Zombies in film: Zombiez

"They are dying to live."





Film: Zombiez
Directed by John Bacchus
Written by John Bacchus
Produced by Purgatory Blues LLC
Year: 2005

Story: There isn't one. Ok, um gang kills some people. Other people join a cult. Some people get trapped in a bulding with a guy with a meat cleaver. This girl is apparently the heroine. Gang is led by some rapper type guy who gives inspiring speaches. Girl kills gang leader.

Zombies: There aren't any.

Survival Lessons:

• ...
• ...um
• ...don't get involved with gangs...
• or cults?

Warnings: There are zero zombies in this movie. 





In the end this movie sucked. Not only was the movie itself almost incoherient in it's plot but the "zombies" were not zombies. How were they not zombies? 1. They weren't undead. 2. They talked. 3. They laughed. 4. They could be killed by stabing them. 5. They could feel fear. 6. They fought for a goal. 7. They used weapons. 8. They used fear tactics. 9. They kidnapped people. I could go on; suffice it to say these were not zombies, they were a gang. And apparently it's ok to introduce your main characer half way through the show and not explain 75% of what happens in the movie or to any other characters except for her. No it is not ok. This is a horrible movie from an audience or film maker point of view and frankly, isn't a zombie movie. The only reason I mention it on this blog is to steer you clear from it.


Stay vigilant, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate, Mike D.

Siren in the fog

Don't make this guy's mistakes. Very first, don't walk, run. Next decisions need to be made quickly to avoid times where you may be opening yourself to attack. Finally always be aware of your surroundings, an obvious note but many survivors will fall due to simply not keeping their guard up. There is a good reason I end most of my posts by reminding everyone to stay vigilant.

Stay vigilant (see), may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate, Mike D.

Two days later

Ritchie hears of hope on the radio only two days after Mike's death. He goes in search to bring it back believing that's what Mike would have done.

Messages of hope are almost always false, we can trust Ritchie's fate is almost as sure as Mike's had been.

Stay vigilent, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate,
Mike D.

Shh! I was bit...

The right thing to do if you are biten.

Stay vigilent, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate,
Mike D.

Zombies in film: 28 Days Later

"Be Thankful For Everything, For Soon There Will Be Nothing..."

Director: Danny Boyle

Writer: Alex Garland

Produced: DNA Films, British Film Council

Story: A virus known as "Rage" is unleashed on the people of England by animal rights activists. 28 days later Jim wakes up from a coma in the end times. He bands together with a small group of survivors who grow and dwindle as the movie progresses. The survivors go to a military brigade which has managed to survive... by taking advantage of other survivors. As Jim attempts to save his fellow survivors he becomes just as brutal and terrifying as the infected they have all been running from.

Zombies: The infected in this film are often argued about as not being zombies because they can run and because they are not undead. To those people must be brought up, no one knows how the virus will spread or in what form. The zombies which have tormented mankind throughout history could very well change as the virus evolves into something even more terrifying. And terror is what these creature invoke. Heartless, relentless, brutal monsters, the pinicle of ravenous killing power within the human body tapped into and released. these infected are not traditional but they are no less possible and far more threatening.

Survival Lessons:

• Brutality is essential in some circumstances.
• Be careful of birds and other creatures which may carry the infection.
• The human need to protect others is sometimes more powerful (and self destructive) then any other emotion.
• Wear protective gear at all times, even when assumed to be safe.
• Do not trust every tale you hear about safety and supplies.
• Some survivors exist by feeding of other survivors. Be aware that any human could turn out to be one of these leaches.
• Choose your party members wisely.

Warnings: This is one of the few actually scary zombie movies. The film also has some very disturbing scenes of violence and sexual aggression (not involving zombies don't worry.)

This film is possibly the greatest zombie movie of all time even if the infected are not the standard undead fair and even though it wasn't one of the classics. It has everything, all the characters play their parts and enough die and survive to represent the real threats and how to over come them. It also shows how power currupts and why not all humans can be trusted after the fall, esspecially those with athority and the "big guns." The movie also runs a couple of social commentaries to surpass even those in Romaros origanal "Of the Dead" films. The animal activists who destroy a country and turn everyone into crazed animals in an effort to demonstrate human cruelty to animals. As well as the more obvious and beautifully done look at how a human not infected by the virus is just as -if not more- capible of the greatest feats of violence and brutality.

Stay vigilent, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate,
Mike D.

Zombies in film: Day Zero

"What can you do when everyone around you is dead, except die yourself."

Film: Day Zero

Directed by Mathew and Marshall Khalil

Written by Mathew and Marshall Khalil

Produced by Night Terror Films, Cathullu Productions, Atomic Zombie

Story: I will try to avoid spoilers but this is a pretty typical zombie story. A family goes about its everyday life until zombies invade. Then a group of survivors is forced to spend a night barricaded in a house. The cast includes a cowardly protagonist, his infected sister, a teenage girl, her foreign father, a woman from down the street and a scientist. You can see how things are going to go. Not much original here but why break a formula that works right? Two notable parts of the plot are throughout the film we see a mysterious character known only as the Chief and Todd (the protagonist) is forced to make some decisions on who lives and who dies, always choosing himself or his sister even though she is clearly a lost cause.

Zombies: The zombies from this film are pretty close to how the undead function. They are slow, uncoordinated, brain dead and persistent. The film does have inconsistencies in this area though, some zombies will slam their body against a door fruitlessly while others will ring the doorbell and patiently wait for the victim to open up, then the zombie will hide the body… perhaps this zombie in particular was simply one of the various serial killers and maniacs who will take advantage of the outbreak to fulfill their own desires. The zombies also infect other people by releasing an airborne gas which seems to instantly turn both living and dead while the traditional bite takes the regular time to kill and infect (ranging from a few hours to kill and minutes to reanimate, to up to a couple days to kill and hours to reanimate. All depending on the fortitude of the person infected.)

Survival Lessons:
1 - Never shake a bum to get him to wake up. He may be a sleeping bum in which case prodding in ever increasing pressure will suffice OR he may be a zombie about to turn in which case prodding will eventually reveal this and not leave you in an immediate grapple with the undead creature.
2 - Your best friend is no longer your best friend when a seven foot cannibal is trying to eat you.
3 - Swearing at zombies does not slow them down or even hurt their feelings.
4 - Killing yourself by any means that do not destroy your brain only ensure you will rise again and become a danger to others.
5 - Do not be sentimental and protect infected loved ones. It will bite you in the ass.
6 - Look out behind you.
7 - Try to get an important bio-scientist into your survival party. It will make you a priority should the military ever get its sh*t together.

Warnings: This movie has a lot of foul language. There is also a disturbing scene with a baby. You've been warned!

Until next time, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate,
Mike D.