The Undead: Zombie Anthology edited by D. L. Snell and Elijah Hall 4 out of 5
Undead. The very word makes you shudder. Cold, lifeless bodies somehow still moving, running solely on instinct with an all-consuming hunger for human flesh. A horde of walking dead that don’t stop clawing at you, don’t stop chasing you, don’t give up . . . until they have you.
The Undead‘s collection of zombie stories is just like that: unrelenting, non-stop, the-dead-keep-on-coming action, nearly each story gripping you hard and sucking you into a world of never-ending night.
Some of the stories in this book are simply exciting tales of flesh-hungry gut-munchers, where others are more atmospheric, and yet others more character-driven than zombie-driven. For me personally, it’s the latter that I enjoy most (though I’m never opposed to a good old-fashioned zombie romp either).
My favorite character-driven stories for this anthology were, “Home” by David Moody and “Ann at Twilight” by Brent Zirnheld.
“Chuy and the Fish” by David Wellington is also a huge favorite. So very original, in this reviewer’s opinion.
Other cool and well-written tales I thoroughly enjoyed were: “Hotline” by Russell Calhoun, “Graveyard Slot” by Cavan Scott, “13 Ways of Looking at the Living Dead” by Eric Pape, “Undead Prometheus” by Rob Morganbesser and “Pale Moonlight” by D.L. Snell.
There were a few stories that fell short and one in particular that I remember reading and going, “Okay, not really sure what that was supposed to be.”
There are three more books in Permuted Press’s Undead Anthology series.
Flight of the Living Dead (2007) Written by Sidney Iwanter, Mark Onspaugh and Scott Thomas Directed by Scott Thomas Runtime 94 min. 4 out of 5
A team of scientists creates a virus that kills the victim then regenerates the body. The idea: sell it as a biological weapon. The plan: one of the scientists is infected so is transported via plane in a special container under armed guard. Not that they think the scientist within is a threat, just that they don’t want anyone stealing the container.
The plane encounters a severe thunderstorm and is rocked all over the place. Sure enough, the container is no longer secure and the person within is brought back to life. First goes the guard . . . then goes everyone else.
Also on board—in coach—is a cop named Truman Burrows (David Chisum) and a criminal, Frank (Kevin J. O’Connor), being transported for trial. Soon these two must set aside their differences if they are to survive this doomed flight.
Outbreak on a plane? You bet.
Big trouble? You better believe it.
The premise for this movie is just plain cool: zombies on a plane (sounds familiar, don’t it?). Good stuff. My question going into this was: okay, you got a plane full of zombies, but only so much room. How can you fill a whole movie without people getting slaughtered inside of fifteen minutes? Sure enough, the writers thought of that and managed to at first slowly let the zombies rise then, due to the large plane and various compartments therein, give our main band of heroes some room to run around and not get eaten.
The zombies were scary, especially their eyes. Really good makeup. There was plenty of action and enough blood and guts to make any horror fan happy.
The only thing I thought was kind of weak was the pilot’s insistence on not setting the plane down once the undead outbreak occurred. Can’t you land on more than just a long stretch of road? How about a field? Even a water landing? Better to take a chance with those than watch your passengers get eaten.
This is one of those B-movies that make you happy you love B-movies, you know? There’s a sense of B-horror pride with this one. Hard to place it, but it’s there. More than once I was going, “Oh man, this is so good!” Maybe it’s the acting. Maybe it’s the grade of the film. Maybe the effects. I don’t know . . . but it’s good.
Fun flick. Check it out.
I’m glad I added Flight of the Living Dead to my collection.
And on a personal note, I had the privilege of publishing one of the co-writers of this movie, Mark Onspaugh, in my science-gone-wrong zombie anthology, Dead Science. His story is called “The Decay of Unknown Particles.” Cool.
Night of the Living Dead 3D (2006) Written by Robert Valding Directed by Jeff Broadstreet Runtime 80 min. 3 out of 5
I found out about this flick via the movie-on-demand feature from my cable provider. I watched the trailer, loved the zombies, then vowed that one night soon after my wife and kids went to bed, I’d indulge in a world of darkness and gore while hiding out in an old farmhouse.
The problem was: I got busy, so when I finally got around to my late-night television watching, I was too tired to watch a full movie and since the on-demand rental would only be for 24 hours, there wouldn’t be any other time to watch this flick other than, well, right when I rented it.
So the suspense built. One day turned to two. Two to four. Four to eight, ’til eventually a few weeks passed, me all the while unable to stop thinking about this film. Then . . . finally—finally—I was able to watch this thing. The only problem was it was an over-the-cables rental so no 3D for me. Oh well.
I loved how it started out like the original Night of the Living Dead (that was 1968, for those who don’t know). The opening scene in the cemetery immediately brought back memories of the original and the same kind of eeriness. Then the zombies showed up; I was all giggles and my inner undead fanboy was a happy camper.
Right then I knew I was in for a good time. And I had a good time. The zombie scenes were great. The dead were just plain gross, each in various states of decay. The blood was plentiful and Sid Haig as Gerald Tovar Jr. did a great job of being that creepy, hick kind of guy that would bother anyone. And I gotta tell you, I didn’t see the twist in the storyline coming. I won’t spoil it, but those who’ve seen this movie know what I’m talking about.
This movie is one of those great-yet-not flicks. You love it because it’s all blood and guts, zombies and definitely a B-movie. You have a problem with it because the story is kind of “meh” and the acting is all right. At the same time you can’t stop thinking about it afterward because—since it’s a remake—it brings back gushy memories of the original (and in this case the original and the 1990 remake), but at the same time you wonder how it got off the rails so badly.
That said, I’m giving it a split rating, the idea here being you can go either way on this, but at the very least be in for a good time, especially if you dig B-horror.
Land of the Dead (2005) Written by George A. Romero Directed by George A. Romero Runtime 93 min. 3 out of 5
One day, they rose. The next, the world fell. Now, humanity barely survives. And the undead have gotten smarter.
Zombies abound in this recent blockbuster by George A. Romero and, as always, the man who invented the zombie genre shows us he still has what it takes to turn out a good flick.
Simon Baker does a great job playing the hard-edged-yet-soft-hearted hero, while John Leguizamo steals the show as a kind of crooked hero-turned-bad guy.
What I enjoyed about this flick was the idea of a walled-in society, a city-turned-world of its own, with its own hierarchy, running down from rich to poor. I suppose that even if the dead walked the earth, we’d still have the same problems we have today with the rich getting richer and the poor poorer.
Blood and guts fill the screen of this feature: graphic, wet and sloppy. There’s no shortage of stomach-turning moments here.
I liked the idea of some of the zombies getting smarter instead of just roaming around looking for folks to eat, and the idea of them trying to regain their former humanity was well done. However, the “human-hearted” zombies also made the creatures feel a bit too human, for my taste, and the undead lost their edge as a result.
Click Here to Order from Amazon.comResident Evil: Extinction (2007) Written by Paul W.S. Anderson Directed by Russell Mulcahy Runtime 94 min. 5 out of 5
Alice (Milla Jovovich) wanders the Nevada desert alone, flying under the radar of the Umbrella Corporation.
It’s been five years since the deadly T-virus outbreak. The world is all but in shambles. Alice believes that only Alaska is the last safe place on Earth. An old journal she found with a six-month-old radio transcription told her so.
On her journey, Alice comes across a small caravan of survivors headed up by Claire (Ali Larter) that also happens to be carrying along some old friends: Slater (Matthew Marsden) and L.J. (Mike Epps).
She convinces them to head north to Alaska, and so they embark, fighting off the dead at every turn, even undead crows that have been transformed from feasting on zombie flesh.
Dr. Isaacs (Iain Glen) wants Alice back under his control as he focuses on perfecting her as a weapon against the undead. Except, once Alice catches on, she manages to disable their system of control over her and escapes with Claire and the others.
All hope lost, and having been bitten by one of the dead himself, Dr. Isaacs uses the antivirus on himself . . . but in a different way, creating a result neither he nor Alice expected.
It’s ultra crazy good and suspenseful action horror in this third installment in the Resident Evil series.
Wow. I mean, man oh man, I love this movie. So, so good. I’m a sucker for roadside horror and sleepy towns. This movie has both. The zombies? Pure gruesome since most of them have been rotting for five years as they wander around devouring the rest of the living.
The zombie crows were a nice touch. So, so many of them. Swarms. That’s the thing I always tell people about zombies. One zombie’s not so bad. Get a whole mess of them together and they’re scary as all get out. Same for zombie crows. There was enough here to turn the sky black. Freaky.
The development of Alice’s powers was cool and though her telekinesis might seem kind of outlandish to some, it’s portrayed well here and done with the utmost seriousness and not used as a cop-out to get her out of a jam.
I felt bad for her as well when she saw all those clones of herself rotting out in the desert sun. That’d be heartbreaking, upsetting and angering for anyone. I’m glad she gave Dr. Isaacs his due.
The ending raises a ton of questions for the forthcoming Resident Evil: Afterlife. I’m eager to see how they deal with that army of Alices without it coming off goofy or repetitive.
This movie’s score was also spectacular, the hard beat of the drums and dark, raunchy guitar giving it a very awesome grittiness that adds to the whole post-apocalyptic feel.
Check this flick out. It’s hardcore, loaded with gore and just down right fantastic.
Click Here to Order from Amazon.comResident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) Written by Paul W.S. Anderson Directed by Alexander Witt Runtime 94 min. 4.5 out of 5
The Umbrella Corporation needs to know what happened at the Hive and why it was sealed up afterward, so a team is sent down there to open it. Unfortunately, when they do, they unleash an army of the undead and the T-virus is unleashed on the world.
Alice (Milla Jovovich) wanders the streets of Raccoon City, now under quarantine, blasting the heads off of anything dead that moves. Soon she saves Valentine (Sienna Guillory) and crew and the group is quickly contacted by Dr. Ashford (Jared Harris) whose daughter, Angie (Sophie Vavasseur), is still in the city. Umbrella Corporation scanners show her at the school she attends. The deal: if they save his daughter, he’ll guide them out of the city and past the perimeter Umbrella has put up to keep the T-virus in. They have to do this before sunrise otherwise they won’t make it out before Umbrella nukes the entire city, erasing any trace that the T-virus existed and reanimated the dead.
Oh, and the Nemesis Project is online, and it’s on the hunt.
Usually sequels fail after the first, or if they succeed, it’s only by a small margin. Well, Resident Evil: Apocalypse is even better than its predecessor and brings another haul of thrills and chills along with it. In this one the post-apocalyptic feel hangs thick on the air. Raccoon City is in ruins. Cars are overturned and on fire. Bodies and blood litter the streets. Guns are going off in the distance.
And zombies are everywhere. Good and gruesome zombies. (I particularly liked the ones featured in the cemetery; the level of rot and decay on those things was exquisite.)
In Resident Evil style, dark things lurk in the shadows and the suspense and tension built in this movie is awesome. I jumped I don’t know how many times. Even the parts where you go, “Okay, something’s going to pop out . . . NOW!” make you jump. Very cool.
The fight between Nemesis and Alice was cool along with her other wheelings and dealings with the undead. Her super solider-esque, Matrix-like fighting techniques was a treat to watch.
That scene in the school with all those zombie kids? Truly creepy. Adult zombies got nothing on these little terrors.
The movie serves as a nice in-betweener for the first and third. The epic scale of storytelling is terrific, and this is one zombie saga I’m eager to see go on, especially when part four (Resident Evil: Afterlife) comes out in 2011.
Day of the Dead (2008) Written by Jeffrey Reddick Directed by Steve Miner Runtime 86 min. 3 out of 5
A strange flu outbreak.
Nose bleeds.
Death.
Rebirth . . . in rage.
No one knows how anyone got sick . . . at least, no one is telling us. The US Army is all over it, quarantining Leadville, Colorado. Sarah Bowman (Mena Suvari) is serving her country and is part of the troops bordering the town.
Except they can’t contain the rage-filled maniacs that have returned from the dead after being killed by the flu.
Going back for her mother (Linda Marlowe), she runs into her brother, Trevor (Michael Welch), and tries and save their mother’s life. Unfortunately, the mom falls victim to the virus and Sarah and her brother—along with his girlfriend/female interest, Nina (AnnaLynne McCord), and a couple of Army Joes—try and flee from the ever-escalating attack of flesh-hungry zombies that stop at nothing to satisfy their gut-munching desires.
Adding a strange twist to things, one of the army chaps, Bud Crain (Stark Sands), gets infected and later transforms into an angry zombie as well, but Sarah keeps him along for the ride, feeling sorry for him. Besides, he seems harmless enough and hasn’t attacked them.
When their hope of escape falls through, Sarah and the others must make their last stand against the undead before they are ripped to pieces.
Can they survive this Day of the Dead?
The first thing that comes to mind about this movie is that it’s hardcore. The zombies in this flick aren’t just your average gray-skinned, baggy-eyed monsters. The person infected dies then are suddenly transformed into pale-skinned, decayed-fleshed, white-eyed beasties loaded with so much rage that hate and hunger emanates from them before they even move in for the kill. Speaking of which, they move so fast you’d think they’re part vampire or something. Crazy speed with these guys and, for me, those quick, jerky movements of the undead creep me out every time.
The story’s simple: an outbreak, people turn into zombies, folks run for their lives. Hey, standard zombie fare, and that’s part of the fun. I also liked having a female in the lead and it was neat to see Mena Suvari—who usually plays the fun, get-along girl—take charge and blast the heads off these creatures.
I was totally into this flick. The suspense was building. Every time a zombie jumped out I was jumping on my couch. All good.
Then Bud died, came back—and was nice? This bit took me out of the movie and it’s why I’m giving this a 3 out of 5 instead of a 4 like I was going to. It just totally ruined it for me, especially when Sarah and friends were riding with him in the Humvee and, after a short debate about why this zombie was riding with them, they all seemed pretty cool with it.
Bud’s bit at the end was also predictable, but, hey, what’re you gonna do?
I did like how vulnerable these zombies were to fire and how quickly the flames destroyed them.
The ending director Steve Miner chose for this flick was the better of the two as the alternate ending on the DVD, though very similar, wasn’t as strong and was a bit hokey. Having Salazar (Nick Cannon) die was the best choice.
If you like your zombie flicks raunchy, quick and gory, you’ll love this Day of the Dead (2008) remake. If you’re one of those folks who are sticky about story plausibility—even in the realm of zombie movies—then this probably won’t be up your alley.
Undead (2003) Written by The Spierig Brothers Directed by The Spierig Brothers Runtime 97 min. 4 out of 5
After having lost everything, Rene (played by Felicity Mason) tries to leave her hometown of Berkeley but is unable to get out when the town is struck with a meteor shower. Instead of leaving giant craters and demolished buildings in their wake, these meteors leave something else: an infection that transforms humans into zombies.
The town now overrun with the undead, Rene barely survives and meets up with Marion (played by Mungo McKay), the town nut who claimed he was abducted by aliens a long time before. Soon joined by others, the group of survivors find temporary solace in Marion’s cabin before the dead come a’knockin’ and force their way in.
Blood and guts ensue as this band of not-so-merry-men try and fight their way through throngs of the undead and leave town.
They almost make it, too, if not for that giant, spike-laden wall bordering the town, keeping everyone inside.
This flick starts off as your run-of-the-mill zombie movie. Nothing wrong with that. Not at all. The blood, the guts, the guns—ah, yes, everything that makes up a good zombie flick. Even Marion’s Matrix-like fighting style works well in the context of the story (though when that style was first introduced, I had a hard time buying it but quickly got used to it).
What separates this zombie flick from all others I’ve seen is the twist it takes when we find out these aren’t your standard zombies, but instead the product of “something beyond,” namely intergalactic stuff. Toss in a few aliens and you got yourself a unique zombie film that pays more homage to the zombie clichés than actually follows them like a rulebook.
This is an independent film and I only point that out because it being indie really added to the gritty feel of the whole thing, enhancing the movie. This didn’t carry that too-smooth-yet-too-cheap look that B-movies have. Even the directors’ love for the genre really shone through in this and the cast did a fantastic job.
I can understand now why this movie got the cult following it did.
If you dig good solid zombie flicks, check this one out.
Fido (2006) Written by Robert Chomiak, Andrew Currie and Dennis Heaton Directed by Andrew Currie Runtime 93 min. 5 out of 5
Every so often a movie comes along in a particular genre and does things “outside the norm.”
Fido is such a movie.
Yes, it’s about zombies. Yes, it’s about gut-munching. Yes, it’s about survival in a post-apocalyptic world.
But that’s where the similarities end compared to other end-of-the-world zombie flicks.
This movie is more like a cross between Pleasantville and Night of the Living Dead, with a little bit of humor thrown in there as well.
After a zombie epidemic took over most of the world, a lone scientist invented a collar to control the undead and, through the ventures of the company Zomcom, was able to transform these mindless and hungry monsters into humanity’s slaves, turning them into butlers, house aids and gardeners.
Enter the Robinson family, the only family in the ’50s without a zombie. However, things change when the people-pleasing mom, Helen Robinson (Carrie-Anne Moss), gets Fido, a lovable zombie with life and warmth.
Fido quickly becomes best friends with Timmy, Helen’s son, but one day when the collar goes on the fritz and Fido eats the neighbor, everything changes, a cover-up ensues and it’s up to the Robinson family to hide Fido from those who would want to take him away and kill him (which is something that Daddy Robinson would love to see).
This isn’t your standard zombie movie. Far from it. It has heart, and though a comedy, it’s not slapstick or silly. Just regular funny moments. Billy Connolly as Fido is charming, lovable, fun. You genuinely care for the poor dead guy. You smile with joy when he’s happy. Your heart goes out to him when he’s sad. You even side with him when he gets mad and takes out his uncontrollable hunger on unsuspecting victims.
The story is original. The dialogue is great. The cast couldn’t be better.
New spins on genres are something I’ve always been into. Though classic takes on things have their place, every time something new comes along it’s like a breath of fresh air and Fido is definitely that.
Even hardcore zombie lovers who need a dose of shambling, rotting corpses and loads of blood will enjoy this film as there are “classic zombie moments” in it as well.
This DVD also contains director Andrew Currie’s extremely poignant short film, Night of the Living, about the cause-and-effect of alcohol in the family but with a zombie twist.
Blade (1998) Written by David S. Goyer Directed by Stephen Norrington Runtime 120 min. 4 out of 5
Half-human/half-vampire Blade makes war on the undead—that’s the vampire undead, I’m talking—and tries to dismantle the vampire underworld piece by piece. He soon meets Karen, a hematologist, who was bitten by a vampire. Before the change occurs, she researches how a possible cure can be attained. Meanwhile, Deacon Frost, a rising star in the vampire community, believes he can become even more powerful by awakening the blood god La Magra. The problem is he needs the blood of the “daywalker”—Blade—to achieve it.
Blood and carnage ensue as Blade tries to stop the vampire world from rising to supremacy while also battling the bloodthirsty vampire within himself in this thrilling monster superhero movie extravaganza.
For me, Blade was the “prequel” movie to the start of the superhero box office comeback, which would later be kicked off by X-Men. It was almost as if studios were testing the waters with a serious superhero movie using a lesser known character and disguising him as a “slayer” to see how audiences would react. That’s my superficial first impression, but then when you get into Blade and watch it you soon find out there is far more here than just a slayer-vs-vampire flick. Is he a superhero? Yes, but not your conventional one. There is no secret identity, no costume per se—though he does sport a cool trench coat and sword—and no standard supporting character in the vein of a love interest. Instead, you get a conflicted man who’s part vampire who’s trying so desperately to tame the beast within while also doing what’s right: killing vampires and helping those who get caught in the crossfire. Sounds like a superhero to me.
Wesley Snipes as Blade is sheer awesomeness. He’s tough as nails, got the martial arts moves, is dark and handles himself like someone who has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Which is true, of course, as he’s doing his best to keep the vampires at bay, namely the ambitious ones who would seek to subdue, even eradicate, the human race.
Kris Kristofferson is dynamite as Whistler, Blade’s father-figure, friend and mentor. Talk about a tragic origin for this guy and one that tugs at the heartstrings. He’s the perfect example of a man trying to make things right because something so wrong was done to him and those he loved. Plus “Kris Kristofferson” is a cool name so he gets points just for that.
I liked Stephen Dorff as Deacon Frost, a cocky villain who knows how powerful he is and is tired of others trying to “keep a good vampire down.” He’d make an amazing Bat-villain, in my mind, just by the way he plays villains—confident, dark, a tad witty—maybe Riddler? I mean, the real Riddler, the one who’s serious and not a slapstick goofball like in Batman Forever.
Blade’s exciting from start to finish, with action sequences and slayer-vs-vampire moments that make you want to hit the rewind on the remote and watch ’em again. I’m really glad they made two other sequels because Blade’s a character with endless story possibilities because both him and his universe go beyond the simple slayer-vs-vampire motif. Like a Transformer, there’s more to him than meets the eye and this flick does a great job of showing that. No wonder it did so well at the box office and earned about triple its budget.
