The Undead News Thread (20090823.01)

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

The Undead News Thread (20090818.02)

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)

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

The Undead News Thread (20090812.02)

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)

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)

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

The Undead News Thread (20090810.01)

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 Undead News Thread (20090806.01)

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

The Undead News Thread (20090801.01)

[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