Zombie-A-GoGo

Zombie-A-Bye-Bye

2007-06-29T10:53:00.001-08:00

Well, it was bound to happen. I've just got too much going on in my life to keep this blog up. On one hand, that is sad, because zombies are fun and there's a lot of cool people associated with the genre that have made it a pleasure to be a part of it. On the other hand, it's a sign that I have a life, which is always nice. This was a hobby--just something I did for fun because I love the genre. I still love the genre, and I'll continue to watch the flicks, but I just haven't the time to update this--as can be seen.

I'll keep it up for reference, because I do think there's a lot of good stuff here (interviews, reviews, etc), and I'd like to thank the folks who've contributed their time and efforts to make ZAGG the blog it is/was. You know who you are. :)

I'd also like to thank everyone who's come here. Continue to fight the good zombie fight.

Cheers,
ZAGG

Babylon Fields - Zombies on TV

2007-03-03T07:04:00.000-08:00

From Fango:

Zombies are moaning and shuffling their way onto the airwaves, and no, it’s not in another season of MASTERS OF HORROR. Nor is it the long-rumored HBO adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s THE WALKING DEAD (which this writer is chomping at the bit for). Rather, the undead are the focus of a new hour-long 20th Century Fox Television and CBS “dramedy” entitled BABYLON FIELDS. Michael (L.I.E.) Cuesta is taking the reins, following his damn impressive work on Showtime’s DEXTER; Gerald Cuesta and Michael Atkinson are on writing duties.
The premise has the dead returning to life literally and figuratively as they ingratiate themselves back into society and relationships; inevitable drama and, um, comedy ensues. But let us ask you: Does this at all sound familiar? It should. The quiet French film LES REVENANTS (a.k.a. THEY CAME BACK)—which we last told you about here—made three years ago and released on U.S. DVD in 2005, posed the same bittersweet predicament: What if those deceased family and friends you once knew re-entered your life? The film was up for remake grabs, but after a little digging, Fango learned that the task was fruitless and the powers that be decided the scenario was best left for episodic television.

BABYLON FIELDS is moving toward a 2007-2008 season debut; more updates as they arrive.

I really liked Les Revenants a lot (review here), so I'll be looking forward to this.

Undead or Alive Premieres in Texas

2007-03-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

From Fango:

The three fright films produced last year by Odd Lot Entertainment under its DarkLot Films banner are slowly creeping their way toward terrorizing the public. Following the announcement here that Dimension has picked up Robert Kurtzman’s BURIED ALIVE, now comes word that writer/director Glasgow Phillips’ comedic horror/Western UNDEAD OR ALIVE: A ZOMBEDY will have its world premiere at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, TX. The fest runs March 9-18 and the movie will screen at midnight on Saturday, March 10, with Phillips and star Chris Kattan in attendance. Kattan plays a lovesick cowboy who teams up with an Army deserter (James Denton) to rob a corrupt sheriff (Matt Besser); the two wind up fleeing not only the vengeful lawman but a plague of zombies as well, with Geronimo’s niece (FEAST’s Navi Rawat) their only potential hope for survival. Check out UNDEAD OR ALIVE’s website here for more on the DarkLot pics and look for on-set coverage of all three in Fango’s pages later this year.

I Sell the Dead Casting

2007-03-03T06:58:00.000-08:00

From Bloody-Disgusting:

Elaine writes in with another small scoop from an interview she did with Cabin Fever 2 star Larry Fessenden, "One more thing Fessenden told me: '[Glenn McQuaid's] I Sell the Dead has Dominick (Lost, Lord of the Rings) Monoghan and Ron (Hellboy) Perlman attached - [the] film is set in Dickensian England (although they are shooting in Brooklyn), everyone will have a British accent and it's a version of the Burke and Hare tale (famous Victorian grave robbers).' " Watch for more details on both films as they come in!

Black Sheep Website Launches

2007-03-03T06:53:00.000-08:00

From Bloody-Disgusting:

The official International website was fully launched this evening for WeinsteinCo.'s Black Sheep, which hits theaters in New Zealand March 29 and US cinemas on June 22. Other than the trailer from before, there is a downloadable poster/desktop, photo gallery, two Weta concept art (click on the dish at the reviews section) and "casting the sheep" video. In the film an experiment in genetic engineering turns harmless sheep into blood-thirsty killers that terrorize a rural town in New Zealand. Thanks to Twitch Film for the heads up!

Babylon 5 Creator Adapts World War Z

2007-03-03T06:45:00.000-08:00

From Cinema Blend:

The new millennium has been jam packed with great new space science fiction programming on television. Brilliant, serious science fiction shows like ‘Farscape’and ‘Battlestar Galactica’ have left their mark. But in the 90s it was slim pikings. ‘Star Trek’ was on life support and the science fiction landscape was basically dead. Except that is, for J. Michael Straczynski’s brilliant series ‘Babylon 5’.

Since the show ended its five season run, there have been several attempts by JMS to resurrect it. None of them have gone anywhere except to some new direct-to-DVD features coming out soon, and he’s moved on to other projects. Wherever JMS goes, it’s worth following. One of his newest gigs is working on an adaptation of the Max Brooks book “World War Z”.

Read it all.

Bobcat Goldthwait Talks Dead Alive

2007-03-03T06:39:00.000-08:00

From Filmakers on Film:

When Goldthwait has finished attacking the Christmas tree, he likes to settle down in front of a jolly festive treat. This is not, as you may have guessed, Miracle on 34th Street or It's a Wonderful Life, but Braindead, an early zombie flick by Peter Jackson. "I got the DVD as a Christmas gift seven or eight years ago. I was quite snarky about it. I said, 'You think this is a good present? Well, I'm gonna put it on right now.' I was trying to bum out the family, but now we watch it every year. It's a way to cleanse the palate after all the Frosty the Snowman stuff. And it has a lot of traditional Christmas colours in it: red and green."

Especially red. Braindead has been called one of the bloodiest horror comedies ever made. It's set in the late 1950s in suburban New Zealand, where the nerdy main character struggles to escape from under the thumb of his ghastly mother. Then she turns into a man-eating zombie. "I'm all for cannibalism," says Goldthwait, a vegetarian. "I like animals way more than people."

Read the whole thing...

Savini Talks Grindhouse

2007-02-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

From Fango:

Fango got to chat with makeup master/actor Tom Savini at last weekend’s Monster-Mania con, where the Fango fave shared his thoughts about his role (pictured) in PLANET TERROR, Robert Rodriguez’s half of Dimension’s double-threat feature GRINDHOUSE (opening April 6). This marks a reunion between the director and Savini, who played Sex Machine in Rodriguez’s FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, but Savini promises, “This film makes FROM DUSK TILL DAWN look like BAMBI. The world isn’t prepared for this movie! Get ready, because after Robert’s episode, which will blow your mind, then Quentin [Tarantino’s] comes on to further numb you. Plus there are the [faux] previews, and I understand they’re going to make movies from those. That’s the rumor, anyway—make sure you repeat me saying the word ‘rumor’; I don’t want anyone thinking they can count on that, but it would be cool. GRINDHOUSE was a joy to make, and it’s going to be quite a ride for the audience.”

Living Dead Glasgow Comic

2007-02-24T08:27:00.000-08:00

From Fango:

Fango got the word from Alan Simpson of the UK horror website Sex Gore Mutants that he has formed SGM Publishing and made LIVING DEAD: GLASGOW his first release. Based on an idea he had way back in the early ’80s after seeing DAY OF THE DEAD at a Glasgow cinema, the comic was written by Simpson with art by his brother John, and deals with a zombie invasion of the Scottish city, packing in lots of “extreme zombie violence and coarse language.” The debut issue also includes the undead comic strip BAD DOG by Gary Northfield and a chronological history of zombie cinema. It’s available now for £2.50 plus postage, and you can order it (though you have to be over 18) by clicking here.

New Book Series New Film Franchise: Already Dead

2007-02-24T08:22:00.000-08:00

From Bloody-Disgusting:

Phoenix Pictures and Mike De Luca Prods. will team for a feature adaptation of the Charlie Huston vampire novel Already Dead. Scott Rosenberg will write the script, according to Variety. B-D fav De Luca will produce with Phoenix's David Thwaites and Brad Fischer. Alissa Phillips will co-produce. You can read the full announcement inside.

- - - - -

Series revolves around a vampire who happens to be a private detective hired by a Gotham socialite to track down her runaway daughter. The city's vampires are afflicted with a virus that requires them to drink blood, and they run through the city in clans. A new virus that turns victims into carnivorous zombies threatens to upset the balance between humans and vampires.

Grindhouse Split for Foreign Audiences?

2007-02-24T08:20:00.000-08:00

From Bloody-Disgusting:

For once it's our term to laugh a maniacal laugh of happiness. Usually the US distributors are the ones who decide to cut a single movie into two and release them at separate times... not this time. Variety reported this afternoon that some foreign audiences will be seeing Grindhouse split up into two separate films - one for Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof" and the other for Robert Rodriguez's "Planet Terror".

Full Length Fido Trailer

2007-02-24T08:17:00.000-08:00

From MoviesOnline:

FINALLY the full length trailer for FIDO is online. FIDO is coming to theatres in the us on June 15th but lucky canadian readers will get it on March 16th. Fido takes place in the small town of Willard. Welcome to Willard, a small town lost in the idyllic world of the 50's, where the sun shines every day, everybody knows their neighbour, and rotting zombies carry the mail. Years ago, the earth passed through a cloud of space dust, causing the dead to rise with an insatiable hunger for human flesh. Terror spread across the land, until a collar was invented that made the zombies docile, even useful.
A company was born: ZomCon. Thanks to their patented domestication collar™, zombies became gardeners, milkmen, butlers, and even pets. ZomCon would like everyone to believe that they have the world under control - but do they? Timmy Robinson doesn't think so. He thinks the world is "phony-baloney". An awkward loner, Timmy spends so much time in his room, even his own parents don't notice him. So when Mom buys a zombie to help around the house, Timmy is surprised, and even curious, when the beast wants to play catch. As the pair plays baseball in the park, the zombie saves Timmy from the local bullies. A true friendship is born and Timmy names the zombie, "Fido".

But Fido's collar goes on the fritz, and Timmy's cranky old neighbor Mrs. Henderson pays the ultimate price. That night, Timmy sneaks back to the park to bury her, but discovers it's too late - she's already turned into a flesh-crazed zombie! In a fight to the finish, he chops off her head with a shovel and buries her in a flowerbed. To complicate matters, ZomCon's notorious zombie-control specialist, Mr. Bottoms, has moved in across the street - soon becoming Timmy and Fido's worst nightmare. Lucky for Timmy, Bottoms' daughter Cindy has a crush on him, and becomes a valuable ally... WAtch the first clip below and click the link to watch a whole bunch more. I am stoked for this film! Go watch the trailer!

RE: Extinction Trailer

2007-02-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

From MoviesOnline:

Finally the first trailer for "Resident Evil: Extintion" went online. As for now its exclusive on "Yahoo Movies" where you can watch it in various formats. The third and final installment of the $100 million "Resident Evil" hits, "Resident Evil: Extinction" is again based on the wildly popular video game series and picks up where the last film left off. The film comes to cinemas September 21st. To watch the trailer just click right here.

Zombies at Biddeford: 2

2007-02-24T08:09:00.000-08:00

From WCSH6.com:

A new movie is being filmed in the Riverdam Millyard in Biddeford. The movie is called "2" and features people from all over New England dressed up as zombies.
The premise is there are only two living people left on earth after a biological attack, and every one else is a zombie.

"You're with 100 other people, all dressed in makeup, everybody looking different, and it's all just cool," said Steve Cain of Portland.

On Saturday, directors were filming the mass zombie scenes. John Lane, one of the producers, said he was gratified by he number of people who drove long distances for the opportunity to put on makeup and appear in the movie.

Filming is expected to wrap up by next Monday.

Zombie Lawmen

2007-02-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

From GMobile Media:

Zombie Lawmen™ is a Blogworld set in an anarchic future where the heroes of the Amercian Old West are raised from the dead to bring law and order back to Tombstone, Arizona: "The Town Too Tough To Die.”

Part blog, part graphic novel, great idea.

Jim Rage's Elitie Zombie Hunting Squad

2007-02-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

Jim Rage's Elite Zombie Hunting Squad.

Check out the manual. Fill out an application.

Rise and Walk by Greg Solis

2007-02-24T07:45:00.000-08:00

From Hadrian Publishing:

The walking dead descend upon a paintball competition in the mountains. Two brave young women join forces with two thrill seekers in a terror filled struggle against the undead. Low on ammunition and supplies, the survivors use anything at hand to fight off the flesh hungry horde. As the party makes their escape they soon realize that there is nowhere to run when the dead Rise and Walk...

Click here for a 48 page preview, click here for the MySpace Page.

Pakistani Zombies!

2007-02-17T08:01:00.000-08:00

From Fango:

Andy Starke of DVD company Mondo Macabro gave Fango the exclusive news that ZIBAHKHANA/HELL’S GROUND, the Pakistani zombie film he edited and that we first told you about here, will have its U.S. premiere at this year’s Philadelphia Film Festival, which runs April 5-18 (exact screening date to be announced). Prior to that, the movie has its world premiere at Copenhagen, Denmark’s Natfilm Festival, taking place March 23-April 1. Starke further alerts us that there’s now a MySpace page open for HELL’S GROUND, where you can find more info and juicy photos, to go with the official website here.

Directed by Omar Ali Khan and co-produced by Mondo’s Pete Tombs, the film follows a group of five teenagers who get lost while traveling to a concert and encounter not only hungry flesheaters but a crazed backwoods family. Done completely outside the usual Pakistani film auspices and without government backing, HELL’S GROUND is the country’s first truly modern horror feature. Look for more coverage in the near future.

Zombies Gone Wild on DVD

2007-02-17T07:58:00.000-08:00

From Fango:

Up next on April 3 is ZOMBIES GONE WILD, a horror/comedy about a couple of guys who try to get lucky during spring break and instead wind up pursued by the living dead. Written and directed by “G.R.” (no, not that one), this one will also be fullscreen with Dolby Digital stereo, but here the extras include:

• Behind-the-scenes footage
• Outtakes
• How to Make a Zombie Drink featurette
• Trailer
• Photo gallery
• Soundtrack
• Desktop wallpapers

Retail price for this one will also be $19.98; you can find out more about the movie at its official website and MySpace page.

In addition, Westlake is giving commercial release to John Huckert’s gay-themed serial-killer shocker HARD next Tuesday, February 20; the disc will include the uncut feature, director/producer/actor commentaries, deleted scenes and audition footage found on the previous independently distributed DVD. And in August, the company has another offbeat undead opus on tap, the intriguingly titled MOTOCROSS ZOMBIES FROM HELL.

Kojima's Version of a Zombie Apocalypse

2007-02-17T07:50:00.000-08:00

From MMORPG Blog:

GamesRadar alerts folks that in a recent interview with Edge magazine, the legendary Hideo Kojima, head of super-studio Kojima Productions, revealed his unlikely and unhinged vision for a zombie-themed game. According to Kojima, he's "less interested in the idea of the living dead than the fact you can turn people just by biting them." So much is his focus on "turning" people, that he even considers implementing his take on zombie-apocalypse in a massively-multiplayer online environment.

He explains:

Imagine a large town where half the inhabitants are zombies. Users would subscribe, get inside the town and get bitten. At that stage they become undead and can't control their character - all they can do is modify the camera angles.

...They'd see their character attacking humans and have to pay just to watch! ...The only way they could end it is by opening another account, hunting themselves down and killing themselves. Of course, the problem is that your second character can get bitten as well.

Not getting to control your character if you get turned? Having to hunt your former "self" and kill it (if it got zombified it's an "it" now), just to progress the game? Get bombarded by cinematics of mindless zombies? All too silly? Well, despite Kojima's own reservations about his over-the-top and unlikely Zombie-MMO, he says that he won't rule the idea out. GamesRadar reports that should he feel that the moment is opportune, he will "take some time to prepare. Very seriously."

Well, the cinematic aspect of the whole thing is trademark Kojima.

Another Zombie Squad Article

2007-02-17T07:46:00.000-08:00

From the UTNE Reader:

Nuclear war, avian flu, global warming, George Bush -- there are many reasons to worry that the end of the world is near, but generally, widespread zombie attacks are not one of them. Preparing for a zombie attack on the other hand, might be the one thing that saves your life should an actual catastrophe occur. That's where St. Louis's Zombie Squad steps in.

As reported by Ben Westhoff in the Riverfront Times, Zombie Squad was inspired by the movie 28 Days Later, a 2002 action flick about the undead taking over England. The group began with zombie-themed camping trips among a handful of friends and has grown into a national survivalist coalition with 175 members and hundreds of fans. Not surprisingly, many in the group are young, hip, and zombie-obsessed, but not all were looking to become survivalists. Westhoff notes that "attendees probably come to the Zombie Squad seminar expecting an in-depth discussion of the monstrous antagonists of Resident Evil and Night of the Living Dead. But they stay interested in what [squad member Christopher] Barnhart has to say long after the discussion strays from zombies."

New Grindhouse Trailer

2007-02-17T07:45:00.000-08:00

From /film: Click the pic for the new trailer.

New Grindhouse Poster Revealed

2007-02-17T07:40:00.000-08:00

From /film:

The new movie trailer hit on Thursday, and today we bring you the New Theatrical Poster.

I love the retro ripped and torn look they’re using for all the marketting materials. Click on the poster for a high resolution look.
Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino exploitation double feature Grindhouse plays homage to B-movie thrillers of the 1970’s. Tarantino’s Death Proof is about a psycho named Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) who stalks and kills beautiful women with his fast sports car. Rodriguez’ Planet Terror is a Zombie thriller following a gun-legged woman named Cherry (Rose McGowan) and her martial arts-wielding partner (Freddy Rodriguez). The two feature films will be connected together by fake movie trailers created by Rob Zombie, Eli Roth, and Edgar Wright. Grindhouse hits theaters on April 6th 2007.

Not your typical Valentine's Day

2007-02-17T07:38:00.000-08:00

From the Oregon Daily Emerald:

Valentine's Day, the holiday for love, lust and... zombies. That's right, of all the days of the year, the undead of Eugene chose Valentine's Day to once again roam the earth.

Whether the zombies were suffering from supernatural heartbreak, were beckoned back from the dead by lovelorn souls, or were just plain necrophiliacs, was not really clear. But nonetheless it was a very popular night to be dead.

8:00 p.m. - More than 80 zombies (or rather, the people who were dressed as zombies) in varied states of semi-animated life congregated at Pioneer Cemetery, their eyes sunken, overwhelmed by their lust for flesh.

A few jugs of whiskey were being passed around, and many of the walking dead pulled out pocket flasks and beer bottles from their torn, blood-ridden cloths.

Apparently, all are equal among the dead. Zombies of all flavor came out that night: prom queens, soldiers, pregnant housewives, cheerleaders, surfers, goths, clowns and punks, to name a few. Everyone was splattered with at least a couple pints of what appeared to be blood, and then all joined the chorus of the zombie anthem:

"Brains..... brains... ugghhhhh..."

Zombie Dance Dance Revolution

2007-02-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

From Torontoist:

"Thriller" is having a moment. Last October, we reported the story of Thrill Toronto’s attempt to set the first Guinness World Record for Largest Thriller Dance (see the video at right) by recreating the choreography from Micheal Jackson's video classic. Then there was the much blogged Thriller Wedding Dance on YouTube, a Bollywood-style version and reports from London and New York of fitness classes that use M.J.'s zombified moves as a 13 minute workout.
Now the ghoul kids from Thrill Toronto are back with plans to Thrill the World. The plan is to stage a simultaneous dance of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" with thousands of dancers in over 100 cities on October 27, 2007. "Everyone asks why 'Thriller,' " says choreographer Ines Markeljevic, the driving force behind Thrill The World. “But everybody knows it and it’s very easy to learn." And the main purpose for the event is, simply, to get more people dancing.