Film Review: Land of the Dead (2005)

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

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)

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)

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

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

"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)

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)

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)

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

"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)

"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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

"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."

The Undead News Thread (20090630.03)

Zombieland

Arrow in the Head just released more movie stills from the up-and-coming Zombieland with Woody Harrelson. I still think this looks like one of the better horror/comedies coming out in the next year or so. Remember, even Bill Murray is making a cameo as a zombie. The new stills are just below.

"In a world overrun by zombies, a guy described as 'the most frightened person on Earth' looks to find refuge and bring a band of people to safety." Zombieland stars Woody Harrelson, Mila Kunis, Amber Heard, Jessie Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, Emma Stone, and even Billy Murray as a zombie.

You can check out the first batch of stills I posted here and the Zombieland trailer here.

Source: Arrow in the Head