The Last Zombie Zone Post, Ever

Via Regretsy

Wow. I would bet you thought Uncle P had given up on the ole Zombie Zone. And the truth is - I have. I just haven't made official until tonight. Running three (1 daily, 1 weekly and 1 seasonally) blogs is just too much when working full time while directing and acting part time (you'll have 3 chances to Uncle P actually perform in the upcoming season).

What Uncle P doesn't have time for is a weekly blog that seemed liked overkill. I can talk about zombies over at Caliban's Revenge any time I want. I don't need a special blog to do so.

And remember way back in the beginning when I said the Zombie Zone (originally "The Zombified Zone") was an experiment? I wasn't kidding. I wanted to see if I could find enough material for a weekly blog about  single subject. It was fairly easy, at first. But something really strange happened. A mid-century cult horror movie suddenly went mainstream and zombies were literally everywhere. And I'm sure Papa George never thought his little super-cheap indie horror movie would spawn a totally new sub-genre. I know he never imagined one the best television dramas of the Twenty Teens (I'm claiming that phrase if no one else hasn't already done so) would take place in the genre he invented..

I know several of you already do, but please come follow me over at Caliban's Revenge. It's as much about zombies as it is anything else. I rant; review; critique; complain; analyze and explain movies; theatre; TV; politics; LGBT issues; family secrets; fun with friends and others; technology; travel; etiquette; personal issues; common issues; food and just about anything else I'm obsessing on at the moment, all with my own particular take on each subject, because I am nothing if not opinionated.

I thought I'd leave you with some of my favorite images I gathered for use on future Zombie Zone posts. Like that tattoo of Pope Benedict as a zombie. I guess it's well executed, but I don't understand. Can a monster turn into another kind of monster? It's sort of like getting a tattoo of Hitler in dominatrix gear. The horse is already... ah, never mind.

I loved trying something that looked completely different from Caliban's Revenge (which is undergoing some renovation at for the moment). I loved my custom colored keywords. Caliban's Revenge simply has too many tags to even try something like that - though maybe for some very specific tags). I liked finding odd and funny zombie clips, videos and trailers. As I'm sure you know - there's a lot of real crap out there, also contributing to the lack of stuff good enough to bothering embedding, let alone simply linking to. I could have spent the summer linking to AMC and their The Walking Dead dead teasers and updates, I suppose but I wanted to avoid spoilers. The ouster of Frank Darabont is cause for concern, though he set the bar so high, the cast and crew have no choice but to continue to deliver the goods.

And I will continue to cover and recap the show on Mondays at Caliban's Revenge.

I hope you've enjoyed the experiment while it lasted. I know I did. I hope you'll visit Caliban's Revenge.

I always have a good time there.

NOT Teddy Z

I won't be deleting The Zombie Zone any time soon, but I will no longer be posting anything here after tonight. Thanks for reading me. I hope you had as much fun as I did.

Is this a Pinup Nurse Fetish Zombie Tattoo? Why? 

I will leave you with one final Zombie Clip of the week, as soon as I find one. BRB!





That was kind of lame, wasn't it? Hold on...



One of dozens like it, you say? Damn, you are hard to please...

Oh, I give up! Here's a stupid car commercial with a zombie:



No More, Ever (At Least Not Here)
Prospero

Bad Vacations (Plus: An Announcement)

First, I have an announcement:

While I have decided not to shut down The Zombie Zone, it will no longer be a regularly scheduled blog. It's hard enough sometimes to come up with daily topics for Caliban's Revenge, but finding enough new topics for a Zombie Zone post every week, is just too much. 

I'll continue to post here and promise you'll read and see something at least twice a month. I can't guarantee that you won't already have heard about what I post two weeks before I actually post, but hey... I write the Zone for myself. I've always called it an experiment, and will continue to do so. Just not a weekly one. I'll also be moving my weekly "The Walking Dead" re-caps from Caliban's Revenge, to here, for its new season.

I hope you'll continue to stop by and have some fun once in a while. I know it's fun for me to write, when there's enough for me to write about... If you don't already, check out Caliban's Revenge. I'm there just about every day...

That having been said, let's get on with it, shall we?

I suppose this first item belongs in Zombie Nonsense. The adorable Zombie Teddy Bear on the right is there because of this article on The Zombie Research Society's website about Zombie Hibernation. I don't know, but I'm thinking its a stretch, at best. Sometimes the writers at ZRS just try too hard...

Meanwhile, in Zombie Science, The Huffington Post has this delightful article about the discovery of new species of Insect Zombie-Creating fungi. Pleasant dreams after watching this one, kids:



Just one more reason for Uncle P to despise mushrooms...

And last, though hardly least, this next piece serves dual function. Gotta love that!

First, in Zombie Games, the trailer for the new video game from IGN "Dead Island" (via) is rather amazing... and very very grim and apparently, somewhat controversial because while we've zombie children plenty of times, this is a story about a child who is a zombie victim. Told mostly in slo-mo reverse, it is some of the most amazing CG I've ever seen in a video game trailer. 

Second... the "Dead Island" trailer is also this week's Zombie Clip at the End of the Post. But I have to be honest - it is rather... intense. Watch in Full Screen mode (if you can) and watch all the way to the end for the fullest effect. Probably NSFW, due to violence and gore. Same for the young'uns... (when did I become a Hillbilly?). Enjoy:

Wow! Talk about a vacation in hell...

"Th-th-th-that's all, Ethyl!" (and 10 points to the first reader who can source that particular quote). Hang in there, Baby! 'cause I promise:

More Pseudo-Scientific Mumbo-Jumbo, soon.
rospero

Killer Kool Aid and Other Zombie Nonsense

I haven't been to bed yet, so it's still Saturday to me, no matter what it says on the post date. Anyway, here's a silly bit of Zombie Ink to start us off this week, via Ugliest Tattoos. Regular readers know that Uncle P has a few tatts of his own (and will likely get a few more before he's worm food), though I doubt I would get anything quite like the one pictured here. 

First I have to ask, "WTF?" The irony of the friendly anthropomorphic Kool Aid Pitcher as a zombie doesn't escape me. Nor the fact that he is bursting through flesh, rather than the traditional brick wall. Still, it boggles my mind that someone would actually have this image permanently inked on his torso. And it doesn't help that Kool Aid Man is bursting through an obviously labial wound, bringing both menses and infection to mind with one fell swoop. I will, however, admit to liking the skull ice cubes floating atop the pus green contents of K.A.'s pitcher. And I suppose it's better than this Infected Zombie Bite tatt on what I must assume (and hope) is someone's shoulder.

If you must express your love of Zombies in public, then I suggest you do so less permanently with some fabulous Zombie Fashion, as in these shoes found on If Style Could Kill:

Splattered with "blood' and featuring just a glimpse of the zombie who may or may not have done the splattering, they're perfect for the Ghoul on the Go wanting to make a statement on the Blood Red Carpet.

And since I've mentioned Red Carpets, the Oscars are almost here, and while it is exceptionally unlikely that a Zombie Film will ever win Naked Gold Man, it doesn't mean the genre is any less valid than any other. And a Golden Globes nom for "The Walking Dead" this past year may well elevate the genre just  bit (but Pia Zadora has a Golden Globe, so so much for their credibility). And while I would like to say that there are tons of great Zombie Films coming out in 2011, most of the ones I have come across seem to be listed on IMDb as "in development," so who knows if they'll ever come to fruition. 

They include, but aren't limited to: Cell, an adaptation of Stephen King's take on the genre, once attached to Hostel's Eli Roth; Evil Dead IV, director Sam Raimi's long-rumored fourth entry in the franchise that made him famous; I Walked with a Zombie, a remake of the Val Lewton-produced classic about Haitian-style zombies; Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which seems to change attached directors every two months or so; Virulents, about U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan stumbling across a nest of zombie vampires and of course, Zombieland 2. I'm not holding my breath for any of these projects, though I'd say a production company couldn't go wrong with a certain Anti-War Zom-Rom-Com that's available for production at a reasonable price...

And since its been a very long while, this week's Zombie Clip of the Week is Episode 8 of "Zombie College:"

More Southern California Post-Punk Zombie stylings, soon.
Prospero

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

A Week Off

There isn't a whole lot of Zombie News, to report this week, so Uncle P is going to take this Saturday off. I'll be back next week with a look at some upcoming Zombie Films for 2011.

Instead, I am off to work on my latest Zombie screenplay, which I hope to be able to share with you soon. In the meantime, please enjoy this Zombie Food Pyramid I found by randomly searching Google. Man, I love the Internet!

More organ grinding, soon.

Prospero

Best Zombie Movies of the Decade

Since I'm doing "Best of the Decade" over at Caliban's Revenge, I thought consistency was a good thing and decided to bring it to the Zone.

Sadly, while there are lots of Zombie Films I haven't seen over the past 10 years, including Pontypool and Dead Snow, there are plenty I did see, and so this week's post is all about them. Let's get started, shall we?

10. Land of the Dead (2005)

The father of the modern zombie adds his fourth entry into the series with Land of the Dead, a story about the "haves" and the "have nots." Dennis Hopper is Kaufman, a guy who has set up a walled city in Pittsburgh where the very rich live in protected luxury while the poor struggle to survive in a post zombie apocalypse world. Simon Baker; John Leguizamo; Asia Argento and Robert Joy are members of Kaufman's scavenger crew, raiding outlying towns for supplies. When a zombie known as Big Daddy discovers the lights across the river, he leads a horde of the hungry undead right into the heart of Kaufman's "Zombie-Free" City. While not exactly as good as his previous efforts, Romero still manages to bring social commentary to his world of the hungry undead:

9. Deadgirl (2008)

In this independent thriller, two disaffected high schoolers discover a young woman imprisoned in the depths of an abandoned mental asylum. It soon becomes clear that that she is one of the undead, but that doesn't stop them from selling her as a sex slave, with disastrous results. Creepy, weird and very original, Deadgirl is probably the most disturbing film on my list:

8. REC (2007) /Quarantine (2008)

The original Spanish film REC places a young reporter with the night crew of a fire station, where their latest call is to a building where all hell has broken loose. The American remake Quarantine follows the same plot, but adds Hostel hottie Jay Hernandez into the mix. Both films are rather intense, feature a first person narrative and take a "rabies" approach to the zombie meme, though the original is just a little better.

7. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Zack Snyder (300; Watchmen) reimagines Romero's classic treatise on consumerism as a balls-out horror movie, featuring an astounding opening sequence; lightening fast zombies and most repulsive take on zombie babies since Peter Jackson's Dead Alive. Below is footage that was shot, but never used.

6.  Slither (2006)

A zombie film by default, James Gunn's hilarious Sci-Fi zombie movie concerns a small town under siege by slug-like aliens who tun their victims into hungry zombies. Gross and funny, Slither made my Top Ten Horror Movies of the Decade, as well. Slither is a treat for anyone who loves genre movies.

5.  Diary of the Dead (2007)

Romero's next entry in the genre he created is his first attempt at 'first person' filmmaking and tells the tale of a group of young University of Pittsburgh film students trying to make their way east during the zombie apocalypse. While not exactly up to the quality of Romero's earlier films, it manages to take a stand against more recent films that take liberties with the genre, while providing a couple of the best zombie kills ever.

4. 28 Weeks Later (2007)

Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo picks up where Danny Boyle left off with this aftermath story about a man who is trying to live with the guilt of leaving his wife behind. When his children discover their mother still living, it triggers a new outbreak of the so-called "Rage" virus, practically destroying everything the military has done to control the outbreak. 28 Weeks Later also includes one of the most heart-pounding first scenes in film history.

3. 28 Days Later (2002)

Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting; Slumdog Millionaire) turned the genre upside down with his film about animal activist do-gooders who unwittingly unleash the 'Rage' virus upon the UK population. Referred to as "The Infected," the zombies in Boyle's film are unapologetically fast and brutal, paving the way for new kind of zombie.

2. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg take on the genre with their hilarious POV in this film about being stuck in a rut in more ways than one. Uncle P snuck away during a dance rehearsal for a terrible show he was stage-managing, to find himself the only person at the matinee who got the "We're coming to get you, Barbara" joke.

1. Zombieland (2009)

Using the lore from every Zombie movie that has come before, director Reuben Fleischer and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick turn Romero's trope into the funniest and most effective Zombie movie ever made. Number 9 on my list of Best Horror Movies of the Decade, Zombieland is the best Zombie Film I've seen in the past 10 years, despite having its tongue firmly planted in it's cheek. Hilarious, gory and so very fun, Zombieland earns it's number one in spite of (and even perhaps because of) its use of 'Evil You Know Whats.'  Of course, the camoeo turn by Bill Murray may have something to do with it.

Agree? Disagree? Discuss. I love your comments.

More cannibalism, soon.
Prospero

Welcome 2011 - One Year Closer!

According to more than a few nutjobs and bad Hollywood disaster movies, the world is scheduled to end on December 22, 2012. So enjoy the last two years before they come for us (and get yourselves ready for when they do...).

Seriously, I wish my readers both here and at Caliban's Revenge a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2011. 

I have a special Saturday post on the Revenge tonight, so read me there. I'll be back with my usual Zombie Nonsense next Saturday.

Prospero