ZED TO ZED: Living with the Living Dead

Zombies exist. They are not simply works of fiction. They are real people who have returned to life after death, and they could be your friends, family, coworkers or even neighbours. While they certainly exist, no one seems to agree on how to treat these people. In most books, people are encouraged to exterminate the living dead, supposedly because they are mindless cannibalistic monsters as we see in the movies I review. Yet, there is also new trend in books and films to portray the living dead as an unjustly oppressed minority. Books like S.G. Browne's Breathers and Daniel Water's Generation Dead encourage people to extend zombies a hand in friendship and call them by a kinder name: "the living impaired." But what is the truth? Are they brain hungry ghouls bent on the destruction of humanity or just a misunderstood "living impaired" minority?

To get to the truth, The Zed Word zombie blog invited two such undead persons to participate in an open dialogue about living life dead. Both men are undead, yet they have lively opinions and different perspectives on what it means to be undead in the modern world.

THE GUESTS

The Real Zombie

My first guest goes by the user name "The Real Zombie". He's probably what most think of when we hear the word "zombie": uncompromisingly anti-social and flagrantly cannibalistic. He is also prone to using vulgar and graphic language, so sensitive readers are warned. But don't take it from me. Here's The Real Zombie in his own words:

"What can I say I am a motherfucking ZOMBIE people. I eat humans and not just brains, I am NOT one of those Brain only eating bitches. I eat EVERYTHING and leave nothing. However with that being said I am a cool guy and like to have fun roaming Los Angeles and San Diego getting into adventures. If I meet you, pray that I like you. If I don't...pray that you are packing heat because I WILL Feast on your flesh..."

However, my second guest is a corpse of an entirely different colour.

Wayne Kotke

Wayne Kotke is the much beloved president, spokesman, and founder of Dead 2 Rights, an organization fighting for the rights of the living impaired. As well as being a consummate gentleman and musical talent, he is a frequent contributor of voice mails to the Mail Order Zombie podcast where he has made serious advancements for living and living-impaired listeners when he was voted "Voice of the Family" this year by fans of the show.

Since The Real Zombie has already had a chance to introduce himself, Wayne gets first crack at the initial question. Let's go Zed to Zed.

ZW: Wayne, how do you feel about being called a "zombie"?

Wayne Kotke: "While I personally do not like being called zombie, I realize that some people still use the "z-word" simply out of habit or tradition and may not be familiar with the term "living impaired" or LI. I'm trying to get the word out."

ZW: Now, The Real Zombie, you obviously don't shy away from the zed-word. However, what do you feel about the politically correct term "living impaired"?

The Real Zombie: "Hell No I don't mind being called a Zombie, that's what I am ....I mean that's what I am according to Movies and whatnot. As far as being called "Living Impaired"? That's total bullshit...my gramps is living impaired cause he shits his pants and has lost his driver's license cause he ran into the front window of a goddamn Arby's...I am NOT "living" in the sense that I pay taxes, mind laws and behave socially acceptable (because I do none of that)...so how does that work? I am dead; that's being impaired enough."

ZW: Fair enough. Now a question for both of you: what sort of challenges do you face as zombie citizens in the United States of America? Wayne?

Wayne Kotke: "I face a multitude of challenges, many of them having to do with the fact that I have virtually no legal rights. It's interesting that you use the word "citizen," since technically I am not one. Beyond the legal issues, there is a lot of anti-LI prejudice mainly due to the overwhelmingly negative portrayal of LI in movies, TV shows, etc."

The Real Zombie: "I don't consider myself a "citizen"..I am a fucking disease really. I mean I coexist here I suppose but you wont see me at PTA meetings or punching in my time card at a lame job.. My biggest challenge? Well,I eat people, so that's frowned upon so right off the bat I am screwed. And don't forget that I am constantly tracked by people claiming to be "zombie hunters" thinking that they are in some kind of fucking video game or something , wanting to shoot me in the head and shit. So yeah...those are some pretty big challenges right there....more so than losing one's car keys or getting the kiddo's off to school in time ...you know what I mean?"

ZW: Wow? A disease. That's a pretty strong image. I'm hearing two different things here about being undead, so I might as well address the elephant in the room. Is it true that the undead eat flesh and brains? Is this something we should be concerned about if our family or coworkers are undead?

Wayne Kotke: "While there is no nutritional reason for the LI to consume human flesh or organs, it is true that we do experience a strong and irrational urge to do so. Occasionally, the LI are known to give into this temptation, but the media's blown it all out of proportion. Should the living be concerned? A little, yes, but not to the extent you think."

The Real Zombie: "Yes indeed .. we do eat flesh and brains. Every zombie has their fav I think , like me for instance...give me a juicy arm or leg and I am good to go...brains are good too but the texture is hard to get used to. Only Zombies whose teeth are all rotted out eat nothing but brains (like my gramps eating jello cause he cant chew solid food) poor fucks still have to crack the skull though and they struggle at times. Anyone who thinks a zombie eats ONLY brains is full of shit...a pack of zombies can make a human disappear faster than an oreo cookie at a weightwatchers meeting. If your family or coworkers become a zombie? fuck yeah you'd better be concerned. Dont piss them off. If I like someone..I generally will not view them as "lunch" however...I am a zombie, so if you see me staring at you with "that look"....probably a good idea to leave the room."

ZW: Wayne, it certainly sounds like The Real Zombie stands against much of what you believe.

The Real Zombie: "I have no beef with Wayne..he is what he is...and I am who I am Really...he thinks of himself as "living Impaired" I disagree. The bottom line is that a zombie is a fucking dead person walking the earth trying to survive. Some are more willing to try and blend in and some just throw shit IN the blender and have fun seeing what it spits out and that's ME. I like what George A. Romero said: 'I always thought of the zombies as being about revolution, one generation consuming the next.' The Real Zombie IS that revolution."

ZW: Is it just me, or are things getting tense? Let's move on to a new topic. Perhaps you two will have more in common if we speak about your conditions. For example, one of my readers, Apocalypse Dan, wants to know if you can run, and what keeps your soft tissues from completely decaying?

Wayne Kotke: "The LI can run, theoretically. I don't run often, simply because I was never much of a runner. It's all a matter of personal choice. But we don't dart around like sugar-crazed toddlers the way you see in some recent movies. By the way, I preserve myself through a variety of salves, balms, and ointments. You should see my medicine chest. It's crowded, to say the least."

The Real Zombie: "Ok...here's the deal bro...I cannot run at full speed because I am dead and my muscles and soft tissues are indeed decaying which make it hard to chase people (hot girls in heels are easy though), Or run from the Five-0. But we do have motor functions and you'd be surprised how quick we can be. Stealth is a zombie's best friend ...the sneakier the better. These people that think we walk with our arms out groaning and dragging a leg? Those are the people who get eaten the most ...fucking dumbasses."

ZW: Speaking of dumbasses, most of the world is suffering from an economic recession thanks to some boneheaded moves on Wall Street. Does being undead give you any advantages for coping with the current economic downturn?

Wayne Kotke: "Yes, we LI are actually thriving in the recession, though for sort of a bad reason. As non-citizens, we are completely off-the-books. We're paid in cash, no bennies whatsoever, and make much less than a living person would for comparable work. In other words, we're cheap labor. Outsourcing to India seems like a luxurious extravagance compared to outsourcing to the Living Impaired. We're taking over the call centers, I tell ya."

The Real Zombie: "Most of us live in the streets...lurk in the shadows. We scrounge for food...we get by however we can. Which is like most of the population..haha. Seriously though...I think so, I mean a Zombie does not live by the same standards obviously. We aren't freaking out because we cant send the kids to private schools , make the Escalade payment and pay for the wife's Plastic surgery. Fuck those people....and the crazy thing is? They are blowing their brains out as a last resort and killing their entire family...its sad because that's a total waste of brains and food. If economic times got ya down...I will eat ya...I PROMISE."

ZW: Wow. You know, I really had hoped this discussion would help us create some kind of consensus about what it means to be a zomb-- I mean "living impaired." Perhaps we can look to newly elected President Barack Obama for guidance. He's known for being something of a uniter, not a divider. So, now that President Obama was elected to the White House on a platform of hope and change, do you think the Obama administration will make an positive changes for your people?

Wayne Kotke: "I hope the Obama administration takes an enlightened view towards the Living Impaired, but I'm skeptical. I carefully examined one of those 'Yes We Can' posters and found that if you zoom in really close, it says in really small type: 'Except for Zombies' "

The Real Zombie: "Obama doesn't give a fuck about Zombies and that's fine with me...he's got enough problems with this country and frankly I don't wanna be in the public spotlight. I was at COMICON the other day though and saw this badass comic about how the U.S. Govt used Zombies as a weapon...they put them in cannisters and air dropped them in the Middle East to "eradicate" the enemy...that shit is cool and I think Obama should consider it honestly..I'd be down for that...plus , I LOVE Middle Eastern food."

And that's all the time we have for today. Unfortunately, I think that this first edition of Zed to Zed probably raised more questions about what it means to be undead in the modern world than it answered. That just means we'll have to have both Wayne Kotke and The Real Zombie back for another round. Many thanks to Wayne and "RZ" for donating their time.

If you'd like to know more about Mr. Wayne Kotke, he can be reached by e-mail at waynekotke AT hotmail.com and can be found on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/WayneKotke.

Likewise, if you want to get in touch with The Real Zombie he's also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TheReal_ZoMbiE as well as on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/475538791

Got a question for my guests? If you're hungry for further installments of ZED TO ZED and have questions for our guests, e-mail me your questions at zedwordblog@gmail.com.

Trailer Tuesday: Mutants (2009)

French horror cinema is certainly on the upswing lately, with more and more notable and acclaimed horror flicks coming out in French at the same time that French horror filmakers are coming to America to shoot productions for North American studios.

As such, a new French zombie film on its way. Mutants is directed by David Morlet.

Marc Forster off World War Z?

Bloody-Disgusting is reporting word from the San Diego Comic-Con that Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace) is no longer directing Paramount's adaptation of Max Brooks' World War Z.

This news follows Fangoria's report from a few weeks ago that screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahannew was brought on to replace J. Michael Straczynski on writing duties.

Looks like there are some fundamental creative changes taking place in the creative pre-production of this film. Is the World War Z adaptation bound to get derailed?

Only time will tell.

Brain Picking: Interview with Katie Carman (dir. The Eaters)

INTERVIEW with Katie Carman
(director: EAT ME!)

NOTE: At the time this interview was posted, the film The Eaters had not yet changed its title to Eat Me!

  There's a brand new zombie comedy hitting the scene out of New York, and it's called THE EATERS. In the film, a Brooklyn band (General Malacarne) is practicing when 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. I had the chance to ask Katie Carman, the film's director, some questions about her newest project and first feature-length film

ZED WORD (ZW): Let's start our discussion of THE EATERS by talking about what lead you to direct the film. I see that you have worked on various web-series, websites, commercials, and short projects, but this looks to be your first feature. Why a zombie film and why now?

KATIE CARMAN (KC): It's always been something that I've wanted to do -- to produce a feature film -- but never had the opportunity to do mostly because my entire post-college life I'd worked full-time jobs that were completely unrelated to film, and it left me without the time or energy to do it. I guess you could say it was a matter of timing and my own stupidity (quitting my "day job" on an emotional whim) that finally lead to the creation of this movie.

Horror films, and zombie films in general have always been a favorite genre of mine. Dawn of the Dead is probably my favorite film of all time, with George Romero as one of my favorite directors, so it was only natural that when we wanted to produce a feature it would be something in that vein. It was important to Liz and I to write something completely different though, something that was more specific to our personalities which lean towards the comic and the absurd. I think THE EATERS is a pretty good indicator of that.

[Editor's note: Liz is infact Elizabeth Lee, who not only stars in THE EATERS but is also the second-half of Cold Hand Productions]

(ZW): THE EATERS is billed as a horror-comedy, but those genres are themselves fairly diverse. How would you describe the tone of the film and how you blend horror / comedy.

(KC): We like to think of THE EATERS as what would result if Shaun of the Dead and Dazed and Confused got mixed up with a bit of feminine finesse. We touch on a lot of things that haven't been explored in the zombie film genre, so I think that absurdity along with the hilarity of the dialogue is what makes the film funny. People don't expect Miko [played by Ivy Wong] to have such a potty mouth, or to see a bike riding zombie, etc., so I think seeing those things that are atypical for the standard zombie or horror movie and what is expected of it is where a lot of our laughs come from.

(ZW): There are too few women writing and directing horror films these days (or writing / directing mainstream films in general). Did you feel any particular challenges sitting the the director's chair to produce a film in a genre that is dominated by men?

(KC): I'm very happy to say that, no, I didn't feel any particular challenge directing as a woman. It never even occurred to me that people wouldn't respect me or what I was doing because I was female, so it was just a non-issue. We've had a lot of people remark that it’s unusual to find women working in the horror genre, but have heard fewer comments about the comedy genre, where strong female voices are equally scarce. We're happy that we've been able to contribute something unique that can fit happily into either category.

(ZW): How did you choose the cast of THE EATERS? Are they local actors or friends? Also, since the main characters belong to a band called General Malacarne, are any of the actor actually musicians?

(KC): Our cast is made up of a mixture of actors, who are friends, and actors we met through the auditions who have also become great friends. Because we had absolutely no budget with which to pay these people, it was very important to us that they felt the same passion for it as we did (it's not an easy feat rousing a cast of 20+ people at 5am every weekend for 4 months straight without pay). It was also important that these people had a good track record of working well with others. We had to make sure our production days were used as smartly as we could, so there was no room for dealing with unruly actors with big egos.

And yes, a few of the members in General Malacarne are also musically talented. Jun Naito played drums for a majority of the film's soundtrack (which ironically was recorded in the same basement where General Malacarne practice in the film). Ivy Hong is a trained musical improvisationalist. The rest of it is just great acting.

(ZW): I couldn't help but notice you're from Brooklyn and the film was shot in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, New York. Did the locations add something special to the film, perhaps a particularly Brooklyn feel?

(KC): I think the film has a very distinct "New York" vibe about it. The majority of the film was shot on the streets of Brooklyn and Queens. What wasn't was shot in my Brooklyn brownstone apartment was shot at a friend's house in Astoria, Queens and shot in my mom's house (the house I grew up in, out on Long Island), so everything you see is legitimately "New York", and maybe even more so since it doesn't ever step foot in Manhattan!

(ZW): You just had a screening of THE EATERS at the Long Island International Film Expo. How did it go?

(KC): It was great! We were played after a series of really downer shorts, so it took a moment for the audience to get acclimated to a comedy. But once they did, they laughed a lot and we got a lot of great feedback. The crowd was different than our premiere audience, generally older and more suburban, so we were very encouraged to hear all the laughs.

(ZW): And finally, what's in the future for the film? Any upcoming screenings or dates?

(KC): Right now we're really hoping to be picked up for distribution, be it in theaters, on DVD or on VOD. We're also investigating the self-distribution route. Our plan after that is to use whatever we make from the film to fund our next film.

We are also still submitting THE EATERS to festivals worldwide and have our next festival screening set for August 4th as part of the New Filmmakers Series at Anthology Film Archives here in NYC.

Zombedy? Zom-Com? Whatever you want to call it, THE EATERS promises stoners, a bike-riding zombie, and a potty-mouthed Asian rocker chick. Sounds intriguing to say the least. If you're in the NYC area, check out a screening of the film on August 4th at 8:00pm as part of the New Filmmakers Series. For more information on the screening, visit www.newfilmmakers.com!

THE EATERS stars Elizabeth Lee, Jun Naito, Chesley Calloway, and Ivy Hong. Directed and edited by Katie Carman.

BLOODY good Left 4 Dead 2 Game Footage

From the San Diego Comic-Con, Gamespot.com has put up some new game footage LEFT 4 DEAD 2, featuring the new axe melee weapon.

REVIEW: Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993)

REVIEW

Return of the
Living Dead 3 (1993)

Director: Brian Yuzna

RATING: 3.5 / 5 zedheads




Like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3 has its own elements of star-crossed romance and tragedy but with more brain eating and self-mutilation. In short, Return of the Living Dead 3 is a decent zombie film that offers an interesting romantic twist in the ROTLD franchise. If you can suffer through some dull love-story pacing and some seriously outdated effects and rubber zombie masks, there is a satisfying movie to be had. This is achieved in no small part by the presence of the provocative Melinda Clarke who steals the show as Julie Walker.

There's a very good reason she's number five on my list of the TOP FIVE SEXIEST ZOMBIES.

Julie and Curt (J. Trevor Edmond) are teen lovers in Los Angeles, and like all disaffected youth in the 1990s they are kind of nihilistic rebels without a cause. The 1990s were after all the age of Nirvana. It is no surprise then that, like most teens his age, Curt (whose name is quite probably a reference to Kurt Cobain) dreams of being a drummer in a band. Because music is, like, his life! And that's because he's not had much of a good one -- a life that is. Curt's an army brat, his mother is dead, and he's had to move around each time his dad gets relocated. Now Curt's dad is heading a secret military project at the local base. However, Curt is feeling pretty good since he has Julie, his sexy, redheaded, thrill-seeking, fishnet-wearing girlfriend. She convinces him to steal one of his dad's security cards so they can sneak into the base and see what's going on. This will be the first of many moves that proves Curt is perhaps one of the world's premiere idiots.

Sneaking into the base is a bad move because the army isn't conducting safe experiments like nuclear bombs, agent orange, or anthrax. No, they're fucking around with 2-4-5 Trioxin, the chemical that brings the dead back to life in an enraged fury for brains! Scientists are applying 2-4-5 Trioxin, which was the cause of the zombies in Return of the Living Dead and the Return of the Living Dead: Part II, to corpses to bring them back to life as potential military weapons. Although the zombies can not be killed except through cremation or extreme electrocution (at least according to the first two movies), the military is testing a way of paralyzing the zombies so they can be collected, contained, and reused.

Julie and Curt witnesses an emaciated yellow corpse brought back to life, howling in pain and rage. You see, it sucks to be dead, and only the sweet, comforting taste of brains helps to momentarily dull that pain. Being a zombie simply doesn't look or feel pleasant. Later in the movie, Curt should have remembered how freaked out he was by the emaciated yellow corpse after Julie dies in a motorcycle crash. But no, Curt is an idiot. Curt decides to sneak her into the base and use 2-4-5 Trioxin to bring her back to life. As he bumbles around, he also manages to release a zombie from one of the Trioxin canisters, which runs amok as he escapes with a reanimated Julie. From this point on, Curt is directly responsible for everyone who dies (and lots of people die). Good job, Romeo!

For some reason (perhaps it's her bond with Curt or her lack of brain decay), Julie seems to be her normal self. However, she starts to change. Soon the cravings for brains and flesh begin, which makes escaping the military difficult when she draws attention to herself by taking a bite out of a hostile Latino thug at a convenience store. And her bite is contagious too -- anyone she bites will also reanimate as a zombie (which is the first time this element of zombie lore was incorporated into the ROTLD films). She finds that the only thing that keeps the hunger at bay is inflicting pain upon herself. Sexy Julie spends the whole movie stepping on broken glass, cutting her skin with rusty wires and springs, and shoving any sharp and pointed piece of scrap metal found in the sewers through her skin. Eventually, the hunger becomes too much, so she has to get really extreme. By the end of the movie, she looks like a Cenobite's wet dream.

So, Curt and Julie the zombie masochistic are on the run, chased by the military and by the vengeful Latino thugs they crossed. Along the way they meet a homeless man called "Riverman" (Basil Wallace) who encourages Curt to follow his dreams. Curt seems too easy to gravitate towards this guy as a father figure given that Riverman is clearly mentally unstable. This will not be the last of Curt's fatally poor life-choices.

Lots of people die. You'd think this would be exciting, but there are many slow scenes in which Curt constantly ditches Julia and then goes back to save her even though Julie is turning into a raving cannibal. In doing this, he constantly allows Julie to meet new people and then creates a chaos of shooting, biting, beatings, and brain eating as he attempts to get her away from those people. But then there's angst which really slows down the pace of the film.

I find it funny that Curt seems more than willing to risk killing the whole world to run away with Julie. Oh, such a more apt metaphor for young love I have not seen. And just like Juliet, Julie's romance with Curt ends tragically as she follows Curt's plan to escape responsibility for the mess they've made in the most painful way possible.

But, thankfully, idiotic Curt's not the heart of the movie even though he is the lead character. It's Julie. Played by Clarke, Julie really does undergo quite the physical and emotional transformation as moods swing down to wild depths of pain and up to crazy animal fury. Although a number of zombies in this film suffer from being nothing more than actors in rubber suits, the special makeup effects on most zombies, especially Julie, work quite well. The effects are realistic enough that it's painful to watch Julie cut herself and mutilate her body. She also looks wicked fierce. I both love her and am disgusted by her. That is why I have composed the following song!

THE ZED WORD PRESENTS: "An Ode to Julie"

Oh Julie!
Well, you came back as a freaky zombie
And stuck shrapnel in your veins, oh Julie
Then you bit me and stopped me from screaming
cause you ate out my brains. Oh, Julie!

For Melinda Clarke's role as Julie, for an interesting twist on the Trioxin zombies of the previous two ROTLD films, and for some decent special makeup effects, Return of the Living Dead 3 has enough moments to warrant a rental, but it doesn't even come close to catching the fun and energy of the original Return of the Living Dead.

Jonah Hex: A Zombie Movie?

The San-Diego Comic-Con is currently in full swing, and one of the comics-based movies getting attention is the upcoming JONAH HEX, starring Josh Brolin and directed by Jimmy Hayward. In the DC Comics that bear his name, Jonah Hex is a Western antihero whose face is scarred and disfigured on the right side.

While a brand new poster for the film adaptation was revealed at SDCC, it seems that the movie's synopsis is still up for debate as some would have us believe it may contain voodoo and zombies. In March, Variety reported that Jonah Hex would see Brolin in the title role tracking down Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich), who plans to use voodoo to free the Confederate South with an army of the undead.

However, Jimmy Palmiotti, a comic book writer for Jonah Hex, denied the whole voodoo / zombie angle, stating:

What isn’t true and will probably make the fans of the character lose their lunch is the “voodoo practitioner raising an army of the undead” part. Not true on any level, so stop worrying. Really… you can all relax now.

AGAIN… there is no voodoo dude raising the dead to liberate the South kind of silliness going on at all in this film. I really wanted to clear this up because I spent the last few days at MegaCon being asked a million questions about the Hex movie and throwing this out in my column is a lot easier than losing my voice.

Now, I'm not a Jonah Hex fan, so I can't tell when something is "wrong" for the character, but I can't be the only one who thinks zombies would be awesome in this movie.

Anyways, I've yet to read an official synopsis for the film, but the previous one about voodoo and zombies is still floating around the internet. We'll have to wait and see what's in store for us with this DC comics adaptation.

OFFICIAL: Seattle Zombie Walk Sets Guinness Record

We had to wait a while to find out if the recent Red, White and Dead Zombie Walk in Fremont had actually been Guinness certified as a record-breaker, but according to Monica Guzman at The Big Blog the official word has been released.

Congratulations to the Seattle Zombie Walk, which now holds the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of zombies achieved by 3,894 participants in the 'Red White and Dead Zombie Party' event organized by Fremont Outdoor Movies in Seattle, Washington, USA, on 3 July 2009.

Special congrats go to Jon Hegeman and Ryan Reiter who produced the event and of course to all the participants. Zombie Walks can't happen without zombies!

Looks like 3,894 is the new number to beat. That's quite the zombie horde.

TIFF: NEW ROMERO TITLE CONFIRMED. New Images!

The Toronto International Film Festival has released information indicating that George A. Romero's new zombie film will be titled Survival of the Dead, and the film will be premiering as part of TIFF's Midnight Madness this September. The previous link will also take you to the announcement and a whack of new photos from the film.


TIFF has been very good to zombie fans these past few years. In 2007, TIFF premiered Romero's Diary of the Dead and in 2008 it premiered Bruce McDonald's Pontypool. I was there for Pontypool in 2008, and I'm going to do my damned best to be there for Survival of the Dead to bring you a review straight from TIFF!

I'm very excited for Survival of the Dead. I was not at all impressed by Diary of the Dead. In fact, it's not a movie I would ever recommend; however, from what I've been reading about the plot of Survival of the Dead, I can't help but feel Romero is getting back to what he does best. Colin Geddes, the International film programmer at TIFF, sure makes the movie sound interesting from his description:

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.

Such apocalyptic themes have long haunted George A. Romero, much to the delight of his legions of fans. He now follows Crocket, a minor character from his last film, Diary of the Dead, to present a new doomsday scenario. In that film, Crocket made a brief appearance with his militia to appropriate the heroes’ supplies at gunpoint. For Crocket’s subsequent journey, Romero does something that most horror directors have forgotten in recent years – he uses the genre to address societal issues. As a socially conscious filmmaker, Romero creates a world in which he can wrestle with the human condition while simultaneously finding new and creative ways to exterminate lurching flesh eaters.

George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead is also a sharp subversion of the western. It can be seen as a reflection of William Wyler’s The Big Country, in which stubborn clans feuded as larger troubles raged. We needn’ t look further than today’s news headlines to see examples of such fracture and to understand how it prevents more significant problems from being solved.

Fear not, Romero is still determined to give you gruesome and macabre thrills, but will also serve up a bloody little parable on the side. So who are you going to side with, the living or the dead?

Zed Word Casting Claw: Left 4 Dead (The Movie)

As far as I know, there are no plans in development to turn Left 4 Dead into a feature film; however, you know it's bound to happen one day. Thankfully, unlike other properties recently optioned for film adaptations, a Left 4 Dead movie stands every chance of being quite good if properly cast and written. The game's close-knit group of four distinct survivors would easily translate into an action/horror/escape film. Hell, every mission starts with a mock-movie poster on the loading screen already.

Hypothetically casting Left 4 Dead, I was looking for actors who are experienced but not too well-known. In order to identify with the survivors, they have to have fresh yet familiar faces; this is not a movie for super stars. Also, every actor needs to have experience in comedy. Left 4 Dead is a surprisingly funny game if you take the time to listen to the prerecorded dialogue and conversations between the game characters. So, after thinking about who could successfully play the four survivors, and after getting a little help from my friends, I'm ready to present THE ZED WORD's casting picks for a Left 4 Dead film

LEFT 4 DEAD: Starring.....

MOS DEF as Louis

Hip-hop artist and actor Mos Def (Be Kind Rewind; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) is the only one in my mind to play Louis as a white collar young professional forced to adapt in the face of the collapse of civilization. In Left 4 Dead, Louis worked in the IT department as a Junior Systems Analyst until the world went to hell and the zombie horde replaced computer hardware platforms as the worst thing he had to worried about. Louis strikes me as an optimistic, hard-working young professional suddenly dragged out of his life by the apocalypse. He has been able to survive not because of his skill with a weapon (although he's handy with a rifle) but because he has a quick, sharp intellect and is highly adaptable. In his career as a rapper, Mos Def has shown his quick wit and ability to improvise in his amazing ability to freestyle. As an actor, he has also shown his ability to play likable, average guys in his films such as Be Kind Rewind, deliver smart and sharp comedy and satire in films like Spike Lee's Bamboozled, and to throw-down the drama in movies such as Something the Lord Made. As an actor who has defied stereotypes and type-casting, he'd be perfect for a movie that would cross the action/horror/escape genres and add a touch of humour. And I'm not the only one to think so. UGO.com also cast Mos Def as Louis in their L4D casting call.

FAVORITE LOUIS QUOTE: "If I go down, go on without me—actually, no, wait save my ass."
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ADAM BALDWIN as Francis



Francis is one loud, cocky, tough, tattooed, biker son-of-bitch who seems a little too at home in the lawless zombie apocalypse of Left 4 Dead. The only man who could play Francis with the required cockiness, toughness, and humour is Adam Baldwin. Baldwin is beloved by fans all over the world for his portrayal of the mercenary Jayne Cobb in Joss Whedon's Firefly, and for good reason. Not only does Baldwin have the intimidating build for playing tough guys but he can also turn a phrase of dialogue in such a way that he comes across as sensitive and likable where just before he was simple-minded and brutish. He can make you laugh out loud. Baldwin has had roles in various movies and TV shows (currently he plays an NSA agent on NBC's Chuck), but I would cast him as Francis simply for his work as Jayne. The characters are just too similar to pass up. Both Jayne and Francis are cocky, tough, physical, quarrelsome (some of the funniest bits of dialogue in the game come from Francis making fun of Bill) and without social graces. Baldwin would just have to substitute Jayne's stupidity for Francis's complete discontent for EVERYTHING.

FAVORITE FRANCIS QUOTE: [ Noticing a deer crossing road sign] "Watch out! There's deer around here."
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RIP TORN as Bill



I had a hell of a time casting Bill, probably because he's my favorite of the four characters. Bill is a survivor. Although he fought in Vietnam and was wounded and honorably discharged, Bill never really left the war behind. Now that he's older, a bit more broken, and slightly unhinged in his age, the war has found its way back to him-- but this time the Tanks are zombies and the the Viet Cong are Boomers and Smokers. In trying to find the right actor to capture Bill's special blend of military authority, hard-life experience, underlying insanity, and prominent voice for barking orders and keeping up a humorous rivalry with Francis, I looked at everyone from Kris Kristofferson to Nick Nolte to James Cromwell. It wasn't until zombie fan Apocalypse Dan suggested I look at Rip Torn that I saw the light. In Rip Torn lives the gravelly voice of Bill, lamenting his age ("HORESHIT!"), shouting commands at the other survivors, and waxing far too fondly about his AK-47. Rip Torn has the kind of voice that tears into you. He's also an accomplished serious actor and accomplished comedic actor as evidenced in films like Men in Black, Dodgeball, and The Larry Sanders Show

FAVORITE BILL QUOTE: "Speak up, Francis! Your voice got all muffled from your head being so far up your ass."
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COBIE SMULDERS as Zoey



I'm going to buck the trend in casting Zoey. If you look at the male fan reaction to Zoey on the web (as shown not only in the popularity of the nude skin released online by a L4D modder but also the disturbing amount of Left 4 Dead porn that comes up by just searching for "Zoey"), everyone seems more enamored by her tits and ass than her personality. The most obvious choice, then, would be to cast Sonja Kinski, who is apparently the actress / model on whom Zoey's character was designed. However, I like Zoey because she's kind of dorky and a pop-culture nut. She's described as a college student who spent her first semester watching horror movies rather than going to class, an education that has served her well now that the zombie apocalypse is at hand. As such, she's always making quips and one liners in the game that reference horror movies and other pop-culture institutions (Star Wars, Simpsons, etc.). Obviously, not only does the actor playing Zoey need to be attractive, she also needs to be incredibly funny. Cobie Smulders, who you can currently see on ABC's How I Met Your Mother, has beauty and funny in spades. She may not be Super-Star hot, but he has been a fashion model and has a very realistic, girl-next-door beauty about her. Also, in her work on How I met Your Mother, she's developed an impeccable comedic timing and steals many of the scenes, just like Zoey does in Left 4 Dead.

FAVORITE ZOEY QUOTE: "Oh, nice, a cabin in the middle of nowhere. I know how this movie ends."
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SPECIAL INFECTED

Although I'm not going to cast all the special infected (the zombies would be a combination of extras, stunt people, and pure CGI creations), I would like to finish this entry by suggesting that if a Left 4 Dead movie were ever made, not only should they use my cast for the survivors, but they should also think about using parkour athletes as the Hunters!

Parkour (also known as "free-running") is an athletic discipline and art out of France in which one uses the human body to traverse an urban landscape as quickly and smoothly as possible. Like the agile and deadly Hunters in Left 4 Dead, Parkour athletes climb and leap like urban ninjas through cityscapes and public areas in a beautiful display of athleticism. Parkour athletes like Sebastien Foucan and David Belle have been used in movies and commercial before to perform stunts, but they woudl seem especially suited as Hunters in Left 4 Dead. Just watch the following clips and imagine these guys all wearing hoodies while chasing a group of four survivors through the streets. Sure, you could create a CGI creature to do all this and more, but nothing beats seeing a flesh-and-blood Parkour artists push the boundaries of human ability. They are truly amazing.

Trailer Tuesday: Dead and Buried (1981)

Guide to Zombies @ San Diego Comic-Con

The 2009 San Diego Comic-Con will soon be upon us! From July 23 to July 26, the world's biggest comic-con is returning to the San Diego Convention Center and is guaranteed to pack it full of hungry comics fans. This year, however, there are also a number of films, panels, and exclusives to satisfy the hunger of zombie fans! If you're heading out to the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) this year, print off this post and use it as your treasure map to zombie goodness!

ART

While I don't have the space here to showcase all the zombie-related artists and art at SDCC, make sure you look for the following project: theHorde

What is "theHorde"? According to Mark Slater, a local artist who contacted me, theHorde is a set of zombie magnets illustrated by Mark and produced with Dr. Bela SaVini at Blackforest Studios that will be available starting with an "outbreak" at the San Diego Comic-Con. They may look something like the image to the left.

So keep your eyes peeled. theHorde may be out there!

Mark Slater is also an artist for the upcoming Headshot!, an adult zombie colouring book (see previews at his blog HERE)


FILMS and FILM EVENTS

SDCC is a great place to get sneak peeks at new films, watch independent films, and participate in film events. This year, there a number big-studio and independent zombie flicks to scope out as well as a zombie walk!

Thursday, July 23: Lifeless Screening (Room 26AB @ 12:40-1:25pm)

• A global pandemic has decimated the population and left the cities deserted. When a handful of survivors find themselves stranded in the aftermath, with the dead returning to life, they must rely on each other to endure in a world overrun by zombies. Co-director and writer David Sasich and co-director Eli Sasich, filmmakers of the award-winning short film Dead West, will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the production of this independently shot television pilot.

Thursday, July 23: Alice Jacobs is Dead premiere (Room 26AB @ 1:45-2:20pm)

• Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog, Escape from New York) and John La Zar (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls) star in this post-apocalyptic love story. Dr. Ben Jacobs helped mankind fight back against the Z-virus, which nearly destroyed civilization entirely. Now, in the aftermath of the crisis, he's trying to cure the last victims of the virus. But what will happen when he brings his work home? Panelists include writer/director Alex Horwitz and producers Jacob Robinson and Ariana Mufson.

Thursday, July 23: San Diego ZOMBIE WALK (Downtown San Diego @ 7:30pm)

• It's the third annual San Diego Zombie Walk, this year sponsored by the upcoming film Zombieland. Get zombified and meet at the NW corner of 4th & Broadway (look for palm trees)
  
  Before the walk, visit the Sony Pictures Entertainment Booth (#4313) at SDCC for a FREE ZOMBIE MAKEUP SESSION by pro artists available Thursday, July 23rd, beginning at 10:00 AM. There will also be FREE ZOMBIELAND GIFTS for the first 150 zombies to arrive for the walk. For more information and maps, check out the website: http://www.sdzombiewalk.com

Saturday, July 25: Sony's ZOMBIELAND preview (Hall H @2:45-3:45pm)

• Zombieland —What if the Zombies won? Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has made a habit of running from what scares him. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) doesn't have fears. If he did, he'd kick their ever-living ass. In a world overrun by zombies, these two are perfectly evolved survivors. But now, they're about to stare down the most terrifying prospect of all: each other. Also starring Emma Stone and Abigal Breslin as two sisters who seem to constantly cause even more trouble for our erstwhile heroes. Appearing on stage: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and director Ruben Fleischer.

PANELS

Saturday, July 25: "Monster Mash" (Room 2 @3:00-4:00pm)

• Because vampires shouldn't get all the attention, panelists Amber Benson (Death's Daughter), Alice Henderson (Voracious), Walter Greatshell (Xombies: Apocalypse Blues), S. G. Browne (Breathers: A Zombie's Lament), Marlene Perez (Dead Is So Last Year), Rob Thurman (The Cal Leandros Novels), and Samantha Sommersby (Forbidden: The Temptation) discuss their use of other monsters in their works, drawn from myth and their own imaginations.
  

Saturday, July 25: Arthur Suydam "How-To" Session (Room 18 @4:00-5:00pm)

• Award-winning artist Arthur Suydam's meteoric rise to superstardom for his work for the smash hit series Marvel Zombies broke records, immediately placing the artist in the category of comic legends. In 2007 and 2008 Suydam's art graced the covers of Marvel Zombies Dead Days, Marvel Zombies #2 and #3, Wolverine, Fantastic Four, The Incredible Herc, X-men, Ghost Rider, Thor, Spider-Girl, and more. Arthur's session will cover how to break down an image for painting, the thumbnail process, and painting for comic books.

EXCLUSIVES

SDCC is also a place for fans to get EXCLUSIVE toys and comics only available during convention time. Although there will be many vendors selling zombie comics and toys, these are the official SDCC exclusives

Avatar Press

• Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks Art Print #1 (Production Run: 250): $10.00
  Share Max Brooks' next zombie book is almost out and to celebrate we are releasing very limited run exclusive art prints! This print features an arctic zombie! Max will be at the Avatar books booth all convention and he will be happy to autograph! All prints come with a rigid protective case.

• Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks Art Print #2 (Production Run: 250): $10.00
  Share Max Brooks' next zombie book is almost out and to celebrate we are releasing very limited run exclusive art prints! This print features a zombie meeting his final fate! Max will be at the Avatar books booth all convention and he will be happy to autograph! All prints come with a rigid protective case.

Sideshow Collectibles

• Mort Vinyl Figure – Black and White Version - THE DEAD
  A young zombie without a care in the world, Mort’s fumbling attacks go unnoticed in the hustle and bustle world of the Living. Remember to always BE READY, for one never knows whom Mort will main next. Priced at $54.99, Pre-Orders for the limited edition exclusive Mort Vinyl Figure – Black and White Version can be made at SideshowCollectibles.com and will be available in the Sideshow booth (#1929) for pick-up at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con!

• Subject 16566: Butcher - THE DEAD
  Pre-Orders for the limited edition exclusive Subject 16566: Butcher THE DEAD 12-inch Figure can be made at SideshowCollectibles.com and will be available in the Sideshow booth (#1929) for pick-up at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con!

For a run-down of some of the other non-exclusive zombie toys available at SDCC this year, check out ZOMBIES AND TOYS for their post about SDCC!

DEATHTROOPERS: Zombies in Star Wars?

Just learned from a link posted by Marawtich on Twitter that Del Rey Books is planning to publish a new Star Wars novel by Joe Schreiber in October. What makes this novel so special? Well, the synopsis seems to suggest the plot will culminate in two words I never thought I'd say together:

ZOMBIE STORMTROOPERS

Synopsis for DEATHTROOPERS:

From the first appearance of Darth Vader in the groundbreaking movie Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars fans have known what terror feels like -- and they loved it. But never before has Star Wars publishing ventured into the unknown territory of true horror . . . until now.

When the Imperial prison barge Purge breaks down in a distant, uninhabited part of space, its only hope seems to lie with a Star Destroyer found drifting, derelict and seemingly abandoned. But when a boarding party is sent to scavenge for parts, only half of them come back -- bringing with them a horrific disease so lethal that within hours, nearly all aboard the Purge will die. And death is only the beginning.

For aboard the Star Destroyer, amid its vast creaking emptiness that isn't really empty at all. For the dead are rising, soulless, unstoppable, and unspeakably hungry.

I'm flabbergasted. What to make of this? Zombies have not only infected the prose of Jane Austen but now our beloved Star Wars universe. Is this too much? No....you can never have too much zombie.

Although, I don't know how a zombie Stormtrooper is much of a threat. They can't shoot for shit when they're alive and got wasted by the Ewoks, so what are they supposed to do as zombies? They can't even bite you through those helmets.

Wait....could this undead escalation lead to ZOMBIE EWOKS? The mind reels!

ZOMB-ART #7: Jonathan Wojcik

Let me introduce you to one of the most talented monster and creepy-crawler artist on the web who you may not have even heard of.



Jonathan Wojcik hails from the United States, where he toils away producing some of the funniest, creepiest, and outright BEST creature drawings and cartoons I've ever seen. With a passion for insects and weird biology, he combines his genuine love of weird science with his love of monsters to produce a variety of work, all of which is creepy, drippy, and full of things that squirm, burrow, claw, slither and pulsate.


He manages to create cartoons and drawings that are both funny, cute, and repulsive. Aside from the occasional zombie art, he creates quirky comics about talking organs, has generated a compendium of imaginative and unique monsters known as Mortasheen, and writes, voices and animates an online cartoon called The Fear Hole.





If that were not enough, he also maintains a website called The Insidious Bogleech where you can find his articles, yearly Halloween collecting blog, assorted creepy articles, Cephalopods, an archive of video game creatures and even a collector's guide to rubber bugs. Wojcik can also be found on deviantART under the username Scythemantis.


You've already seen a sample of his work here, and believe me when I tell you that he's got more and better stuff where this came from. If, like me, you love monsters and zombies (and were the kind of kid who collected monster toys, mutants, and bug figures) then you'll love Wojcik's work and appreciation for the weird and abhorrent.

Go check him out out on deviantART and at Bogleech.com today!