If a “zombedy” is a zombie comedy, what’s a zombie *romantic* comedy?

October 31st, 2008, recommended: movies, recommended: tv, slightly off-topic, Janaki, 1 Comments

If you’re questioning my choice of topic, I’ll remind you that zombies are always hungry.  Granted, their diet is a wee bit unbalanced…but then, so are a lot of non-zombies’ diets!  I don’t think we should hold it against them, quite frankly.

Why don't they list 'marrow'? It's delicious AND nutritious! (via Geekstir)

It is a sad fact of life that the zombie diet is often misunderstood and painted as being one-note and really rather boring—not to mention hazardous to those unlucky humans and warm-blooded animals crossing their path.  This may have to do with the fact that many people aren’t familiar with the depth and breadth of what it actually means to be a zombie.  Sure, you may have zombie friends—but have you ever been a zombie?  (No, Steve, I’m not talking about you.)  As with so many other things in life, it’s entirely possible that zombies are merely misunderstood.

So, in the interest of gathering empirical data, it seems only fitting that we should study the zombie diet in a more ‘up-close-and-personal’ sort of way.  With that in mind, it’s movie time…or movie trailer time, at least!

Ten Zombie Films to Increase Your Brain…power.

• Shaun of the Dead. If you haven’t seen it, you should, and if you haven’t seen it in awhile, you should rewatch it.  THIS IS REQUIRED VIEWING.

• Undead. Don’t turn the commentary on, though.  The commentary is far more frightening than the film itself.  Which isn’t to say that the film is bad—it’s really quite good, actually.  But the commentary is…well…mind-numbing.

• SARS Wars: Bangkok Zombie Crisis. Don’t be scared by the fact that the trailer’s in Thai…it is, after all, a Thai movie.  It has, however, been released in R1 with English-language subtitles, and I definitely suggest tracking it down.  Sometimes films are unintentionally hilarious, but sometimes, they’re hilarious on purpose.  This is the latter, and oh yes, there are zombies.

• 28 Days Later. It’s a shame the sequel wasn’t better, but since I did like Sunshine quite a lot, I’ll forgive Danny and Cillian for going off and making that instead.  Still, this is always good for a genuine scare.  Bonus points awarded for foodstuff foraging!

• Black Sheep. No, not the Chris Farley one.  This one involves genetically-altered zombie sheep.  Which, come to think of it, might have made the Chris Farley one worth watching!

• Planet Terror. It’s really a shame that Death Proof wasn’t nearly as fun as this.  Do I really need to sell you on this when it’s got Rose McGowan with a machine-gun leg?  I mean really, is that necessary?  COME ON.

• The Evil Dead. I’d actually put the whole trilogy on the list, but YMMV of course.  Still, begin at the beginning; it’s always the very best place to start.  I do hope the only thing you know Bruce Campbell from isn’t Burn Notice, but if it is, it’s never too late to learn more.

• Slither. I’m beginning to think you simply can’t go wrong with Nathan Fillion.  Although I haven’t checked IMdB to back myself up on this observation, so don’t hold me to it.

• The Fog. Not the remake.  Oh no, not the remake.  I’m talking about the original fantastic John Carpenter film starring the Barbeaubot Adrienne Barbeau!  Not a zombie film you say?  Maybe you need to watch it again.

• Dead Set. It’s…not a movie. It’s a six-part UK TV series.  And I haven’t seen it yet, I have to confess.  But the concept is so spectacularly brilliant that if it doesn’t end up being utterly fantastic, I shall be very, very disappointed.  I also suspect you will be, too, once I tell you the concept, which is this: zombie Big Brother-style reality show. Don’t you want to see it already?  I know I do!

No matter what the future holds in store for you and yours on this gorgeous Halloween, I do hope you’ll take a moment out of your busy schedule to consider the plight of your friends the zombies.  And perhaps you’ll find it your heart to help any and all zombies who come to your door looking for something delicious to eat this evening.  Maybe you’ll even have one of these fine films playing in the background as you answer the door, just to let them know you’re zombie-friendly.

Don’t be hating on the undead; just like you and me, they have to eat, too.