:37:00.004-04:00

The Hell Patrol

"Lt. Sandy Fletcher leads her squad of beat up 'Hell Patrollers' across a post-zombalyptic wasteland, to the safe city of San Francisco after a failed scrounging mission in Modesto, California. Her squad finds refuge in an abandoned farmhouse and they fortify the grounds for a possible attack. Lt. Fletcher, Sgt. Mark Daniels, Cpl. Chopper, Pvt. Mcwatt and Maj. Karl Brickhaus must fight their way through the unending wave of the undead to get home."

"The war's over, and we lost." At the helm is first-time director Turner Van Ryn, the film takes place in the wake of a zombie apocalypse. According to MoviesOnline, The Hell Patrol is "heavily influenced by Romero, World War Z and 'The Walking Dead' graphic novel." The release date is TBA 2009, but I'll keep you updated. You can find out more at Myspace and Facebook. The movie has quite a few cool looking posters as well, as seen below.

Source: MoviesOnline

Weekly Video: Danger 50,000 Volts - Zombies

2009-07-19T12:41:00.001-04:00

Featuring Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, of Shaun of the Dead fame. Buy the full series of Danger 50,000 Volts (with seven episodes in all) right here at Amazon.

The Undead News Thread (20090718.01)

2009-07-18T19:35:00.001-04:00

Romeo & Juliet vs. The Living Dead

"When Juliet, of noble Capulet birth, falls madly in love with Romeo, a zombie, the streets of fair Verona explode in an ancient feud. As the star crossed lovers struggle to overcome the prejudice toward their unholy union, Juliet's best friend Mercutio fights to win her heart back from Romeo's rotting grasp. As this timeless tragedy unfolds into a fresh new comedy, Mercutio finds that he may have to choose between Juliet's happiness and his own life."

"Romeo & Juliet vs. The Living Dead sounds like a ridiculous title that suggests a ridiculous movie. Taking one of literature's greatest stories and slamming it together with the horror sub-genre of the zombie film. But almost in spite, or even because of its ridiculousness, therein lies the potential for a fun motion picture." Written and directed by Ryan Denmark, the flick promises to mash-up these two, well-liked ideas into something of a new classic. While obviously low-budget, only time will tell how well the flick pans out. I'm not sure if this is considered blasphemy or not, seeing as how I'm quite a fan of the original and even the modern-esque remake, despite its flaws. Anyway, Romeo & Juliet vs. The Living Dead just finished playing at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June, and you can find more details at its official site.

Source: Blogcritics

The Undead News Thread (20090717.02)

2009-07-17T22:46:00.001-04:00

Zombieland

Today we have two new screen caps for Zombieland that I've borrowed from Bloody-Disgusting who borrowed from Entertainment Weekly. "In the horror comedy Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus is a big wuss -- but when you're afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee is an AK-toting, zombie-slaying' bad ass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita and Little Rock, who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies."

You can find more pictures and news about the movie here, here, here, and here, because apparently this is the fifth time I've reported on it without realizing it until now. You can also find new stills of two other new horror movies at BD: Pandorum and Thirst. I'm looking forward to all three of these flicks. On a side note, I'm worn-out from a long week, restless, hyped up on too many energy drinks, and my presently short attention span is preventing me from completing the movie reviews I had planned on writing this evening. That's why I'm instead wasting my time posting two little pics from a movie that, by now, everyone has heard about. Anyway, here's the trailer for z-movie Zombieland, which even Bill Murray has a cameo in as a zombie:

Source: Bloody-Disgusting

The Undead News Thread (20090717.01)

2009-07-17T22:29:00.004-04:00

Resident Evil: Afterlife

Bloody-Disgusting is reporting that "Sony Screen Gems' Resident Evil: Afterlife, the fourth pic in the game-to-film franchise, is slated to go behind cameras for an 8 week shoot September 28th at Cinespace Film Studios in Toronto. The studio has plopped the film on their release calendars for September 17, 2010. No word on who will be returning just yet, but the plot is said to take us to Tokyo for more Umbrella Corporation zombie mayhem." I previously discussed RE: Afterlife here and here. I can't say I'm much looking forward to this. The first was a decent video game adaptation (albeit not very inspired), though still flawed. But the second was atrocious, and the third was only marginally improved. Then again, it's hard to grow tired of Milla Jovovich doing stunts, martial arts, and spouting off cheesy one-liners. Yeah, I'll be there.
Source: Bloody-Disgusting

The Undead News Thread (20090715.03)

2009-07-15T22:25:00.003-04:00

The Eaters

"A Brooklyn band, General Malacarne, is practicing when once again, the power goes out. Little do they know that this blackout is unlike any other, and that while they relax and smoke up in the basement, everyone above ground is being transformed into vicious, undead eating machines. Will the band make it out of Brooklyn? Will they too become flesh eating monsters? Will their stash go dry? THE EATERS is the only horror comedy brave enough to find out."

Directed by Katie Carman and written by Elizabeth Lee, this independent horror film started playing on June 26th in New York at the Anthology Film Archives. I previously reported on The Eaters here and here, and is also currently featured in The Watchtower. But I felt it deserved another look, seeing as how I barely gave any information regarding its release or its source sites. You could say that I was a bit lazy when first reporting. "The Eaters was chosen as an official selection of The Long Island International Film Expo, and the NewFilmmakers Summer Series at Anthology Film Archives." Its last showing was on the 14th in Bellmore, New York, and is scheduled next on the 29th at at the Anthology Film Archives in New York. Go see it if it's near you. You can find more information on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and its official site of Cold Hand Productions here. I'll keep you posted on future showings and other details. It's just too bad the local film festivals here don't play hip shit like this.

Update: "Our New Filmmakers screening at Anthology got re-zeduled!! It was 7/29/09 but got moved to TUES. AUGUST 4th at 8PM. -Katie and Liz"

Source: Cold Hand Productions

The Undead News Thread (20090715.02)

2009-07-15T22:01:00.001-04:00

Last of the Living

"A highly contagious virus is spreading throughout the land. With one bite, it’s only hours before victims will turn into zombies and hunt for human flesh. Morgan, Ash, and Johnny might just be the only humans left, but they don’t seem to mind and find enjoyment lounging around in their underwear living in vacant homes."

Last of the Living is a low budget, New Zealand zombie comedy written and directed by first-timer Logan McMillan. First impressions are that the movie looks fantastically hilarious. And, damn, do I need that zombie-rigged '69 Ford Cortina. According to Gorilla Pictures on IMDb: "Got pulled over by the police driving it around and shooting scenes in downtown Christchurch on Xmas morning 2007 at 6am. But luckily they let us off with a warning - said if they caught us again they would throw the book at us." The movie has a Myspace page and Facebook page, and you can find the official site for Gorilla Pictures here. The movie is currently out in Germany and the UK, but no news on a Region 1 release as of yet. On a side note, though the title fits perfectly, how cool would the tagline be as a title instead: "Those Damned Dead Just Won't Die"? Eh, maybe not.

Source: Palace of Horror

The Undead News Thread (20090715.01)

2009-07-15T17:56:00.007-04:00

[REC] / O.C. Babes and the Slasher of Zombietown / Zombie Pack

Three zombie DVD's released yesterday, including [REC], O.C. Babes and the Slasher of Zombietown, and Zombie Pack, the latter which comprises of Zombi 3, Zombie 4: After Death, and Zombie 5: Killing Birds. Unfortunately, Slasher of Zombietown and Zombie Pack are Blockbuster exclusives for now, as well as the Special Edition of [REC], if you plan on renting. I haven't reported on Slasher of Zombietown yet, and to be honest, I know little about it. Here are the gruesome details of each:

[REC]: "From Executive Producers who brought you Quarantine, comes the movie that inspired the terror. A beautiful TV reporter (Manuela Velasco, Law of Desire) and her cameraman are doing a routine interview at a local fire station when an emergency call comes in. Accompanying the firefighters to a nearby apartment, the news team begins recording the bloodcurdling screams coming from inside an elderly woman's unit. After authorities seal off the building to contain the threat, the news crew, firefighters and residents are trapped to face a lethal terror inside. With the camera running, nothing may survive but the film itself."

O.C. Babes and the Slasher of Zombietown: "Different groups of OC stereotypes are trapped in a bar due to a recent zombie outbreak. Little do they know that the Orange County Slasher who has been killing people all week is trapped inside with them. OC Babes and the Slasher of Zombietown is a horror/comedy that starts off when Sean and Ed (if you caught that one this is right up your alley) go out to a bar for the first time for Sean's 21st birthday. There, they meet Madison (the bitch), Savannah (the slut), Megan (the hot nerd), Lindsey (the hot edgy nerd), Ashley and Michelle (the porn stars) Mike and Bret (the bro jock guys) and a couple of old barfly skanks and some surfer chick. The night seems like any other for Sean and Ed; filled with rejection. That is until a half eaten woman runs into the bar and warns them about zombies outside. Once they lock the bar up they start dropping like flies."

Zombie Pack: "The dead have risen and they're hungry for human flesh! This unholy trinity of zombie classics has been assembled for the heartiest of appetites. With the aid of such talents as Lucio Fulci (Zombie 2), Joe D Amato (Beyond The Darkness) and Robert Vaughn (The Magnificent Seven), this gut-munching, flesh-chomping, brain-devouring Italian zombie collection is sure to satiate your undead bloodlust."

I personally loved [REC], and felt the insult, like most fans did, when Quarantine came to light. While still a good zombie movie on its own, it changed very little, at least not enough to warrant the remake. It was simply made to (1) cash in on the American market and (2) present a horror movie for Americans who are too lazy to read subtitles (or can't read at all). As I said before, I know very little about Zombietown, and concerning Zombie Pack, I've only ever seen Zombi 2. I know, I know. Sue me.

Source: Fangoria

Film Review: Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993)

2009-07-14T20:11:00.005-04:00

Directed by Brain Yuzna, written by John Penney, and starring Melinda Clarke, J. Trevor Edmond, Kent McCord, and Basil Wallace.

"Colonel Reynolds and his group of government scientists continue their work on re-animating the dead for military use. His son Curt and his girlfriend Julie use Dad's security pass to sneak in and watch the proceedings. Later when father and son have a disagreement, Curt and Julie take off on a motorcycle and Julie is killed in an accident. Grief-stricken, Curt takes her body to the lab and brings her back to life. Curt must help Julie deal with her new existence as military agents and local gang members try to find them."

I know, call me crazy, but I found Part III to be more engrossing than its predecessor. Though not really by much. Return of the Living Dead III lacks the comedic elements of Part II, and in this case, it's for the best. The humor of the first sequel just didn't work for me. It wasn't funny, and actually, was just down right annoying at times. This zombie film is the answer to the 90's as the original was to the 80's, though not quite as lovingly (or delicately) done. It's much darker than the two previous entries in the series, and comes across as Romeo and Juliet meets zombies (which just so happens to be the story of an upcoming new film). Here we see a few more minor changes to the zombie rules (which seems to happen in each of the Return movies): "Getting bit by Trioxin zombies in the previous two Return of the Living Dead films did not turn the individual bit into a zombie. However in Return of the Living Dead III it does."

The most interesting character of the story, by far, is Riverman, played by Basil Wallace. Wallace has had bit parts in numerous TV shows, as well as Joy Ride, Blood Diamond, and even Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home. Not really an amazing rap sheet, but experienced none the less. The two main leads, J. Trevor Edmond and Melinda Clark, do their jobs, and quite well at times. Though the dialog was a bit too teen movie for my taste, the love story was believable enough to work. Clark, who was originally offered the role of Xena: Warrior Princess but turned it down, does admirably in her part, going from rebellious teen in love to brain-craving, S&M psycho in the latter half. The rest of the acting is hit and miss, the miss namely being the street thugs, and an annoying girlfriend, who are over-the-top and clichéd at their best. They really should have found more able actors or just completely rewritten that part of the script.
The music and score worked, though nothing stood out in my mind, and the overall feel of the movie was generally creepy and weird, which I appreciated. For the gore lovers, there's plenty to be had, especially in the unrated version. Some of the bloodiest moments take place in the military complex, which seems to be so easy to get in and out of. There are even a few scenes reminiscent of John Carpenter's The Thing towards the end, which also redeems Part II's ending. But this film isn't brain fodder. Zombie movies rarely are. Part III isn't perfect, by any means, what with it's plot holes, often bad acting, cheesy dialog, and poorly written characters. But it doesn't need to make apologies on its behalf. It put the Return of the Living Dead series back on track, and that should count for something. Just be glad that director Brian Yuzna didn't title the film what he wanted to originally: Kurt and Julie. I have yet to watch 4 and 5, which I hear are terrible. So this may very well be the last great Return of the Living Dead.

Best quote: "Julie, are you eating him? You should stop it."

The Undead News Thread (20090713.04)

2009-07-13T22:05:00.001-04:00

Salvage

"When a container washes ashore the residents of a sleepy cul-de-sac are plunged into violence, terror and paranoia. Ring fenced by the military a single mother must overcome all the odds to save her daughter."

Written and directed by Lawrence Gough, and co-written by Colin O'Donnell, Salvage is British zombie film that played at the Edinburgh International Film Fest. There's really not much news concerning the film yet, and likewise, no release date announced, but the movie looks quite interesting. I'll keep you posted once the movie picks up more speed.

Update: I may have been a bit too hasty to peg this film as zombie-related. A few sites are also claiming this to be true, but nothing is official as of yet. And now that I've reviewed the trailer, I noticed that it doesn't specifically call them anything of the sort. I'll keep you updated. Special thanks to Aaron at The Zed Word: Zombie Blog. Check his site out if you haven't already.

Source: Films N Movies

The Undead News Thread (20090713.03)

2009-07-13T21:50:00.001-04:00

Paris By Night of the Living Dead

"A young married couple has to survive in a post apocalyptic Paris filled with zombies. Will love triumph over death?"

A few weeks ago (here) I dropped a few pictures from the new French short film: Paris By Night of the Living Dead. The short film has an approximate run time of 15 minutes, and is set to play at FILM4 FRIGHTFEST August 27th in London, details here. I think the film looks fantastic so far. I'm not completely sold on the CGI gore, but I'll wait to reserve judgment.

Source: Trailer Addict

The Undead News Thread (20090713.02)

2009-07-13T21:14:00.002-04:00

Grace

"Madeline Matheson is eight months pregnant and determined to deliver her unborn child, Grace, naturally. When an accident leaves Grace dead inside her, Madeline insists on carrying the baby's corpse to term. Weeks later, when Madeline delivers, the baby miraculously returns to life... With an appetite."

"A tragic accident leaves Madeline's unborn baby lifeless inside of her, but she carries the stillborn baby to term and wills the delivered corpse into life. But it is not too long before she realizes that something is not quite right with baby Grace, and she must make horrible sacrifices to keep her alive."

Grace is written and directed by Paul Solet, and stars Jordan Ladd and Gabrielle Rose. I meant to report on this a couple of weeks ago, and it just slipped my mind. It seems to be part vampire movie, part zombie movie, and all kinds of fucked up. The movie played at Sundance, and now has an official DVD release date of September 15th. Click here to view the unrated trailer instead. Here's the list of special features:

• Audio commentary by writer/director Paul Solet, producer Adam Green and director of photography Zoran Popovic
• Audio commentary by Solet and Jordan Ladd (Blu-Ray exclusive)
• Grace: Conception featurette
• Grace: Family featurette
• Her Mother's Eyes: The Look of Grace featurette
• Grace: Delivered featurette
• Lullaby: Scoring Grace featurette
• Grace at Sundance featurette
• Theatrical trailer

Source: ShockTillYouDrop

Film Review: Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988)

2009-07-13T00:28:00.004-04:00

Written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn, and starring Michael Kenworthy, Marsha Dietlein, Thor Van Lingen, Dana Ashbrook, Thom Mathews, James Karen, and Suzanne Snyder.

"Curious kids open a barrel of green gas linked to a mysterious military experiment, and soon a tenebrous green cloud of fog is making its way through the creepy town cemetery. Knowing exactly where this is headed is, of course, part of the fun in this tongue-in-cheek zombie sequel. Maybe it's not as fresh as its successful predecessor, but all of the key zombie ingredients are still well preserved in this second installment: ravenous "undead" in search of human brains, severed limbs with a life of their own, and lots and lots of shrieking! Taking a hackneyed premise that is a close retelling of part I, director Ken Wiederhorn (Freddy’s Nightmares, Shock Waves) rejuvenates the genre with sporadic genuine scares, lots of plain old silliness, and some literally eye-popping special effects. Followed up a few years later with the equally enjoyable Return of the Living Dead Part III, this is a fun franchise that reminds you of what '80s horror was all about: bad synth music, and perms."
I just previously mentioned director Ken Wiederhorn's Shock Waves (1977) yesterday in my review for Dead Snow. Shock Waves was the first movie to ever feature Nazi zombies. Now, fast forward to 1988, and Wiederhorn's sequel to John Russo's The Return of the Living Dead finds him back in familiar territory. Unfortunately, Part II is much less inspired than its predecessor, with its fault found firmly in the main character being a child, who for better or for worse, can't act at all, and only leads the viewer to becoming annoyed and fatigued. It had only been three years since the first movie released, but, rather quickly, the landscape and overall feel had drastically changed. Gone are all of the vibrant, colorful characters of Russo's sequel to Night of the Living Dead, and in its place are boring, clichéd suburbanites that you can only hope meet a timely demise at the hands (or teeth) of the living dead.

But that's not to say that Part II is all bad. The gore is still top notch, there's a few laughs thrown in the mix, and despite all of the movie's cons, the familiarities found in the sequel are a definite plus. Thom Mathews and James Karen both return for the movie, though playing different (and yet, still the same characters), with homage lines such as: "If you like this job." and "Like this job?" It's one of the few nice touches really. But even the Tarman makes an appearance, albeit a short one. Though, just to clear the confusion, his head didn't grow back. It's simply another zombie from the same kind of Trioxin barrel. Though the comedy elements of the film are generally too tacky to enjoy, a few scenes gave me a chuckle: "A zombie dress up and looks like Michael Jackson makes a cameo appearance at the end of the film. While being electrocuted he performs some signature Michael Jackson dance moves."

While keeping the same rules of the undead from the first film, Part II adds one necessary new law for the zombies of the Return of the Living Dead series: "In this film it's revealed that the only thing which truly stops the zombies, without the risk of reanimating more corpses, is powerful electric discharges. The electric discharge can stop the reanimating effect created by Trioxin without generating Trioxin fumes the way cremation can." This ultimately sets the stage for a final showdown at an electrical station (which also happens to involve cow brains). While nowhere near as interesting or satisfying as the conclusion to Part I, the second film's ending is still rather amusing. Even though this movie is essential viewing if you're a genre fan, that doesn't necessarily make it an enjoyable viewing. I wouldn't go beyond a rental or late-night viewing on cable. I may be in the minority, but I found the follow-up, Return of the Living Dead 3, slightly redeeming of this mess of a movie. Make sure to listen for a cover of Boby Brickett's classic song Monster Mash playing over the end credits.

Best quote: "Look, they're ugly and they're dirty and they're dumb, and I don't even care if they are dead. I hate 'em, there's no way they're touching me!"

The Undead News Thread (20090713.01)

2009-07-13T00:02:00.004-04:00

Invasion of the Not Quite Dead

"In 1978 a meteorite crash lands into the Swiss Mountains, unleashing a deadly virus. Killing everyone within a 20 mile radius, the incident was covered up by local officials. Now thirty years later the virus is released onto an unsuspecting island off the coast of England. A group of survivors must band together in order to survive the death and destruction of the once friendly locals in this black comedy horror 'Invasion Of The Not Quite Dead'."

Writer and director Tony Lane's Invasion of the Not Quite Dead is scheduled for a Halloween 2010 release. Without yet having a trailer, it still seems to be shaping up to be a kick-ass ride. Also, according to Shoot for the Head: "Despite still being in Post-Production with Casting underway, the Producers are making an attempt at Film Funding History by offering 2500 fans the opportunity to become Pre-Order Producers. Such funding will allow the movie to remain completely independent and out of studio control. What's the price of such an opportunity? Just 20 Quid or 32 Dollars, American. Considering the fact that you'd get your name in the credits, I would say that it's quite the steal." Click here for all the details. Invasion of the Not Quite Dead can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Source: Shoot for the Head

Film Review: The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

2009-07-12T19:08:00.010-04:00

Directed by Dan O'Bannon, written by Dan O'Bannon, John A. Russo, Russell Steiner, and Rudy Ricci, and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews, Miguel A. Núñez, Jr., Linnea Quigley, and Beverly Randolph.

"In 1966, Darrow Chemical Company was ordered by the military to develop the top secret chemical Trioxin. They were told it would be for marijuana defoliation. An accidental leak into the Pittsburgh VA Hospital morgue resulted in a contamination that literally reanimated corpses. The Army Corps of Engineers obtained the bodies in a cryonic state inside airtight biohazard drums. A shipment of six drums was lost in the rushed transport to a storage facility. The bio-warfare experimentation that could create indestructible soldiers in the event of war was launched using this new weapon: 2, 4, 5 Trioxin. The military’s orders to medical supply warehouses for cadavers are common and assumed to be for ballistic tests. What the Army did not know is that the lost Easter Eggs had been rotting in the basement of the nation’s largest medical supply warehouse in an industrial park outside Louisville, Kentucky. All was revealed the night of Friday, July 3, 1984 and by Independence Day, 12 hours after the last Egg hatched, yet another cover up had begun…"

In 1968, George Romero and John Russo released their zombie film, Night of the Living Dead, which would go on to inspire hundreds of horror movies. Romero and Russo went their separate ways, and both continued the saga in their own form. The Return of the Living Dead is Russo's answer to a sequel. The zombie rules in The Return have changed since Night of the Living Dead: they crave brains instead of human flesh, they can speak (which subsequently made its way into Romero's Day of the Dead the same year as well), they are much stronger and more intelligent, and destroying the brain no longer works. Only burning their bodies completely destroys them.

But most notable of all is the fact that these zombies can run. That's right. Zombies stopped walking and started running back in 1985. It wasn't 28 Days Later, or Zach Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake. It was The Return of the Living Dead. Casual zombie fans often overlook this because usually the only zombie movies they've seen before the last ten years are Romero's films. Thus one can even gain a whole new perspective on Romero's dread for the fast moving undead considering his dispute with Russo, who continued his own version of sequels to their original creation. Perhaps Romero still holds a grudge and doesn't take too well to people enjoying and becoming inspired by his former colleague's own series.

"The same year Day of the Dead premiered, Night of the Living Dead co-writer John Russo released a film titled Return of the Living Dead. Russo's film offers an alternate continuity to the original film than Dawn of the Dead, but acted more as a satire than a sequel. Russo's film spawned four sequels. The last two — Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis and Return of the Living Dead: Rave from the Grave — were released in 2005 as television movies. Return of the Living Dead sparked a legal battle with Romero, who believed Russo marketed his film in direct competition with Day of the Dead as a sequel to the original film. In the case Dawn Associates v. Links, Romero accused Russo of 'appropriat[ing] part of the title of the prior work', plagiarizing Dawn of the Dead's advertising slogan ('When there is no room in hell [...] the dead will walk the earth'), and copying stills from the original 1968 film. Romero was ultimately granted a restraining order that forced Russo to cease his advertising campaign. Russo, however, was allowed to retain his title."

Together, Romero and Russo created the modern image of zombie horror, but without Romero, Russo created modern zombie camp that still resonates today, and has gone on to inspire countless cult classic, horror genre films. But not all credit can go to Russo, since "O'Bannon refused to direct it as it was written. He felt that it was too much of a serious attempt at making a sequel to Night of the Living Dead, and did not want to 'intrude so directly on Romero's turf.' It was re-written with more humor." The acting is cheesy, but intentionally so, as is the dialog, which gives more than a few good laughs. The soundtrack is a stand-alone classic, featuring deathrock and punk rock bands like SSQ, The Cramps, 45 Grave, The Damned, and The Flesheaters. But this review can't go on without mentioning the infamous Tarman, the first zombie to mutter "BRAAAINS..." on screen. Taking that into account, and his gruesome visage, even by today's standards, one can count Tarman among the few truly creepy zombies in horror history. Few living dead have appeared so disgusting.

The series has spawned four sequels since it all began, and has definitely lost its luster along the way. George Romero may not be too happy with Russo's spin-off from their Night of the Living Dead, but no one else can deny that this was Russo at his best. If he had instead opted for a more serious take on his quasi-sequel like he originally intended, I can safely say that it would not be as well remembered as this fond classic. So thank Dan O'Bannon for that. One last interesting tidbit: "Some of the zombie extras were paid more to eat real calf brains in the film. Dan O'Bannon didn't want the actors to do anything he wasn't willing to do and ate some raw calf brains first in front of them." Punks, zombies, nudity, gore, camp; what more could you possibly need? One has to wonder though, if Hot Topic had been around in 1985, then would the goth and punk kids have been hanging out there instead of a cemetery? If they would have, then they would have been just fine, right? I'd like to think so.

Best quote: "I try not too think about dying too much."

The Undead News Thread (20090712.02)

2009-07-12T13:53:00.004-04:00

...of the Dead

"On a small island off North America's coast, the dead rise to menace the living. Yet...the islanders can't bring themselves to exterminate their loved ones, despite the growing danger from those they once held dear. A rebel among them hunts down all the zombies he can find, only to be banished from the island for assassinating his neighbors and friends. On the mainland, bent on revenge, he encounters a small band of survivors in search of an oasis on which to build a new life. Barely surviving an attack from a mass of ravenous flesh-eaters. They commandeer a zombie-infested ferry and sail to the island. There, to their horror, they discover that the locals have chained the dead inside their homes, pretending to live 'normal' lives...with bloody consequences. What ensues is a desperate struggle for survival and the answer to a question never posed in Romero's Dead films: Can the living ever live in peace with the dead?"

Starring Alan Van Sprang, Kenneth Welsh, Kathleen Munroe, Devon Bostick, Richard Fitzpatrick, Stefano Colacitti, and Athena Karkanis, the film was written and directed by Romero, and ...of the Dead is the follow-up to Romero's Diary of the Dead. This will mark his sixth installment in his Dead series, and looks to follow in Diary's footsteps, with a low budget and thick social commentary. Either the title is yet to be filled in, so to speak, or Romero is opting for his well-voiced distaste for Hollywood's constant, blatant rip-offs of his titles, and simply leaving it as "...of the Dead." The movie has since finished filming in Toronto (back in January), and while it's in post-production, we should start seeing more press concerning the film. There was originally a leaked teaser trailer, but has since be taken down. So since I can't post the trailer, here's a very cool interview with George Romero from BBC's Forbidden series.

Online Game: Plants vs. Zombies

2009-07-12T12:47:00.003-04:00

"The downloadable game from PopCap that pits zombie-killing plants versus their natural enemy, the zombie. It's eco-friendly and undead all at once. Use any one of the 49 zombie-killing plants to take care of all of the 26 types of zombies you encounter!" This game is actually pretty damn good. I played through level 8 and it's a nice way to kill an hour or so. It's really more of a puzzle game than anythng else. Try it out. You can download the demo of Pop Cap Game's Plant vs. Zomies here or just click the picture above. Here's a quick review by Kevin Pereira from G4's Attack of the Show:

Video Games - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

The Undead News Thread (20090712.01)

2009-07-12T11:15:00.002-04:00

Doghouse

"A group of men head to a remote village to help one of their friends get over his divorce; when they get there, though, they discover that all the women have been infected with a virus that makes them man-hating cannibals."

Doghouse, directed by Jake West, has already been released in the UK exactly one month ago (June 12th), and, as of yet, has no release date for the US. Reviews from critics are slightly panning if for resembling too much of Shaun of the Dead. Catherine Shoard of the Guardian opined "...undeniable mysogyny and a definite creative bankruptcy. So is it fun enough to compensate? Just about." Well, that just makes me want to see it even more. Too bad she can't spell misogyny. You can visit the official site here.

Source: Revenant Magazine

Film Review: Dead Snow / Død Snø (2009)

2009-07-12T00:15:00.013-04:00

Directed by Tommy Wirkola, written by Stig Frode Henriksen and Tommy Wirkola, and starring Charlotte Frogner, Ørjan Gamst, Stig Frode Henriksen, Vegar Hoel, Jeppe Laursen, Evy Kasseth Røsten, Jenny Skavlan, Bjørn Sundquist, Ane Dahl Torp, and Lasse Valdal.

"Eight medical students on a ski trip to Norway discover that Hitler's horrors live on when they come face to face with a battalion of undead Nazi soldiers intent on devouring anyone unfortunate enough to wander into the remote mountains where they were once sent to die. It's Easter vacation, and what better way to spend the break than skiing down the isolated hills just outside of Øksfjord, Norway? After packing their cars with enough beer and ski equipment to ensure that a good time will be had by all, the students set out for their destination and prepare for a relaxing snowbound getaway. Shortly after arriving at their remote cabin, however, the students receive an unexpected visit from a rather suspicious hiker. According to their shady visitor, the Nazis occupied this territory during World War II. In the aftermath of their brutal raping and pillaging, the locals revolted, driving the few surviving Nazi soldiers -- including their iron-fisted leader, Colonol Herzog -- deep into the hills. Neither the soldiers nor their leader were ever seen again. Everyone in town assumed that they simply froze to death. But there's something stirring out there in the trees, and it won't be long until the unsuspecting students discover how the story really ends."

"Ein! Zwei! Die!" Nazis and zombies just seem to go hand in hand, like nachos and beer, like vibrant colors and figure-skating, and like a wife with menopause and a cheating husband. Movies featuring Nazi zombies are instant classics: Zombie Lake (1981), Oasis of the Zombies (1983), and Outpost (2008). But it all began with Ken Wiederhorn's Shock Waves in 1977. And when you think about it, why the fuck not? Nazis were known for the twisted experiments on people and Hitler's fascination with old legends like the Holy Grail. Hell, this is even the basis for the Hellboy comics and movies, and follows this premise all through its story. Only, in Norway's Dead Snow, director Tommy Wirkola cuts rights to the chase, bypassing the lengthy explanations on how these fascist SS soldiers became the living dead. In truth, it doesn't really matter because this movie, at its core, is a tightly fitting homage to the horror genre, and especially zombie movies. One of the characters even sports a Peter Jackson's Braindead t-shirt and understands the "zombie rules" enough to point out that getting bit will result in becoming one yourself.

Much in the same vein as Shaun of the Dead, Dead Snow is a perfect blend of comedy and horror. Some may find this complicating their enjoyment, but I had no trouble at all. For the comedy fans, there's plenty of gut-busting laughs and chuckles to be had. And for the horror fans, there's gut-wrenching gore and more blood-soaked scenes than American cinema, more often than not, has the guts to try. But where Dead Snow succeeds is when they're both spendidly melded together to make you laugh and repulse in the same moment. The film was officially released January in Norway and the US premiere was held at the Sundance Film Festival, which wowed genre fans and has been getting lots of press all over the internet. The film has a limited release in the US, which began in June.

It starts off like classic horrors movies, in the sense that it slowly continues to build to the end, opening with a group of friends heading to their cabin in the mountains, then enjoying activities like sledding with mid-college drinking. I can't help but miss this direction of filmmaking, as opposed to simply jumping right into the action with a cheesy, sub-par scary opening. Though Dead Snow is a fantastic movie on its own, you'll see some nice homages, everything from The Descent to Indiana Jones is affectionately featured here. The movie builds and builds, and so does the violence, to an almost zenith culmination. The last twenty minutes or so are completely drenched in blood. Just like the Nazi zombie films that came before it, Dead Snow has become an instant classic. Most American undead flicks should so be so lucky. I highly recommend checking this one out. I reported a few days ago about Dead Snow getting an official DVD release of January 26th next year. It's a long wait, but worth every bit. Here's a little clip from the last third of the movie. I wouldn't suggest watching it if you haven't seed the movie already, but who am I to tell you what to do?

Best quote: "Isn't your grandfather half Jewish? They would not recruit someone who is half Jewish, would they?"

Weekly Video: What to Do in a Zombie Attack

2009-07-12T00:08:00.002-04:00

Purchase the DVD here at Lone Bannana Productions.

The Undead News Thread (20090711.01)

2009-07-11T20:04:00.002-04:00

The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue

"Brought about by the use of a new, radiation emitting device intended to destroy insect's nervous systems, the dead are brought back to life due to the jump start the radiation provides to their nervous systems. After the murder of a woman's estranged husband, police suspect the woman, her sister and a relative stranger (who was only along because the sister had run into his motorcycle only hours prior) of involvement in the murder, and as the bodies begin to accumulate the police chief becomes more and more convinced of their involvement."

The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue, aka Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, aka Do Not Speak Ill of the Dead, aka Don't Open the Window, aka Breakfast at the Manchester Morgue, Jorge Grau's 1974 zombie movie is considered by many to be one of the best and vastly underrated. Keep in mind, this film even predates George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. I'll admit, I have yet to see the flick myself, but I've heard the title(s) used over the years. I guess I need to get on that. Well, the good news is that this Spanish/Italian co-production is coming to Blu-ray October 27th. The 2-disc DVD was released back in February of 2008. An interesting tidbit about the film: "Director Jorge Grau purposely cast an actress known for having a flat chest in the role of the nurse so that a fake chest piece could be applied that the zombies could tear into for her death scene." Here's the special features for the Blu-ray edition:

*1.85:1 widescreen
*7.1 DTS-HD soundtrack
*Back to the Morgue – On Location with Director Jorge Grau featurette
*Interviews with director Jorge Grau, star Ray Lovelock, and Special Effects Artist Giannetto De Rossi
*Poster and Still Gallery
*Theatrical trailers, TV spots, and radio spots

Source: Arrow in the Head

Film Review: Zombie - The Beginning / Zombi - La Creazione (2007)

2009-07-11T05:22:00.006-04:00

Directed by Bruno Mattei, written by Giovanni Paolucci and Antonio Tentori, and starring Yvette Yzon, Alvin Anson, Paul Holme, James Gregory Paolleli, B.B. Johnson, Dyane Craystan, and Gerhard Acao.

"After a woman returns home, the lone survivor of a zombie attack, she is considered crazy until a pharmaceutical company hires her to help them recover their crew that was sent to the same island from which she barely escaped."

Filmmakers, keep this in mind: no matter how bad your movie is panned by critics or the masses, or how many "worst movie ever" posts your film has on Internet Movie Database (don't worry, every movie has at least one), don't take it to heart. Nothing you make will ever be anywhere near as terrible or catastrophic as this dry pile of excruciatingly shat out shit. Nothing short of burning the original negatives in a fucking chemical fire could save this rigid bastard of a fucking movie. I don't even know what it's "the beginning" of; maybe a shitty series, maybe a cinematic enema. Actually, it's technically the sequel to Mattei's previous Island of the Living Dead, and The Beginning begins right where the other left off. Yeah, it makes sense.

Mattei is known for ripping off other movies, like The Terminator, Predator, Robocop, and Aliens. Even his Cruel Jaws was a blatant ripoff of Jaws (imagine that). This time around, he's back for more Aliens. Imagine a shitty director making an Aliens remake with zombies, and on what looks like a twenty dollar budget, and you have Zombies: The Beginning. There's even a nice "homage" scene of chest-bursting. Good for him.

If the fucking horrible acting, score, and special effects weren't bad enough, Mattei recycles scenes over and over. The same zombie attack scene can only take us so far, or so everyone but him thinks. Mattei even "uses some stock-shots from Crimson Tide (1995). Viggo Mortensen, Danny Nucci and Jaime Gomez can be seen in those shots." And God help us if the military practice the tactics and undergo the preparations taken in The Beginning. By far the two most bizarre elements to the film are the zombie/alien-like hybrid children with cone-shaped heads and the brain in a glass case that seems to run the whole show.

But it might be wrong of me to bash a dead director, who passed away in May of 2007, making this his final film. Then again, the man had far too many cinematic abortions to ignore. It took me three separate occasions to finish the movie. I stopped it and told myself I wasn't a closet masochist, but twice more I put myself through unnecessary pain. After finishing Island of the Dead, he decided to turn it into a trilogy, leaving the ending open on The Beginning. But I guess that didn't really work out. Tough luck. Spare yourself, and pass on this one.

Best quote: "...and all this bullshit that you think is so important will only be able to use to wipe your ass!"

The Undead News Thread (20090710.02)

2009-07-10T23:47:00.002-04:00

Zombie Short Film Festival

I knew that there had to be at least one good idea left in movies. Well, folks, it's right here: a film festival dedicated to the living dead. That's right. All short films. All undead. Here's some of the juicy details:

"The tentative date is Oct.30. The tentative venue is the Revue Cinema. We are currently accepting entries from anywhere in the world. We're not currently fussy about format, but this might change once I secure the venue and know what kind of equipment we'll be working with. A DVD is probably best. The entry fee is $20 Canadian. That's about 17 bucks U.S. I'm in the midst of assembling a 4 member jury who will screen each entry and narrow the field down to a TBA number of finalists. The selected films will be screened on Oct. 30. The audience attending the event will then cast their vote for the winning film. The winner will be announced at the gala following the screening. The prize is TBA. It depends on the amount of funding I can raise and whether or not I can get wicked sponsors to donate cool stuff. There will be a prize, though. In addition to the TBA prize, the winning film will also receive the coveted Zomb-D'Or. This highly prestigious trophy was just described as 'the Oscar of Zombie Short Films'. By me. Two sentences ago."

It's still in the early stages, while they accept submissions, but this is all great news. Check it all out right here at the festival's blog, and I'll keep you posted.

Source: Zombie Short Film Festival

The Undead News Thread (20090710.01)

2009-07-10T23:01:00.001-04:00

The Horde

Thanks to Bloody-Disgusting, just above is the new, hi-res image for the new French zombie flick, Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher's The Horde. You can catch The Horde playing at festivals in other countries, other countries not including America. I posted the trailer about a week or so ago, but here's a little re-cap for you:

"North of Paris. In order to avenge the murder of one of their own by a group of ruthless gangsters, corrupt cops four go on a rampage in a condemned building serving as the mobster's hideout. Now trapped, the officers are about to be executed when the unimaginable occurs: hordes of bloodthirsty, cannibalistic creatures invade the building, savagely attacking everyone. Unexpected alliances are made when their lives are threatened by the unthinkable."

Source: Bloody-Disgusting

The Undead News Thread (20090709.03)

2009-07-09T22:22:00.004-04:00

Dead Snow / Pontypool / Planet Terror / Mutant Chronicles

According to Fangoria, quite a few zombie movies now officially have DVD release dates. I've seen Dead Snow (review soon), and Pontypool looks amazing. "IFC Films gave Fango an update on when its horror titles will debut as Blockbuster exclusives and then become available for retail via MPI. Look for PONTYPOOL (Blockbuster Oct. 13) to retail February 10, 2010 and DEAD SNOW (Blockbuster Oct. 20) to retail January 26, 2010.

"Meanwhile, the two Blu-ray set of the complete theatrical cut of the Weinstein Company’s GRINDHOUSE (which we previously reported on here) has now been shifted to a street date of December 31 by Wal-Mart, which appears to be the only retailer offering it at the moment. That’s the slot the company has also set for a three-DVD GRINDHOUSE edition—but since that’s a Thursday, and discs usually street on Tuesdays, could that just be a default date?

"Magnolia Pictures gave Fango the supplemental details for MUTANT CHRONICLES, coming Aug. 4, and SURVEILLANCE, arriving Aug. 18, both under the Magnet Releasing banner. CHRONICLES, Simon Hunter’s science-fiction shocker starring Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman and John Malkovich in the story of 28th-century Marines vs. marauding NecroMutants, will be out in a director’s cut on a single DVD and a two-DVD Collector’s Edition jam-packed with bonuses."

I dropped the name of Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance just because it's probably the best horror movie I've seen all year, though not zombie-related. Mutant Chronicles is a decent movie, though it may be debatable if they're actually zombies. But if you consider 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later the living dead, then why not Mutant Chronicles? I've seen Dead Snow, and it's as good as they say. But unfortunately I'll have to wait on Pontypool, it seems, which is a shame. 2010 on Dead Snow and Pontypool? That's going to be one hell of a wait. I also previously mentioned the Grindhouse DVD special, but now we have an actual release date.

Source: Fangoria

The Undead News Thread (20090709.02)

2009-07-09T22:07:00.001-04:00

[REC] 2

Here's a behind-the-scenes video for [REC] 2, the sequel to the incredible Spanish-made zombie movie that was so popular that it warranted an American-made remake that changed almost absolutely nothing for the American market. Anyway, I'm glad I took two years of Spanish, because I understood absolutely nothing from the video. Regardless, there's a new trailer coming soon for the movie, and I have to say, I've very excited about it. [REC] was groundbreaking, and so claustrophobic that it's hard to contain my anticipation. The first trailer is just below if you haven't seen it already.

"Written and directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, both of whom returned from the previous film, the story takes place hours after the events of the first film with Filmax International describing it as having 'the same claustrophobic concept' as [REC] but with 'new means of transferring fear from the screen to the spectator through the recording lens.'"

Source: Bloody-Disgusting

The Undead News Thread (20090709.01)

2009-07-09T00:22:00.001-04:00

Zombies of Mass Destruction

Part of four different film festivals (Seattle International Film Festival, Film Fest DC, Los Angeles Film Festival, and Minneapolis/St. Paul Festival), Zombies of Mass Destruction, or ZMD, is a story where "life is wonderful for the people in the quiet, island town of Port Gamble....until a zombie virus outbreak!" Written and directed by Kevin Hamedani, with Ramon Isao co-writing, and Janette Armand starring, the synopsis reads:

"An idyllic island town is under attack by that most invasive of pests: zombies! Port Gamble is being overrun with braineaters, and the people seem powerless to stave them off. But wait, a rag tag band of rebels is trying to turn the tide and push the invading hoards of undead back. It sounds familiar, sure, but this time stereotypes are on parade (and parody) in a retake on the zombie thriller. We have the full compliment of cinematic shorthand, including the closeted small town boy who has gone to the city and returns with his pushy boyfriend in tow; the angry, hard-working, heavy-accented, immigrant from a Muslim country who is overprotective of his beautiful daughter; the hippie peacenik environmentalist; the fire and brimstone reverend who hates everything youd expect him to, and many more. Enter the zombies. Gore abounds (really abounds) and the current events-based hits keep coming in this send-up of zombie movie clichés where no subculture escapes unscathed."

Not to be confused with the ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction limited issue comic series created by Kevin Grevioux, screenwriter for Underworld. I watched this trailer weeks ago, and it completely slipped my mind to post it until now. I'm really digging all these announcements of upcoming b-horror zombie movies: ZMD, The Eaters, The Horde, and Silent Night, Zombie Night. So far, this is only playing at festivals. No word on a release date, but the few reviews out there are quite positive. I'll keep you posted.

Source: ZMD: The Movie

Film Review: Diary of the Dead (2007)

2009-07-07T23:39:00.008-04:00

Written and directed by George A. Romero, and starring Shawn Roberts, Joshua Close, Michelle Morgan, Joe Dinicol, Phillip Riccio, Scott Wentworth, and Tatiana Masiany.

"While filming a horror movie of mummy in a forest, the students and their professor of the University of Pittsburgh hear on the TV the news that the dead are awaking and walking. Ridley and Francine decide to leave the group, while Jason heads to the dormitory of his girlfriend Debra Monahan. She does not succeed in contacting her family and they travel in Mary's van to the house of Debra's parents in Scranton, Pennsylvania. While driving her van, Mary sees a car accident and runs over a highway patrolman and three other zombies trying to escape from them. Later the religious Mary is depressed, questioning whether the victims where really dead, and tries to commit suicide, shooting herself with a pistol. Her friends take her to a hospital where they realize that the dead are indeed awaking and walking and they need to fight to survive while traveling to Debra's parents house."

Diary of the Dead, shot in only twenty-three days, apparently begins on the same day as his original masterpiece, Night of the Living Dead. It all may seem a bit confusing to viewers, considering the technology and culture of the two separate times obviously don't blend well together, but you just have to take a leap of faith and suspend any disbelief. Romero relies more on concept than literal reality. In this addition to his long running Dead series we see Romero shift gears for a moment, and though I hate to give it this description, putting a Blair Witch-like tilt to the epic story. Filmed completely on hand-held cameras, Diary of the Dead follows a group of college students, and one professor, on their almost futile trek across a chaotic America.
This style of camera work is no stranger to horror, thus The Blair Witch Project is not the only film to come before or after Diary of the Dead: Cloverfield, [REC], Quarantine, The Zombie Diaries, and the upcoming [REC]2 to name a few. One advantage above the other new horror classics in Romero's documentary-style filming, there's a lack of shaky-cam syndrome that leaves you with nausea upon the film's finish. For the most part, the camcorder is steady and never leaves you with an uneasy stomach. I really, truly love the concept Romero puts forth here, but despite his best interests, the "subtle dialog" felt a bit strained this time, and I couldn't help but feel that some of his ideas got muddled up and lost in the mix. Still, I was engaged and immersed from beginning to end. Unfortunately, just as with his last effort, Land of the Dead, the dialog is completely cringe-worthy at worst, and mundane at its best.

Diary, like his previous works, contains many notable elements worth mentioning. It's laced with more social and political commentary than his earlier works, and holds more than a few aids from well-known horror universals to whet any zombie fan's appetite. "In the scene with the zombie doctors, a voice can be heard on the radio inviting people to aim for the head. This is the voice of Tom Savini, a longtime friend of George A. Romero. In fact, this audio is lifted directly from the bonus features of the remake of Dawn of the Dead." Many other horror legends also have small cameos doing voice-work as newsreaders, including: Simon Pegg, Stephen King, Wes Craven, Quentin Tarantino, and Guillermo del Toro.

The biggest complaint I have about Diary of the Dead is the lack of strength in the actors. As with Land of the Dead, the dialog, which I've already mentioned, and the actors' abilities to convey their characters simply leaves one wanting more substance. I feel that Romero has lost his touch to write believable people living in a world rampant with the undead. The characters are clichéd, and, despite all attempts to prove otherwise, completely boring and devoid of personality. The group of college students are two-dimensional, and the professor is more than likely the worst of the bunch. Because of this major fault I couldn't feel for the characters, and even more, connect with them on any personal level. The danger they found themselves in only provided me with a standard, from-afar view that didn't bring any emotion to the forefront, or make me hope that they escape their ultimately likely demises. I will say, though, that I felt Michelle Morgan, playing the lead, faired far better than her colleagues. I've read a few reviews in the past stating that they felt she was terrible, but I don't know what the hell they were talking about.

With that said, I still feel that George Romero is deserving of his rank at the top of zombie horror, and it looks like he's not slowing down anytime soon. His last two have marked a first for his series: Diary following Land by only few years, compared to his over decade-long waiting time in between his previous efforts. He's also now working on his next installment as I'm writing this, so it won't be long before we see what is more than likely another change of pace in an already five-standing movie series. I love the old man, and look forward to anything he plans on doing, hoping only for the best. That's it for Romero's Dead series, for now. Check back soon (well, eventually) for reviews of all the spin-offs (Return of the Living Dead), remakes (Zach Snyder's Dawn of the Dead), and shitty attempts at sequels (Day of the Dead 2: Contagium).

Best quote: "Listen to me, unless you're Jesus fucking Christ, you don't stand up and walk around after you're dead!"

Comic Book Review: The Walking Dead, #31-36 (This Sorrowful Life)

2009-07-07T18:41:00.004-04:00

"The Walking Dead is an American monthly black and white comic published by Image Comics beginning in 2003. The comic was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore (replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward) and chronicles the travels of a group of people trying to survive in a world stricken by a zombie apocalypse.

"The Walking Dead is centered around Rick, a small-town police officer from Cynthiana, Kentucky, his family, and a number of other survivors who have banded together in order to survive after the world is overrun with zombies. As the series progresses, the characters become more developed, and their personalities shift under the stress of a zombie apocalypse. Fighting growing despair — and sometimes each other — the group searches for a secure location which they can finally call home."

This Sorrowful Life marks the return of writer Robert Kirkman to his prime, taking The Walking Dead back to its chaotic roots. Although much has transpired for the group of survivors holed up safely inside their new home, the abandoned prison, from the waking horde of undead, nothing could have prepared them for their newest, more deadly foe: man. At the end of the last novel and beginning of this book we find Rick, Glenn, and Michonne captured by the ringleader, The Governor, and the residents of a nearby, blockaded town that entertain themselves with an arena where modern day gladiators fight amidst a circle of the living dead. But the three prisoners are too busy enduring various means of torture to plan for an escape. The Governor knows that since they couldn't have been walking around aimlessly in a world overrun by zombies, he means to find their hideout to steal their supplies, and if the situations presents itself, take over their facilities as an secondary base of operations.

But the three captives have no intentions of giving away their comrades, and they intend on fighting back. Rick suffers a serious injury, Glenn is kept in dark isolation, and Michonne suffers the worst torture of the three, even eventually being placed in the arena herself. This book is nefarious at the least, and is most probably the darkest the series has been to date. Kirkman is a master at storytelling, and most especially at writing people, their personalities, and the ever-looming dread that weighs heavy on his world's inhabitants. Let's just say that when Michonne gets her due revenge, I have never before seen anything so gruesome or gory in a comic book in my life. Thank God for the children that the artwork is in black in white. But don't worry. Rick isn't left out of the loop either. The last issue is absolutely essential to the kind of man he realizes he's becoming. In my opinion, this book has never been better.

Best quote: "I'll begin with some show and tell. I'm going to use everything here on you before you die."

The Undead News Thread (20090707.01)

2009-07-07T18:19:00.001-04:00

Zombieland

Fangoria has an exclusive first report from the set of the new Woody Harrelson-starring Zombieland: "Wearing Western gear—cowboy boots, hat and black coat—actor Woody Harrelson strides up on the (fake) night-shrouded porch of a Texas gift shop filled with American Indian tourist kitsch. Using his sawn-off, double-barreled shotgun, he dings the bell above the entrance to 'Kimo Sabe’s' and steps to one side. Like one of Pavlov’s dogs, the now-zombified owner lurches toward the front door. All flesh-chewing instinct, the ghoul doesn’t see Harrelson hiding and gets a head shot from the gun, dropping like a sack of rotting enchiladas."

"The kill, as physically shot, is bloodless (no squib used, but splatter may be digitally added in postproduction). It’s a far cry from the gore-drenched chaos and killing Fango witnessed 10 days earlier, when the gutters of Atlanta, Georgia literally ran with blood as first-time feature director Ruben Fleischer supervised a scene of mass mayhem, featuring over 25 zombies attacking screaming, uninfected Yuppies trying to escape the plague of ZOMBIELAND." Head on over to Fangoria for the full report. I posted it before, but here's the trailer for what looks to be a kick-ass ride. Aside from the piano drop, I think the funniest part of the trailer is the fat guy running from his gym teacher on the football field. Zombieland is scheduled for release October 9th.

Source: Fangoria

The Undead News Thread (20090706.01)

2009-07-06T00:50:00.001-04:00

Deadgirl

Here's a new redband clip for the movie Deadgirl, and by redband, I mean there's a little nudity. So don't blame me if nudity, not violence, warps your mind. You can find the trailer I posted a few days ago here. "Deadgirl follows two teenagers who discover a (supposedly) dead girl chained to a bed in the basement of an abandoned Asylum. Their friendship is strained when one of them decides to use the girls body for his own sick pleasure. Tensions rise even higher when they discover she’s not actually dead or, to be more specific, she’s undead."

Source: SCI FI SCOOP

Film Review: Land of the Dead (2005)

2009-07-06T00:25:00.000-04:00

Written and directed by George A. Romero, and starring Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento, Robert Joy, and Eugene Clark.

"In a near future, the zombies are all around the world, and the human society is restructured and adapted for the new reality. In a protected city ruled by the powerful Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), the upper class has the usual privileges living in a fancy well-supplied building, while the poor people live on the streets. Riley (Simon Baker) and Cholo (John Leguizamo) belong to a team that bring supplies (food, medicine etc.) to the city using a heavy truck called Dead Reckoning and designed by Riley. When Cholo is betrayed by Kaufman, he steals the Dead Reckoning and threatens Kaufman, who requests Riley to retrieve the vehicle, with the support of his friend Charlie (Robert Joy) and Slack (Asia Argento). But the dead are smarter and more organized under the leadership of Big Daddy (Eugene Clark)."

Having since viewed Day of the Dead (1985) again after so long, I have to say that it gave me a different perspective and newfound appreciation for Land of the Dead. Land marks exactly twenty years since Romero has touch his Dead series. Now, one could view George Romero's Land of the Dead as a mirror for America's war in Iraq, because it certainly seems that way. As is his niche, Land is rooted deep in social commentary on his outlook of our times. You also have to wonder if he respects mankind at all, as each of his Dead movies grow darker and darker in nature. Romero, opting for the first time to use digital effects, created his first big-budget film for the horror-loving masses. I didn't find the film's score (by Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek) quite as engaging this time around compared to the last two efforts. But horror legend Tom Savini, who did make-up on Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead, is seen once again making a cameo as the biker leader zombie in Dawn of the Dead. So there's a plus. Also, the film co-stars Asia Argento, "the daughter of noted Italian horror filmmaker Dario Argento, who was the co-producer and co-composer of one of the previous entries in George Romero's zombie series, Dawn of the Dead." Dario Argento has given us some fantastic horror but he also gave us one hell of a hottie for a daughter. Yeah. I just wrote that.
You can also spot Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (of Shaun of the Dead fame) in the film as photo-booth zombies in the carnival, and on the DVD cover. I thought that was a nice touch, putting Romero above other directors' disdain for mockery, however well-intentioned. Unfortunately, gone is all of the great dialog George used to write. In its place is clichéd, monotonous easy-speak that makes you wonder if the zombies are any more intelligent (trust me, I see the irony). I miss the long-winded monologues, but that's just me. And I'm still not completely sold on the idea of the undead in decay learning to use weapons and engage in problem-solving courses of action, but the end did tie it up nicely. I personally found more subliminal meaning in the event following the subversive attacks than I did in the rest of the movie as a whole. So I can say that Romero had a plan. I'm just worried that he was focused more on the goal itself than the road to his destination.

One major plot hole is Cholo's desire for money, leading to a major turning point in the movie, when Cholo holds the city ransom with the armored truck, Dead Reckoning. What use would millions of dollars have in a post-apocalyptic world where towns are completely void of life? Even Kaufman packs bags of money as he plans to abandon the city. Rabid fans have all tried to give their own explanations online, but they're really all just reaching, because no reason could ever explain something so ignorant. But it's really a small matter in the end. Overall, the move makes for a decent action flick, and less horror, and even though I consider it below Romero's average, it's still leagues better than most zombie movies out there today. Critics found the film with positive ratings, and even though it's Romero's highest grossing movie to date, fans' feelings on the movie seem to be half and half. But did anyone else notice the bit of irony in using music from the first Resident Evil movie in a Romero trailer? One more Romero review left (Diary of the Dead), and then I get to take a little break from his work. For now.

Best quote: "How many times have I told you, Riley? Stop banging chicks with more problems than you."

July 2009 Pin-Up Girl: Raine Brown

2009-07-05T20:16:00.010-04:00

I originally had this planned to start at the beginning of this month, and to continue it monthly, but was worried I might not have the time to keep it up, with all of the movie news and reviews that have been keeping me busy enough. But I decided that you can only read so many reviews before you get sick of reading. So why not have a bunch of pictures of pretty ladies thrown in the mix? So for the first month of this section, July's official scream queen is already an underground hit: B-movie scream queen Raine Brown.

Aside from co-staring as Toni, and eventually joining the ranks of the undead, in Aunt Rose (review coming soon) in 2005, Raine has also been seen in other B-horror movies such as: Satan's Playground, Woods of Evil, 100 Tears, Barricade, and Pink Eye. She has also modeled for artist Jason Beam on more than one occasion, the first two pictures in that second row below being examples of this. You can find more of Beam's paintings here and Raine's official site here.

The Undead News Thread (20090705.02)

2009-07-05T13:09:00.004-04:00

FILM4 FRIGHTFEST 2009

"The films are now in place, the guests confirmed, their flights and hotels booked and the screening schedule has been worked out. All that remains to be done, is to get everything in place and ready for the big announcement on the 3rd of July. At 2.00 p.m. make sure that you check back here, because that is when we will announce what will be unspooling on the giant Empire screen, between the 27th and the 31st of August."

The FILM4 FRIGHTFEST takes place August 27th through August 31st at the Empire Cinema in Leicester Square, London. I'll let this serve as a bit of a recap for the past month, considering six of the zombie movies I've reported on are being featured in the festival. Click on the title to read the synopsis and see the trailer if you originally missed out: Paris By Night of the Living Dead, Pontypool (here and here), Dead Snow (which I've since seen and plan to review soon), La Horde (The Horde), Colin, and Zombie Women of Satan. They're also playing the Best Worst Movie, or Troll 2, which I plan on attending here at the Indianapolis International Film Festival on July 21st (information here). Outside of the zombie flicks, the two most interesting by far would have to be Tom Six's Human Centipede and Andrew Miles' Fragment, which may or may not be zombie-related. It's a bit too early to tell. To see the schedule, if you're lucky enough to live near the festival, or if you just want to read about the other movies being featured, click here.

Source: Arrow in the Head

The Undead News Thread (20090705.01)

2009-07-05T10:40:00.024-04:00

Zombie Women of Satan

"Rock singer Skye Brannigan is on a quest to find her missing sister who has been abducted by a strange cult. Caught up in her mission is the bizarre burlesque troupe Flesharama. Will Skye and her merry entertainment freak show band survive attacks from all sides by the zombie women of Satan and their crazy creators, the Zander family? Or will it just be the usual outrageous violence, blood, guts, horrifying carnage and gorgeous Living Dead babes as normal!"
Zombie Women is directed by Warren Speed and Steve O’Brien, and produced by Growling Clown Entertainment and 24:25 Films, Growling Clown being a production in which you can book "any kind of entertainers including comedians, burlesque performers, stilt-walkers, fire acts, human statues, aerial trapeze artists, hypnotists, circus acts, singers, cabaret artistes, magicians, dancers and many more." There's no official trailer as of yet, but you can head over to the official site for more pictures. I'll reserve my judgment until I see a trailer, but for now, this definitely looks interesting, and colorful, to say the least. I'll keep you posted.

Source: FILM4 FRIGHTFEST

Weekly Video: Zombies in Plain English

2009-07-05T10:15:00.001-04:00

Comic Book Review: The Walking Dead, #25-30 (The Best Defense)

2009-07-04T15:25:00.000-04:00

"The Walking Dead is an American monthly black and white comic published by Image Comics beginning in 2003. The comic was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore (replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward) and chronicles the travels of a group of people trying to survive in a world stricken by a zombie apocalypse.

"The Walking Dead is centered around Rick, a small-town police officer from Cynthiana, Kentucky, his family, and a number of other survivors who have banded together in order to survive after the world is overrun with zombies. As the series progresses, the characters become more developed, and their personalities shift under the stress of a zombie apocalypse. Fighting growing despair — and sometimes each other — the group searches for a secure location which they can finally call home."

In a very pleasant change of course, Kirkman takes The Walking Dead in a new direction. After a slow start to the graphic novel, almost halfway through actually, it begins picking up pace when the group of survivors spot a helicopter on the horizon, which then crashes off in the distance. Rick takes two others, in their newly found riot gear, in a jump-started car from the jail parking lot to search for the crash site. He promises to have the team back by sundown, and the rest of the group must eventually worry and deal with his not returning in time.

While the survivors grow impatient, Rick, Michonne, and Glenn come across other survivors, who, while living comfortably in blocked off sections of a nearby city, have taken it upon themselves to find new, sadistic forms of entertainment to keep themselves occupied in an otherwise dead world. Led by 'The Govenor', the sheep-like city is not quite what it would seem on the outside. This new Rome houses a much darker and much more dangerous threat to our heroes than the living dead massing outside of the barricaded walls. There are definitely many resemblances in this story arc to George Romero's Land of the Dead that was released the previous year, 2005. "This is a major turning point for the overall story of The Walking Dead, setting the stage for years to come." The human condition is now key, and at prime focal point in the series, and looks to remain for a while.

Best quote: "The thing you have to realize is that they're just us--they're no different. The want what they want, they take what they want and after they get what they want--they're only content for the briefest span of time. Then they want more."

The Undead News Thread (20090704.02)

2009-07-04T10:53:00.005-04:00

La Horde / The Horde

"North of Paris. In order to avenge the murder of one of their own by a group of ruthless gangsters, four corrupt cops go on a rampage in a condemned building serving as the mobster’s hideout. Now trapped, the officers are about to be executed when the unimaginable occurs: hordes of bloodthirsty, cannibalistic creatures invade the building, savagely attacking everyone. Unexpected alliances are made when their lives are threatened by the unthinkable."

I've noticed a thing or two about French horror films: they're usually violent and gory as hell, and all kinds of messed up; Frontière(s) for example. The teaser really does make the movie look epic, too. Not sure on the release date yet, but according to IMDb it's scheduled for this year sometime. Here's a couple of movie stills below; nothing special.

Source 1: Arrow in the Head
Source 2: 24framespersecond

The Undead News Thread (20090704.01)

2009-07-04T00:12:00.005-04:00

Silent Night, Zombie Night

"Taking place a week before Christmas, SNZN is about a viral outbreak that’s unleashed, turning LA citizens into the feral undead. While facing the devastating effects of the outbreak, LAPD officer Frank Talbot (Jack Forcinito) is also faced with the decision of whether or not to leave both his wife Sarah (Nadine Stenovitch) and his partner Nash (Andy Hopper). Other SNZN cast members include genre favorites Lew Temple (The Devil’s Rejects) and Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), as well as veteran character actor Vernon Wells (Commando, The Road Warrior)."

Two words: hell yes! This is the kind of campy crap that I enjoy, as opposed to the Edges of Darkness trailer I posted a few days ago. I even think it's cool that they spelled 'cancelled' wrong in the trailer. As far as the release date goes, it's looking to be late 2009 (probably December, obviously). Almost even better than the trailer, check out the trivia facts about the movie from IMDb:

*Shooting was momentarily halted when the LAPD arrived by foot, car, and helicopter due to a concerned citizen mistaking zombies and actors with prop weapons for gang members battling in the streets.
*An actor was run over while riding his scooter to set and had to have surgery, thereby delaying shooting for a half day.
*The LA Fire Department drove into production, in route to a nearby emergency call, mistaking the prop police car for a real one and thinking they had arrived at their destination.
*During the auditions to find an actor to play Nash, one actor decided to bring his own real gun and press it against Jack Forcinito's head during the read. (Jack plays the character Frank in the movie.) The guy who brought the gun was politely dismissed.

Source: Dread Central

Film Review: Day of the Dead (1985)

2009-07-03T18:29:00.006-04:00

Written and directed by George A. Romero, and starring Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joe Pilato, Jarlath Conroy, Anthony Dileo Jr., Richard Liberty, and Sherman Howard.

"A zombie apocalypse has ravaged the Earth whilst America's last surviving humans study them from within an underground military establishment. The survivors in the film are horrified at the prospect that they 'are the only ones left', creating a crisis within human civilization over whether or not the idea of human society should be continued or abandoned. The living characters in the film are made up of three distinctive groups, each of whom have been given a task by the government - but since the government is no longer providing oversight (and may no longer exist) each group is becoming increasingly subject to temptations that go beyond their instructions. The scientists have been ordered to find a resolution to the epidemic but are tempted to violate nature's boundaries guarding life and death, soldiers who are assigned to protect the doctors appointed to study the zombies but are tempted to enforce fascistic martial law and destroy the specimens in an act of rebellion, and the civilians who are assigned to serve both groups with basic though necessary services like transportation and communication are tempted to abandon the cause and, instead, live out their last days in reckless abandon."

Since I'm going in order reviewing Romero's series, and I've looked down on Day of the Dead for years, I decided to revisit the movie again after having not seen it in a very long time. Do you want to know what I think after a repeated viewing? Day of the Dead is the best movie Romero has ever made. Hell, even Romero agrees: "The lowest grossing film in George A. Romero's "Dead" trilogy. Nonetheless, it's gained a cult following over the last two decades, and the director himself has stated that he considers it his best film." Romero even originally intended the film to be his undead epic; "the Gone with the Wind of zombie films." While I find that a bit funny (and yet, still plausible), I feel terrible for giving this movie such a bad rap for so long. But I've come to find that zombie movie fans either love this movie or hate it. There doesn't seem to be much in between.
The movie itself is the darkest in its tone, and is the main reason that people (critics especially) have a hard time enjoying themselves. Even "Roger Ebert, who reacted favorably to other films of Romero's Dead Series, gave Day of the Dead one and a half stars." But I've come to find over the years that, in most cases he really isn't in touch with good cinema, so fuck what Ebert thinks. The distaste from some of the fans and critics probably has to due with the fact that the movie is so claustrophobic. Almost the entire movie takes place in an underground military bunker, but the bleakness of the movie is why I love it so much. I can definitely tell the Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comic book series is inspired in no small part by Romero's Day of the Dead. The acting is the best it has been under Romero's direction, with only a few too-dramatic scenes. But the definite stand-outs are by Lori Cardille as Sarah, Richard Liberty as Dr. Matthew Logan, or Frankenstein as they call him, Terry Alexander as John, and, of course, Sherman Howard as the zombie Bub. The dialog itself is very well-written, and might even be the reason that puts this movie at the top of my Romero series list. Even the score, by John Harrison, is the best in the series, thus far, and maybe even overall. Tom Savini is also back, doing even better make-up effects than in Dawn of the Dead.

There are a few minor complaints on my end though. No movie is perfect. As I mentioned before, some of the acting is a bit over-dramatic at times, and one of the big reasons I disliked Romero's follow-up to Day, Land of the Dead, is that these undead, decomposing people still have the ability to learn, use weapons, and, in Day's case, have the ability to speak, even if the speech is barely recognizable. Yet, for some reason, in Day of the Dead, it actually works in its favor. Frankenstein's attempt to "make the zombie behave" was actually one of my favorite parts of the movie. And the end wraps it up all so neatly that I can't help but look at Land of the Dead in a (slightly) better light. So far, to this point, Day of the Dead stands as the best zombie movie I've reviewed. Oh, and I loved the zombie crocodile at the beginning. That's actually one of the few things I could remember liking, however minor, before I watched it again.

Best quote: "We're bein' punished by the Creator. He visited a curse on us. Maybe He didn't want to see us blow ourselves up, put a big hole in the sky. Maybe He just wanted to show us He's still the Boss Man. Maybe He figure, we gettin' too big for our britches, tryin' to figure His shit out."

Online Game: Endless Zombie Rampage 2

2009-07-03T17:59:00.003-04:00

"The endless rampage continues! Re-kill zombies, do missions, and upgrade weapons! You can map your keys in the pause menu, as well as turn on/off various visual effects. Did not even know a sequel was being worked on. Capitalizes on the same game play as the original but this time with much more varied levels."

This game is very badass. It's hard to compete with my last entry, GunGirl 2, but that wasn't even technically an online game. There's so many zombies to be eradicated in Rampage 2, and plenty of ways to kill them. Click on the picture above to try the areal-view, Diseased Productions-made game out at ZombieGames.

Comic Book Review: The Walking Dead, #19-24 (The Heart's Desire)

2009-07-02T23:14:00.004-04:00

"The Walking Dead is an American monthly black and white comic published by Image Comics beginning in 2003. The comic was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore (replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward) and chronicles the travels of a group of people trying to survive in a world stricken by a zombie apocalypse.

"The Walking Dead is centered around Rick, a small-town police officer from Cynthiana, Kentucky, his family, and a number of other survivors who have banded together in order to survive after the world is overrun with zombies. As the series progresses, the characters become more developed, and their personalities shift under the stress of a zombie apocalypse. Fighting growing despair — and sometimes each other — the group searches for a secure location which they can finally call home."

While the last volume of The Walking Dead focused on the human condition, and the fact that man is his own worst enemy, this story arc deals with the relationships of the survivors in an almost soap opera-like manner. Relationships end and friendships are put to the test. Still reeling from all of the death and destruction of recent events, Rick, the leader of the group, must deal with new problems when a new sheep, Michonne, enters the fold. The emotional responses of accepting a new member to the group begin weighing heavy on a few of the characters, and lines begin to be drawn to separate the group.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the conflict within the group, I have to say, I'm not sure this is where I'd like the book to start heading. It's still well-written, for sure, but I can't help but think that all of this energy could be focused instead on working out the kinks of inhabiting a prison in this apocalyptic world. It just doesn't seem likely that these characters would be so involved with their own love stories in a world at its end. That's not to say that this arc is bad; far from it actually. I love the tension between the the people and the constant shift in alliances. This is still one of the better comics on the market, and I'm looking forward to continuing reading it.

Best quote: "He killed my daughter! He fucking shot her dead! He was trying to commit suicide with her and as far as I'm concerned I just finished the job! And I enjoyed it. After all these months and the hell we've been through--it's almost the only thing I've enjoyed!"

The Undead News Thread (20090702.02)

2009-07-02T22:57:00.003-04:00

Deadgirl

According to Arrow in the Head, "The Hollywood Reporter reports that the Dark Sky-distributed flick will have a one-weekend, midnight only, roadshow-style theatrical event in at least nine major markets nationwide on July 24 and 25. Details on where exactly it will be showing are unknown, other than it will be in Los Angeles, at the Nuart Theater on July 24.

"Kind of an old-school release pattern for the grisly film, about two teens who find a beautiful woman tied to a bed in an abandoned asylum. DEADGIRL stars Shiloh Fernandez, Noah Segan, Michael Bowen, Candice Accola, Andrew DiPalma, Eric Podnar, Nolan Gerard Funk, and Christina Blevins."

This story sounds pretty different, to say the least, and I guess this one flew a bit under the radar with me until recently. I have to say, I really like the trailer, but it's still too early to tell. Here's one IMDb reviewer's feelings on the movie:

"Basically what you've got here is the story of two disaffected teenage boys who come across a (sort of) dead girl in an abandoned hospital. Being teenagers, one disregards much of his humanity in favor of darker intentions while the other objects but does nothing to back up his protests. Slowly the story gathers more complexity as one teen begins essentially raping this (sort of) dead girl and eventually invites some friends in on the action. As troubling as this sounds (and it is), you've seen worse things in your life which is a bit surprising considering that in their minds this is basically a moving corpse. So eventually it's up to one guy to be the voice of reason and make everything right.

"There's a lot of commentary here. Everything from peer pressure, the effects of apathetic and absent parents, and the apathy and angst of teenagers gets touched on and done quite well. All said and done I'd certainly recommend this to anyone who's looking for a horror movie with a bit more substance and a bit less gore. Sure...we all like our horror movies nice and violent, but sometimes it's nice to see one that takes a slightly different path."

Source: Arrow in the Head

The Undead News Thread (20090702.01)

2009-07-02T16:50:00.004-04:00

Resident Evil: Afterlife

According to ShockTilYouDrop, "Late last year, Paul W.S. Anderson revealed he was indeed writing another film. Capcom was getting involved. Everyone, as he said, was 'excited.' Well, we've just learned from a studio insider that Sony is looking to get Resident Evil: Afterlife into theaters by September 17, 2010. That's according to an internal memo circulating through the offices there.

"Will Anderson direct? Unsure. Will Milla Jovovich be back? I think it would be safe to say yes considering the last entry ended on - SPOILER ALERT - Alice clones getting ready to seek revenge on the Umbrella Corporation which was holed up in Tokyo."

Despite the last two entries in the series being a bit lackluster (especially Apocalypse), I'm still hoping for the best and looking forward to the next one. It seems, according to the news, that most of it will take place in Tokyo, but a couple of weeks ago I reported (from Movies Online) that Anderson mentioned it would take place in Alaska, which is also where the group said they were headed in Extinction. Regardless, at least we now have a release date. I'm not sure why STYD is confused about whether or not Anderson is involved, considering he just finished the script, but maybe they mean whether or not he'll direct. He only directed the original, so maybe I'm a bit too hard on him. Maybe it's the directors just screwing up his scripts.

Source: ShockTilYouDrop

Film Review: Dawn of the Dead (1978)

2009-07-02T11:17:00.009-04:00

Written and directed by George A. Romero, and starring David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, Gaylen Ross, and Tom Savini.

"Following the events of Night of the Living Dead (1968), we follow the exploits of four survivors of the expanding zombie apocalypse as they take refuge in an abandoned shopping mall following a horrific SWAT evacuation of an apartment complex. Taking stock of their surroundings, they arm themselves, lock down the mall, and destroy the zombies inside so they can eke out a living--at least for a while. Tensions begin to build as months go on, however, when they come to realize that they've fallen prey to consumerism. Soon afterward, they have even heavier problems to worry about, as a large gang of bikers discovers the mall and invades it, ruining the survivors' best-laid plans and forcing them to fight off both lethal bandits and flesh-eating zombies."

This time around, Romero got a substantially larger budget. With roughly $650,000, Dawn of the Dead looked amazing compared to Night of the Living Dead (however well-suited). According to Romero, all of his movies take place not too long after each other. So, provided you ignore the differences in the eras of the sets, this probably takes place only a matter of weeks after Night of the Living Dead. Dawn of the Dead was groundbreaking, and could still be considered as, but at its heart it was a brilliant satire. "Cultural and film historians read significance into the film's plot, linking it to critiques of large corporations and American consumerism and of the social decadence and excess going on in America during the late 1970s."

You'll also find many horror legends had their hands in Dawn. Italian director/writer Dario Argento, well known for Tenebre and Demoni movie series, worked as editor, composer, and script consultant. His daughter, Asia Argento, later co-starred in Romero's Land of the Dead. Horror legend Tom Savini, known for his make-up work on the Friday the 13th series, Creepshow, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, as well as numerous horror movie cameos, did make-up work for Dawn and even had a cameo at the biker gang leader. And last, but not least, Ken Foree, stars as Peter in Dawn of the Dead, well known in the horror genre for his roles in The Devil's Rejects, Halloween (2007), Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, and the soon-to-be-released Zone of the Dead.

Critical response to the film is practically unanimous, with an overall extremely positive view of the film. Roger Ebert gave it four out of four stars and described it as "one of the best horror films ever made." While he also stated the film to be "gruesome, sickening, disgusting, violent, brutal and appalling," Ebert noted that "nobody ever said art had to be in good taste." I have to say, this is Romero's finest hour. In my opinion, and despite the shock and thrill and originality of his previous effort, nothing Romero has done before or since has measured up to Dawn of the Dead. He may have set the bar just a little too high for himself on this one. Just like Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead is a timeless classic. If you haven't already seen the film, then you don't know shit about horror. Of course, you can fix that by going out and buying it. On a side note, Romero's movie also inspired a 2004 remake by Zach Snyder, which I'll be reviewing soon, once I'm done with Romero's series.

Best quote: "Every dead body that is not exterminated becomes one of them. It gets up and kills! The people it kills get up and kill!"

The Undead News Thread (20090701.04)

2009-07-01T21:14:00.001-04:00

Edges of Darkness

"Edges of Darkness" is a horror genre film, from director Jason Horton (Trap), that involves three separate character driven stories that center around an undead apocalypse with scripture from the book of revelations acting as a backdrop. Set in an overrun apartment complex the three stories are connected not only through location, but through a climactic ending.

"The films central plot revolves around a religious end of the world involving several blood thirsty priests (Lee Perkins, Robert Kitchen) while several smaller plots look for attention in a quickly paced script. Fighting for survival in this murderous atmosphere are a small coven of vampires (Alonzo F. Jones), a writer (Jay Costelo) in the midst of an alien invasion, and an unkillable child who is able to spout scripture at the drop of a hat. Several characters witness the zombie apocalypse from the comfort of their living rooms."

Wow. Vampires, zombies, evil priests, the Antichrist, and an alien invasion. Goddamn, this looks like shit. I doubt I find the time to watch this. How the hell do people get funding for this shit every year? I need in on this cash cow.

"The director states 'I kind of took the kitchen sink approach with it [Edges of Darkness],' and this can quickly be seen from an initial viewing as further showings show the films complexity."

Source: 28 Days Later Analysis

The Undead News Thread (20090701.03)

2009-07-01T20:40:00.003-04:00

Pontypool

"Pontypool is a 2009 Canadian horror film directed by Bruce McDonald and adapted by Tony Burgess from his own novel Pontypool Changes Everything. Shock jock Grant Mazzy has, once again, been kicked off the Big City airwaves and now the only job he can get is the early morning show at CLSY Radio in Pontypool Ontario, which broadcasts from the basement of the small town's only church. What begins as another boring day of school bus cancellations, due to yet another massive snow storm, quickly turns deadly when reports start piling in of people developing strange speech patterns and evoking horrendous acts of violence start piling in. But there's nothing coming in on the news wires. Is this really happening?"

The film had a limited release on May 29th here in the States, but, aside from a few reviews from critics, I haven't heard anything at all about the movie, like when it might get a wider release or just go to DVD. But I did find an actual scene from the movie, instead of just the trailer. So this will give you a better idea of what the epidemic is actually doing to people.

I also stumbled onto a few more screen caps from the movie over at Bloody-Disgusting. Posted below are some of the new stills. You can view the other movie stills I posted about a week ago right here.

Source: Bloody-Disgusting

The Undead News Thread (20090701.02)

2009-07-01T17:35:00.003-04:00

The Outbreak

"What would you do? This interactive horror film allows viewers to make their own decision to live or die. Make the right choice, and live on to the next."

I played this interactive movie several months ago, long before I started this site, but unfortunately, due to the cost of bandwidth, they have since taken down the site (which can still be found here). On the other hand, you can still play it on YouTube, though not quite as cinematic, by watching each video and choosing your option from the annotations on the video.

"Created by uber-talented interactive design firm SilkTricky - whose clients include Taco Bell, Axe, and Red Bull - The Outbreak spawned from a love of choose-your-own-adventure books and gore and a lifetime of pent up frustration from yelling at the move/television screen whenever a horror flick’s mortally inept characters make very bad decisions.

"The undead action unfolds from a backwoods house where Kelly (the token girl), Seth (the cocky badass), Alex (the scared $#!%less creepy guy), and Dave (the injured one) attempt to stave off the zombie apocalypse while You/James (the CPA-looking dude in control) are calling the shots. It’s fast enough to appease ADD-ridden websurfers with more than enough blood and entrails to satisfy the genre fanatics."

The best part of it all? It was made by a woman, Lynn Lund, and her husband was just along for the ride as a business partner. Women that badass are fucking rare. It took five days to shoot the principal photography (and one for reshoots) and cost around thirty-five grand to make. And she wants nothing more than to do a sequel. It doesn't get much better than that. Click here to play the interactive movie at YouTube.

Source: Tilzy.TV

The Undead News Thread (20090701.01)

2009-07-01T16:11:00.003-04:00

My Zombie Pin-up

"Where beauty eats BRAAAAIIIIIINSSS!!! This calendar is filled with undead pin-ups that are dying to get under your skin!!! Revel in the gore with each passing month as these vintage bombshells, turned zombie, tantalize and horrify you."

This is old news, considering the calendar (from the site Zombie Pinups!) is for 2008, and was reissued with the same photos for 2009, but now according to the site:

"We are digging up some fresh girls from the crypt for the 2010 Zombie Pin-up calendar. If you are interested in a 2010 version of last years calendar please contact us and let us know. If enough people are interested we will do a short run."

So that means, while you can still order the same old calendar for 2010, they're also making a whole new one. Once they post the final work for the calendar, I'll let you know. But if you haven't ever checked out the photographs for the original run, click the logo just below, and browse on through. Warning: they're a bit graphic (and a bit weird).

Source: My Zombie Pin-up

Comic Book Review: The Walking Dead, #13-18 (Safety Behind Bars)

2009-07-01T15:34:00.003-04:00

"The Walking Dead is an American monthly black and white comic published by Image Comics beginning in 2003. The comic was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore (replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward) and chronicles the travels of a group of people trying to survive in a world stricken by a zombie apocalypse.

"The Walking Dead is centered around Rick, a small-town police officer from Cynthiana, Kentucky, his family, and a number of other survivors who have banded together in order to survive after the world is overrun with zombies. As the series progresses, the characters become more developed, and their personalities shift under the stress of a zombie apocalypse. Fighting growing despair — and sometimes each other — the group searches for a secure location which they can finally call home."

An already great series begins picking up steam with, by far, one of the greatest graphic novels I've read (though it's quite hard to top Watchmen, The Crow, and The Dark Knight Returns). After leaving their camp and hitting the road, Rick and the group try house after house, town after town, trying to find refuge in the post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. With all the weight of leadership now bearing down on Rick, he is constantly under pressure to find a safe shelter for the survivors. They chance upon a farmer and his large family after an accident, and he takes them in, feeds them, and gives them a place to stay. But in a land where fresh food is scarce, overstaying your welcome is much more common. After a few close calls and undead attacks, they hit the road again.

Good things come to those who wait (though in their world good luck always turns to bad), and they finally happen upon a place they could call home: a maximum security prison. The place looks deserted, aside from numerous zombies inside. But with time, and effort, the place could be cleared and made to start a new life. Inside they meet four convicts who have been living off the prison's supply of food, and from there it all goes down hill. Kirkman has mastered his characters by this point, and while he may be making up some of it as it goes along, he fully understands his living, breathing creations well enough to do so. In this story arc, it's no longer about fighting for survival against ravenous ghouls, but against each other. Man is his own worst enemy.

Best quote: "Yeah. Leave me. He'll be coming back soon, and I'm going to kill him again."