Let Them Eat Cake

Sorry I've been away from the Zone for a while, but there really has been so very little Zombie News to report of late. And while I do still intend to talk about upcoming Zombie Films, this week I thought I'd start with some Zombie Pastries. The photo above is actually a cake (via) by Barbara Jo found  on DoItMyself.org. Full instructions can be found here. Regular readers know that Uncle P's sister has a side business making custom cakes for all kinds of occasions. Sis came North last year for a change, but I'm still hoping that when I go south this spring, she'll have a special zombie cake just for me. And I''ll be sure to post pictures of it here when she does.

In Zombie TV, AMC continues to post interviews with the cast and crew of their hit series "The Walking Dead." An interview with cast member IronE Singleton can be found here, while an interview with Season 1 crew can be found here. Meanwhile, on the heels of AMC's surprise hit, several other networks are developing their own zombie series. First (via) comes news of the CW series "Awakening" about "two sisters who come of age and face off against one another amidst the zombie uprising." Meanwhile, NBC is developing the totally ridiculous-sounding "Zombies Vs. Vampires." Uncle P thinks this is definitely a case of genre overkill and predicts a very short run, should the show actually make it to air.

And finally, in advance of my post about upcoming Zombie Films, comes the Zombie Clip of the Week, a (you should excuse the expression) short about the making of Night of the Little Dead, a film which features "The Cape" co-star Martin Klebba and whose title which will make itself apparent as you watch the clip. Enjoy:

More Melting Heads, soon.
Prospero

Zombiewood

Sorry to disappoint the pervs who may have mistaken this post's title for a necrophilic reference.

This week in Zombie Art, the poster on your left is by artist Matt Busch, who re-imagined several iconic movie posters as zombie movies in this hilarious collection over at Buzzfeed's "Hollywood is Undead" collection. The posters include "Indiana Bones;" "Scary Potter" and "Toy Gory." Somehow, Uncle P can't help but think that "Cadavatar" would have been a much better (or at least more interesting) movie than the one it's parodying.

Of course, this week's sad Zombie TV news is the end of Season 1 of AMC's "The Walking Dead." But fear not. AMC has loads of Zombie content to keep you occupied until the series' next season. First, there's this interview with Emma Bell, who played the unfortunate Amy. And this interview with Laurie Holden (Amy's sister, Andrea) and finally this interview with Jon Bernthal, who plays Shane. I do so hate that we must wait 10 months for the next season, but take some solace in the fact that it will be 13 weeks long, rather than this season's paltry 6 episodes. And in an effort to keep their rabid fans happy, AMC has put up a ful page that that they call "More Online Zombie Content than You Can Shake a Dismembered Limb At."

In unsubstantiated Zombie Film news, word is out that the producers of Zombieland are on the hunt for a another celebrity cameo for the sequel, though I can't imagine who might top Bill Murray (though a zombified Stallone, Willis or Schwarzenegger would be awfully sweet). Who would you like to see in the sequel?

And in Zombie Music, the Internet Movie Database recently linked to this Tumblr post called "Zombie Rock," from Certain Songs.

And this week's Zombie Clip of the Week is from Toyota, of all companies, who aired this very clever commercial during episodes of "The Walking Dead:"

More skull crushing, soon.
Prospero

Supercailifragilisticzombiealadocious

Several interesting Zombie things of note this week, starting with an MTV Zombie TV report entitled "What Happens at 'The Walking Dead' Zombie School." It's an interesting look at what the extras had o go through in order to appear on the massive AMC hit. And there'll be more about "The Walking Dead" in a bit...

In Zombie News, now that holiday shopping is in full swing swing, the CTPost had this article about a special gift for under your favorite Zombiephile's tree. Uncle P has actually bought zombie presents for two of his favorite Zombiephiles, but since they both read this blog (or at least they tell me they do), I can't reveal what they are or they are for, though I know they know who they are... (suddenly this has become the Ralph Kramden Zombie Zone). And the New York Times opinion page recently ran this column about the recent proliferation of everything Zombie. While the author says she doesn't think there can actually viable plotlines involving the Zombie Apocalypse, she fails to realize that zombie stories (good ones, at least) are really about the living people who are trying to survive amidst the worst possible of conditions.

And almost finally, in the new (though probably one-time) category of Zombie Sports, the Columbia, MO Daily Tribune asks: "Are Zombies Any Good at Football?" I'm guessing the answer is "no." That's probably because zombies are far more interesting in eating their opponents than in scoring touchdowns.

This week's Zombie Clip of the Week is sort of a cheat. Since I recap and review each episode of "The Walking Dead" over at Caliban's Revenge every Monday, I usually save these "sneak-peek" clips for then, but I thought I'd share early... After all, we know what's going to happen to poor Amy, even if Andrea is in deep denial about it:

More rising from the dead, soon.
Prospero

Flash Flesh Feast

Uncle P has been a flashmob mood all week. Primarily because I am desperate to organize one to promote a JTMF or Shakespeare '70 event, but haven't been able to come up with an appropriate one.

Now, I love a really good and creative flashmob. The best ones are promotional, set up by advertising firms to promote a product, event or even a TV show. Though occasionally there will be a mad, senseless and just fun flashmob. Which is where the zombies come in.

Here the, are a few of Uncle P's favorite Zombie Flashmobs:

Italy, 2009:



San Francisco, 2006:



Denver, 2009:



New York, 2007:

There isn't a whole lot of Zombie stuff going on right now (except in Zombie TV on  AMC's "The Walking Dead") what with the Holidays upon us and all... But speaking of "The Walking Dead," AMC has this interview with cast member Sarah Wayne Callies who plays Lori on the show.

And the Zombie Clip of the Week is Episode 7 of "Zombie College:"

More meaningless brain eating, soon.
Prospero

Please Do that Voodoo?

Let's start with a combination of Zombie Films and Zombie Science this week, shall we? That's the poster for documentarian Hamilton Morris' latest film Nzambi, which documents Morris' attempts to prove the work done 30 years earlier by Wade Davis in his book "The Serpent and the Rainbow" (which was later fictionalized in the underrated Wes Craven film of the same name). The always entertaining Zombiphiles at BoingBoing recently posted this interview with the filmmaker.

The interview led Uncle P to seek the film out and I have posted the first 9 minutes or so below. While Nzambi has almost nothing to do with the modern concept of the flesh-eating eating zombie created by George Romero in Night of the Living Dead, it's still a fascinating and intense look at a cultural phenomenon that is almost entirely limited to the culture of Haiti and the religion known as Voodoo.

Since we started with Zombie Science, let's continue and talk about this fascinating item to your right, "Effervescent Brain Salt." Sounds like some sort of zombie condiment, doesn't it? It is, of course, an old-timey headache cure along the lines of Alka Seltzer, but I bet it's delicious on braaaaiiiinnnnssss.... (also via)

The zombie-loving Sci-Fi geeks at i09 have this insightful article about a ship converted into a Zombie Safe House, complete with living, farming and storage decks, insuring years of survival on the ole Mississippi. The winner of Architect Southwest's "Zombie Safe House Competition" the SS Huckleberry was designed by Shea Michael Trahan.

io9 also provides us with a fairly comprehensive primer for The Walking Dead, the much-loved graphic novel which has now been adapted into a critically lauded Zombie TV series by cable channel AMC. And since we're talking about "The Walking Dead," AMC has this nifty little interview with actor and rat-lover Steven Yuen, who plays Glenn.

Of course, one should never confuse the AMC show with the 1936 Warner Brothers thriller of the same name, starring none other than Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff; about about a mad scientist who resurrects a man who was wrongfully executed for murder:

And since its been a while, this week's Zombie Clip of the Week is Episode 6 of "Zombie College:"



More very disturbing fantasies, soon.
Prospero

The Walking Dead, Mike White and a Chainsaw

That's a panel from Robert Kirkman's graphic novel The Walking Dead. As you all well know by now, AMC hs adapted Kirkman's work into an exceptionally graphic and well-produced TV series. The premiere aired last Sunday to AMC's highest ratings ever and proved that Horror has an audience on TV. So let's start with some Zombie TV, shall we?

The premiere episode, "Days Gone Bye" introduced the main character, a Georgia Sheriff's Deputy named Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) with marital problems who is shot in the line of duty. He awakens from a coma about a month later to find the world has changed for the worse. Everything he knows is gone, including his wife and son. Even worse, the dead walk and they want nothing more than to eat the living. My original review can be found here on Caliban's Revenge, but I watched it again today (man, do I love my DVR) and have some additional thoughts.

First, Frank Darabont is an obviously talented director who understands and appreciates genre story-telling, perhaps more than any director working today. One need only to watch his three Stephen King adaptations (The Shawshank Redemption; The Green Mile and The Mist) to know that. He is also a master at getting nearly point-perfect performances from his casts. No matter how outrageous the situation, the actors in his works make us believe them because they believe them, themselves (see Tom Hanks in The Green Mile and Marcia Gay Harden and Thomas Jane in The Mist). Finally, he is committed to conveying the humanity in the stories he tells. "The Walking Dead" isn't about a world over-run by flesh-devouring zombies. It's about the living and very human beings trying to make their way in such a world. As with his other genre works, Darabont understands this and uses it to his best advantage. We can see all the gore and grotesques in the world, but without real human reaction  to them,, they mean nothing. The confusion and fear on Rick's face as he picks his way through a field of corpses outside the hospital tell us more about him than a hundred exploding zombie heads ever could. And the abject grief in Morgan's eyes as he puts his wife's zombified head in the sight of his rifle is enough to bring tears to the most jaded of horror fans' eyes.

Of course, Darabont isn't afraid to creep us out - the scene where Morgan's zombie wife tries to open the door the house where they are hiding is as scary as any boogieman we might imagine in our closets or under our beds. And the sequence in which Rick finds himself surrounded by hundreds of zombies in downtown Atlanta is nothing less than heart-pounding. "The Walking Dead," while ostensibly a story about the Zombie Apocalypse, is actually a tale about the people trying to survive in a world turned upside-down by circumstances completely beyond their control. And that is why it works so well.

In Zombie Film news, it is being reported (via)  that Mike White (Chuck and Buck; Year of the Dog) has been offered to direct the film adaption of Seth Grahame-Smiths Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the zombified version of the Jane Austin classic.  And while Natalie Portman is reportedly no longer attached, Scarlett Johansson (Ironman II) is now reported to be in the running for the lead.

Finally, tonight's Zombie Clip of the Week, in which the zombie-killing claymation maid makes a welcome return:

More kids with chainsaws, soon.
Prospero

This is Zomboween

Since Halloween fell on a Sunday this year, and because AMC's "The Walking Dead" premieres tonight, I thought I'd wait until after midnight to post this week's Zombie Zone entry.

And since I've already started talking about Zombie TV, this week's episode of NBC's quirky comedy "Community" was one of its best, ever even if Joel McHale kept his clothes on. Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) buys the school's Halloween Party food at an army surplus store, inadvertently buying an experimental form of rabies along with it, temporarily turning the entire student body in into bite-happy zombies. It was as near a perfect parody of Horror, Sci-Fi and Zombie movies as a half-hour sitcom could be. And even though Joel kept his clothes on, who knew Donald Glover had abs on which one could grate cheese?

My review of "The Walking Dead" will appear on Caliban's Revenge on Monday, but in the meantime you can read this article at New York Magazine. It has a tidbit or two we haven't already heard, though my fellow zombiphiles will appreciate it more than anyone else.

Also in Zombie TV, via Uncle P's sister comes this link to the WWE, which has zombified it's wrestlers for Halloween. And since I'm linking to otherwise non-zombified websites, Sears just moved up a major notch on my list, for having such a great sense of humor and Halloween spirit, by zombifying their website so cleverly. You can check it out here. Funny, hip and irreverent, it's the perfect way for the stodgy old retail veteran to attract young customers. I wouldn't be surprised to see more retailers do something similar next October.

Nominally in Zombie Toys, the brainiacs at BoingBoing have a link to a some Zombie Wound Stickers.Print 'em on sticker stock; cut 'em out and you have an instant Halloween costume (as long you don't sweat too much or have really oily skin, I suppose).And I am ashamed to admit that my favorite Zombie Toy, Teddy Z, did not take part in this very amusing short from BBC3:

And finally, because it's Halloween, here are several Zombie Clips of the Week:

















 





More Apocalyptic speculation, soon.
Prospero

Ink, Art and Zombie Barbie

It's getting harder and harder to find interesting and funny zombie to share with you guys, so I may be posting every other week from now on.

Lets start with some Zombie Ink, shall we? To your left is a photo courtesy of i09, of a fan so enamored of Charlie Adlard's "The Walking Dead" art, that he's had panels reproduced as tattoos on his right leg. See, this is the right way to do a zombie tatt. This, would be the wrong way...

And speaking of "The Walking Dead," in Zombie TV news, the premiere of AMC's adaptation is just one week from tomorrow. It's only a six-episode starter season, but AMC has already announced a second season. Let's just hope we don't have to wait until October 2011 for it.

This week in Zombie Art, the always hilarious Helen Killer (AKA April Winchell) has posted and altered this lovely painting. Make sure you scroll down for the full effect.

And almost finally, in Zombie Toys, the brain-hungry crew over at BoingBoing posted a link on how to make your very own Halloween Zombie Barbie Garden. "Mary, Mary, quite contrary. How does your garden grow? With white spray-paint, a rat-tail comb and pretty maids all in a row?" And in Zombie Nonsense, there's this very amusing clip from College Humor; "Nazi Zombies."

And last, but not least, in a Zombie Nonsense cross-over, here's your Zombie Clip of the Week: "Lego City Zombie Infection."

Since next weekend is every Zombie's favorite holiday, I'll try to make sure I have plenty fun stuff to post.

More virus-induced cannibalism, soon.
Prospero

Zombie World

 So much to cover after so long away, so let's get started, shall we? First up - a brand new label: Disney Zombies. Uncle P's sister (who celebrated her birthday, yesterday) lives in Florida and is a self-described 'Disney Dork.' She and her husband have super-duper season passes which give them access to just about everything in Disney World and they go often, spending a weekend here and there at different hotels and exploring all sorts of weird and wonderful things. 

On their most recent excursion, they played the Kim Possible* adventure game in Epcot. They were

given special passes and clues that took them all over the park, enabling them to activate different special things with special codes. At one point, they came upon the miniature clockwork in the picture above which when activated, turned the tiny people in the town square no zombies. Sis thought I would enjoy nothing better than this picture she snapped for me.

Somehow, I enjoy this Jesse (from Toy Story) sno-cone cup even more. I suppose it's because it encourages you to take huge bites out of Jesse's frozen, bloody brain. Yum!

Meanwhile, in Zombie Science, Sis also sent me a link to this story on AOL News about real Haitian zombies. It's nothing you probably haven't already read, but still an interesting article.

In Zombie Toys, Gore Galore (a Halloween prop and costume website), offers a line of My Pet Zombies, a series of fairly pricey 6" zombie figures that are fun to look at, even if you can't afford them. And if you can afford them, would you please buy a set for me?

And in Zombie Nonsense, the blog Three Years of Roses has a very funny piece on survival tips, called The Zombie Buddy System. Uncle P laughed out loud more than once. 

Let's not forget Zombie Fashion. The brain-hungry lunatics at BoingBoing recently featured a lovely pair of custom PF Flyers designed by tattooist Mark Lankin. Me likey!

And finally, in a combination of Zombie News and Zombie TV, The L.A. Times had a rather wonderful article about the show we're all drooling to see, AMC's "The Walking Dead," whose premiere is just a few weeks away on Halloween. And that was followed by the maniacs at i09 who posted these two new clips, which will serve as a dual Zombie Clip of the Week, since I was so bad and didn't post anything last week. First up is the latest trailer, followed by a behind-the-scenes interview with actor Jon Bernthal (late of ABC's "Eastwick"), who plays Shane. Enjoy!

If you haven't done so yet, check out my Shocktober series on horror directors over at Caliban's Revenge. I'll try not to be away so long again...

More rotten flesh, soon.

Prospero

*P.S. "Kim Possible" is the creation of one of Uncle P's high school friends. I'm not bitter or jealous, though. Much...

A Pregnant Pause

Please excuse the lack of a proper post this week. Uncle P has been in hard labor, giving birth to a play and really hasn't had time to post on either of his blogs, this week. If you only read the Zone and not the Revenge, then you don't know I have just directed a production of Caryl Churchill's 1982 dark 'dramedy,' Top Girls, with eight of the most extraordinarily gifted actresses he's ever had the pleasure and the privilege to direct. While Churchill's non-linear plotting and complicated, over-lapping dialog may not be to everyone's sensibilities, there is no doubt that the performances of these eight women are quite exceptional. If you are within driving distance of Central NJ, and you want to see some amazing acting in a decidedly unusual play, please come see it. We have four performances left, through October 2nd.

I have been gathering all sorts of Zombie Nonsense this week and we'll have plenty to gnaw on next week.

I will leave you with a Zombie Clip of the Week, though. Predating AMC's "The Walking Dead" by three years, here's a promo for "Lifeless," a zombie series that never played in the US (though I'm not sure of its origin, I would guess it's Canadian):

Lots more brains, next week.
Prospero

Zombie-copia

Happy August, Zombiephiles!

Lots to talk about this week, so let's get started, shall we? First, in Zombie Pastries is this delightful cake of Audrey Hepburn as a zombie. Titled "Zombie at Tiffany's," it's an entry in this year's Threadcakes contest, sponsored by T-shirt company, Threadless. Uncle P's sister entered last year's contest, but realized that her sculpting skills just weren't up to some of the other entrants', so she decided to forgo this year's. I imagine if Ms. Hepburn were to rise from the grave, she'd be in much worse shape than this, considering she's been dead for over 17 years...

In Zombie News, here's a funny story I've been sitting on for a while (I honestly forgotten about it), but thought you might find amusing. Apparently, some revelers dressed in Zombie attire were involved in auto accident in Portland, OR. Can you imagine witnessing this accident? Or worse, being the first EMT on the scene?

And then (via) comes this fun story about a Zombie App for your iPhone. You take a picture of someone, and it "zombifies" them. Yup, there's an app for that. Personally, I hate iPhones (and all so-called 'smart phones,' for that matter). I think they are just one more device that is depersonalizing society - creating virtual zombies who are too "plugged-in" to experience and enjoy real life. But that's just my humble opinion. Of course, without modern technology, you wouldn't be reading this right now, so who am I to judge? You can download the free app here, if you so choose...

And in a Zombie Nonsense/Zombie Music combo-post, comes this rather amusing mash-up video from Barely Digital, Left for Dead Beatles:

Now where have I heard that "Paul is dead" line before?

Finally, tonight in Zombie TV -- by now you all know how excited I am to see the new AMC original series The Walking Dead, based on the Robert Kirkman comic book series of the same name, about a family struggling to survive in the aftermath of the Zombie Apocalypse. Via the flesh-eating maniacs at i09 comes the Zombie Clip of the Week, showing how the Walking Dead SFX makeup team created 'Bicycle Girl.' Enjoy:

At the risk of repeating myself, if anyone can do this series justice, it's Frank Darabont.

More gut-chomping, soon.
Prospero

Kiss Mah Braaaaiiiinnnss!

Not a whole lot to talk about this week. The only big Zombie project at ComiCon was "The Walking Dead," but we'll get to that, later.

Since I got some new ink of my own last week I thought it might be appropriate to start this week's post with a bit of Zombie Ink.

Her name tag says "Flo," so I'm guessing this is a Polly Holliday Zombie Tattoo (though I don't think that's Mel's head on her platter -- though maybe it should be Mel's).

Actually, the art's not bad, though nothing Uncle P would get. The weird spiral and the tatt's general style remind me of the horror comics I grew up reading as a kid -- Creepy; Eerie; Vampirella...

Their stories' surprise endings were often illustrated with a psychedelic, swirling background in the final panel, I suppose to further enhance the terror (though how, I'm not quite sure...).

I know I said this was going to be a short post, but really, this next Zombie TV item is the only other thing I have this week.

Below is a bootleg (one of many online) of the trailer for Frank Darabont's AMC series "The Walking Dead." I slogged through about 15 of these to find the best quality, and it's still crappy. Still - it appears as though AMC is letting Darabont do it right...

So here is your Zombie Clip of the Week:

I have very high hopes for this series and will be recording and dissecting it both here and on Caliban's Revenge.

Hopefully, there will be more next week.
Prospero

News, Fashion, TV & Film - Suddenly I'm the Zombie Access Hollywood

Ah, Angelina Zombie... my straight readers are all lusting after you, even in your undead form. Come to think of it, Angelina would probably make a kick-ass zombie. Imagine a face-off between Angelina Zombie and Milla Jovovich's Alice. There's an entire 90 minute fight sequence that straight boys would line up to see again and again... Wow -- I'd better register that, or something.

So, I've been away from actually posting here on the Zone, and some of what I have to talk about this week is probably old news for many of you. Still, I've been gathering it for 2 weeks and have a few things to say about each of the items below, so let's get started, shall we?

First, in Zombie News there's this ridiculous story from my favorite defunct tabloid, The Weekly World News, now available only on line. Anyway, the story is reputed to be from Miami, where a Haitian immigrant has supposedly filed a suit against the US Government for denying him Social Security benefits because he is a zombie. Puh-lease... Isn't collecting a dead person's SSI money illegal?

And here's a photo gallery from Sacramento's Zombie Walk 2010, which took place on July 10th. It looks like a fine time was had by all...

This week in Zombie Fashion, Threadless has produced yet another fabulous Zombie T-Shirt design with this amazing "Zombies in Wonderland" T, which Uncle P is loving like a son... Of course, as a birthday present from my dear friend Megan, I got this "In Case of Zombies" T, which I love and wear proudly...

Then in Zombie Nonsense, there was the Cheezburger Networks' site "Wedinator," which posted a hilarious picture of a Russian Zombie Wedding, which I suppose is no stranger than a Clown Wedding or any other Weird Wedding...

In Zombie TV, it's ComiCon 2010 and the good folks at AMC had a panel there to talk about their highly anticipated adaptation of The Walking Dead. You can read all about it here.

And in Zombie Film news, Brad Pitt is reportedly both producing and acting in the film version of Max Brooks' novel World War Z. I wasn't particularly thrilled by Brooks' novel. I thought it was just a little too all-over-the-place, if you know what I mean, though I know there are many fans out there. I enjoyed Brooks' tongue-in-cheek Zombie Survival Guide, but thought the lack of a single narrative structure hurt WWZ. I can't imagine what a film version of it would look like...

And finally, the Zombie Clip of the Week, episode 4 of Zombie College:

Mmmm... Ear Jerky!

More high SAT scores... uh... I mean more skin-chewing, soon.
Prospero

The Games Zombies Play?

The last time Uncle P seriously played video games, they came on two, three or even four floppy discs and were little more than a series of puzzles to solve to get to the next level. By the time fighting games came out, I had moved on. The last arcade video game I can remember enjoying was "House of the Dead," which my sister and I played both in Florida and at the Jersey Shore on one of her rare visits home. I am almost ashamed to admit that I have a Wii system, still in its box (though on a shelf in the entertainment center) since Christmas of 2008... I am hopeless when it comes to electronics. Hell, I'm lucky I can figure out how to blog... Still, a new category is born: Zombie Games. The image above is from Capcom's DeadRising 2, due this August:

Worth Playing has their review, here. And while searching images for DeadRising 2, I came a curious little game from Destineer, called Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie Bar-B-Que, which seems to be about zombies ruining Red Riding Hood's Cookout, or something. It's an old game, but one that looks ridiculously complicated and therefore entirely uninteresting to Yours Truly.

Of course, Zombie Films are always interesting to me, even when major newspapers give them terrible reviews, as the Washington Post's Michael O'Sullivan gave Survival of the Dead, here. Brutal. While Romero's zombie movies have always been about so much more than gruesome effects, his earlier films are much better at conveying that. While I will defend Diary of the Dead as the best in the series since Dawn... (Come on - I dare you), nothing comes close to the social satire (and ground-breaking effects) as 1978's Dawn of the Dead. Personally, I can wait until it is OnDemand for $4.99.

And transitioning in to Zombie TV, there's this deceptively titled article from E!Online about zombies on one of Uncle P's favorite new shows. Zombies on "Glee?" Only if they're doing their own version of "Thriller" (which they should totally do). In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see an entire MJ episode next season. And what the hell? Just for kicks...

And since we're already on TV, my Zombie Clip of the Week is the latest from AMC - a little behind-the-scenes footage from this coming October's "The Walking Dead." I give you, Zombie School:

Is it any wonder I'm going nuts over this series? If anyone can breathe new life (all puns intended) into the genre, it's Darabont. This clip actually gave me a 'zomb-on' (eeeewwwwww!!!).

More necrocannibalsim, soon.
Prospero