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.

January Poll results

Panic! Panic!!! PANIC!!!
This will do no one any good. Panic is not in fact a natural reaction. Panic is what the untrained mind and body does when facing new or dangerous experiences. This result is easily avoided by careful training and preparation.

Celebrate! Kill everything that moves!
Also not a good choice. There will be other survivors around and you will draw a lot of unwanted attention from both the living and the dead. Note this is an unconfirmed report, the willingness to kill at the drop of a hat for unjustified reasons is not healthy. Just saying, get help.

Ignore it and go about your daily life.
This will suffice for the vast majority of outbreaks but ignorance will not always end in bliss. Eventually a Class 3, 4 or even a Class 2 outbreak will cause everyone with this mindset to become among the first (and most deserving) to turn.

Stay calm. Immediately prepare yourself for the worst and put your well laid out survival plans into effect.
I thought this would be the most popular response. But it is an incorrect one. This is because of the misunderstandings of what a zombie report is. You will never see dramatic news reports such as are commonly in films about “the dead walking among us” or “not enough room in hell.” By the time these reports start coming it will be too late for most people. Unconfirmed reports happen all around us. Last year in Edmonton, a woman was rushed off to hospital after her husband suddenly attacked and bit her. The husband was shot and killed by police, even though he was unarmed. This is an unconfirmed zombie report. The event did happen but the truth behind it is either unknown or covered up. Now this event obviously does not call for a full scale defense nor is it an immiedately life changing event.

Keep the event in mind and watch for similar activities or cover-ups.
Take the event described above, not cause for alarm but what we have here is a possible Class 1 outbreak: a small contained incident. If for instance the wife were to die and some sort of strange explaination is given, like she died of an fever, infection or even “complications” it could be a cover-up. Or watch for similar or related events, such as a sudden unexplained death involving a police officer who happened to be one of the ones involved at this household. These events together could make it reasonably certain it was an outbreak and could continue further. These events happen around us all the time and we simply ignore them but with only a little training and vigilance they can be spotted and used to keep track of outbreaks.
A Class 1 outbreak, especially an unconfirmed one is no cause for alarm but it should by no means be ignored incase events were to escalate.

Outbreaks can be put into four Classes.
Class 1 is a small, contained event. This event will probably only involve a few people, ranging from one to twenty infected. The entire event could last a few hours or up to two weeks and will not cover an area larger then a twenty-mile radius. Response will be minimal, either civilian or police. Media coverage will also be minimal if any.

Class 2 is a larger event in a more populated area. This event may range to involve possibly up to a thousand people and between a few dozen and a few hundred infected. The entire event lasts between a few days and up to a few weeks, this is from first contact to final clean up. The area may spread from a hundred mile radius or so to as small as a couple city blocks depending on the density of the population. Response will be slightly heavier, including local and federal law enforcement and possibly even some military support. Media coverage will be high but cover-ups, disbelieve and mixed information will keep most of the truth out of the reports.

Class 3 is the largest outbreak within reason. The number of infected will rise to the thousands, possibly tens of thousands) and the number of people involved could reach up to ten times that of the infected. The infection could cover several hundred square miles, entire states, small countries or boarders. The entire event could last between weeks and up to a few months including mop-up, cover-up and clean-up. Response will be military, heavy military ranging from armor to special forces. Media coverage will be heavy but over time and through dilusion of the facts most of it will never reach the public.

Class 4 is the worst possible situation. The event true survivors are preparing for. When civilization completely breaks down. The world will become a wasteland in which new societies will be formed and the undead will wear down humanity until an estimated 500,000 survivors remain to rule the barren ruins that will be left behind in the wake of the zombie apocalypse. This period in which the world is dying is what I refer to as the fall.

Signs to look for when spotting an outbreak:

• Homicides in which the victims were executed by head shots or decapitation.
• Missing persons, particularly in wilderness or uninhabited areas.
• Cases of "violent insanity" in which the subject attacked friends or family without the use of weapons. Find out if the attacker bit or tried to bite his victims.
• Riots or other civil disturbances that have limited media coverage.
• Disease-based deaths in which either the cause is undetermined or seems highly suspect.
• Any event in which media coverage was forbidden.

Once an attack has been identified keep tabs on it. Note where it took place, similar events in the area or a path of similar events. Note how far apart the event took place in time as well as distance. Note what sort of response was made by police, military or importantly, other “extremist” groups and the like. Once you believe an outbreak to be confirmed, than actions should be taken to regarding the size of an outbreak. It is vital to note that any outbreak may escalate very quickly into the next class and it is only a matter of time until ignorance brings about a Class 4.

 

Be 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.