Boxing Day Contest

Zombie Contest!

Someone stole the baby from Uncle Prospero's Nativity Scene. If you've seen it, please return it - it's a family heirloom. I half-expect to get postcards from all over the world and album of where he's been when the hooligans responsible return him, next year.

Or better yet, let's have a Zombie Zone Photoshop contest. Take this Zombie Baby Doll on a trip around the world. The winning entry will be chosen by me and the prize will be something cool and zombie-related.

Besides the awesome Teddy Z, tonight I got a set of Tim Burton's "Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys," featuring Mummy Boy, Roy the Toxic Boy and Jimmy the Hideous Penguin Boy along with the official companion book to the Burton exhibit currently at the MoMA. The full line of these figurines, based on characters from Burton's book "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories" includes Stain Boy, Oyster Boy and The Boy with Nails in His Eyes. You can find a complete line of "Oyster Boy" products at Dark Horse.

I also finally received my own copy of Trick 'r Treat. Not to malign any of the other gifts I got, which were all terrific, but along with my new camera, those were my favs. Not exactly Zombie-related, but hey - It's Christmas...

So what did Zombie Claus leave in your stocking? Something still beating, I hope.

I guess the next time you hear from me, it will 2010. Aren't we supposed to discover God on Europa this year? Anyway, have a safe and Happy New Year! If you should happen to find yourself zombiefied, let someone else drive you home, or call a cab. Better yet, stay over.

In the meantime, enjoy this bit of Zombie Nonsense:



More zombies kills, soon.
Prospero

My Favorite Gift, So Far

A Zombie Toy:

This adorable little tyke is "Teddy Z" and he was made for Uncle Prospero by a dear friend and co-worker who has much too much time on her creative little hands. Teddy Z looks much better in real life (for example you can't really make out the bloody arm in his lap or "bits of flesh" stuck in his teeth or his different-sized eyes). Co-workers continue to mumble "There's something wrong with those two!"

Personally, we don't care what other folks think. We know we are perfectly normal zombie-lovers (as in people who love zombies, not zombies who are having zombie sex). Anyway, Teddy Z will have an honored space on a shelf in my home office... I just have to figure out where.

More gore, soon.

Prospero

Happy Horrordays

A Zombie Poem by Prospero

'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the town,
Not a zombie was stirring; they'd all been gunned down.
The corpses were burned in the chimney with care;
The stench of their rot was soon filling the air.
The living were nestled all snug in their beds,
Hoping their brains were still safe in their heads.
And Ma with her Uzi and me with my gun,
Stood watch o'er the door, ready to run.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my seat to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash;
Tore down the nailed boards and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the blood spattered snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to the terrors below.
When, what to my horrified eyes should appear,
But a miniature hearse and eight undead reindeer.
I had to move fast, I had to shoot quick;
Or else I'd fall victim to brain-hungry St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles, more zombies came;
Some of them neighbors, I knew them by name.
"There's Harvey and William; there's Barbara and Billy;
That's Carol and Sarah, well don't they look silly!"
They lurched toward the porch, they clawed at the wall;
Blast away, blast away! I shot at them all.
Still on toward the house, the zombies kept coming;
If Santa got in, we'd all soon be running.
Then like a nightmare, I heard on the roof
Scratching and moaning -- It's not zombie-proof!
As I drew in my head and was turning around,
Down the chimney a zombie came with a bound.
He was all dressed in rags, from his head to his foot
And his clothes were all covered in brains, blood and soot.
Another soon followed right on his back,
They shuffled on in, prepared to attack.
Their eyes were all milky, their cheeks sunken in;
Their lips were drawn back in a sardonic grin.
The hair on their heads was as stiff as dead straw;
Their fingers curled up into flesh-tearing claws.
The stump of an arm was clenched in one's teeth,
And the face of the other resembled ground beef.
They were greenish and pale, all rotten and smelly;
I shot one in the head; his brains turned to jelly.
Another soon followed, dressed like an elf.
I laughed when I saw it, in spite of myself.
It looked at me and twisted its head,
Filling my gut with a feeling of dread.
It spoke not a word, but went straight to its work,
Shambling and shuffling, all gnashing and jerks.
I pulled my trigger - Right in the nose!
He wanted to eat me, or worse, I suppose.
Ma sprang to my side, shot one and then whistled.
"Guess that'll keep him from chewing our gristle."
Once the zombies were dead, I turned off the light.
A Zombie Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

With my deepest apologies to Clement Moore... This is what happens when I'm trapped inside by the snow.

Links of the Living Dead:

Just a few links tonight. Fellow blogger JA of My New Plaid Pants, posted this wonderfully amusing piece about Sean of the Dead over at The Film Experience. He's one of the few gay bloggers out there who loves Zombies as much as Uncle Prospero does. His own blog is pretty funny, too.

There will probably not be a Zombie Zone post next week (I say probably, because one never knows), so I will take this opportunity to wish you all a very Zombie Christmas. If you're wondering what to get me, try this:


More gore, anon.
Prospero

Ink, Pastries and Hooters

First tonight, a bit of Zombie Nonsense:

As both a lover of zombies and tattoos (I have two and want a third), I was actually almost appalled by this exceptionally bizarre Zombie Waldo tatt I found on Ugliest Tattoos, one of the non-zombie blogs I visit regularly. Now, I don't know if this actually qualifies as an ugly tattoo, but it's certainly a weird one. And weird is what we're all about here at the Zombie Zone. And of course, by 'we,' I mean me. It looks like this particular tattoo is a on a leg and I'd love to see what surrounds poor Waldo, who undoubtedly died while waiting to be found. And that wasn't cheap. All those colors meant many hours in the chair (or on the table) and plenty of bucks. And unlike many of the things on Ugliest Tattoos, it is rather well-executed. And I'm sure it must mean something to the person who spent all that time and money getting it done. Still... I find it rather ironic that someone put a picture of rotting flesh on their own flesh, which will inevitably become rotting flesh, itself. Circle of life (or should I say "Unlife?"), I guess.

Next, in Zombie Fiction:

Those aliens over at i09 have done it again, with these fun maps of Zombie Outbreaks Throughout Alternate History. With Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (and it's sister book, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters) being so popular, it's good to see so many other clever takes on Alternate History zombie fiction.

Originally, I wanted to call this section "Zombie Food," until I realized that meant "People." I guess it's probably best then to call it Zombie Pastries:

From Oddee.com comes this Zombie Cake. Perfect for the Un-Birthday Party of your favorite zombie lover, it comes complete with a marzipan zombie and raspberry braaaaiins. Or how about these Left 4 Dead Gingerbread Zombie Cookies over at Technabob.com? Yummy!

And finally, in Zombie Music:

A Facebook friend, knowing my love of zombies and 80's music, posted this video of 80's One-Hit-Wonders, The Hooters (best known for writing the Cyndi Lauper hit "Time After Time"):

Ah, the 80's. Big hair, weird clothes and zombie songs. I miss them...

Until next time, stay hungry.

More rotting flesh, soon.
Prospero

On Every Zombie's Wishlist

Plenty to chew on this week, so let's get started, shall we?

First, in Zombie Fashion:

Doesn't every fashionable zombie need a good pair of shoes? Michael Burk at ChooseYourShoes creates custom painted shoes (in other words, they ain't cheap) for fun-loving zombies everywhere. Pictured is one of three pairs of zombie shoes he's painted. I don't know that I'd wear these to anything but a Halloween party or a zombie flash mob event, but they're awfully fun (via).

In Zombie Blogs:

Meanwhile, over at Stacie Ponder's Horror Movie blog Final Girl, Stacie has been writing about zombies all week. You can read her best posts here, here and here.

And you may notice I've added a new blog to the list. Zombaritiville is from an anonymous blogger out of Seattle, who writes Zombie lyrics to the tunes of popular songs, with often hilarious results. His latest is "We're Craving Brains Again" sung to the tune of Eurythmics' "Here Comes the Rain Again."

In Zombie Science:

And also via, comes this disgusting little video about Zombie Snails:

And almost finally, in Zombie Nonsense:

I posted this on Caliban's Revenge a while back, but thought it worth posting again. Here's the very talented and hilarious Jonathan Coulton singing "Your Brains" with a live audience in L.A.:

This past week has been rather interesting for your Uncle Prospero and he may have some very exciting Zombie News of his own to report next week. Keep your rotting fingers crossed and send out your best undead vibes...

And please don't forget to send me your Zombie news, links, videos and whatever.

More skull chomping, soon.
Prospero