Return of zombies to Hollywood?

I thought the first 2/3rds were quite good. But the last 3rd - what the fuck? It blew away any point what you had seen up until then had, and contained the most GOD AWFUL pacing I have ever seen. The film just fucking stopped while we heard about Marley and watched shrek.

And the climax lacked any bite whatsoever.

This thread needs a link to the trailer for the upcoming George Romero movie, Diary of the Dead (hopefully it's better than the last one):

www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=37309

Zombie films and literature, in their own limited way, can make several valid comments about the state of society. Zombies have been used to make a statement about racism, commercialism, and class warfare.

Yet the zombie film can also be used for other genres. The remake of Dawn of the Dead is an action film. Return of the Living Dead is more or less a horror comedy. Shaun of the Dead is a romantic comedy.

World War Z by Max Brooks uses zombies more as a way to comment on the current world political state.

In the introduction to The Walking Dead, Edgar Wright mentions that good zombie fiction is hardly ever about the threat of the zombies; it is instead about the humans within that world.

Another factor as to the rise of popularity of zombies in Hollywood is the fact that a lot of talented people are working within this particular brand of horror. 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Dawn of the Dead, and Land of the Dead have all been either critical or financial successes. People tend to flock toward success.

Having spent my Junior and Senior year in high school watching the Romero trilogy, the Evil Dead trilogy, and other horror classics, I can only stand in appreciation for some of the most recent zombie fiction.

When this current trend dies out, I can take comfort that the works mentioned above will inspire a new generation of writers and film makers. As for right now, I'm simply enjoying the fact that Hollywood is paying attention to one of my favorite genres.

Haven't seen the movie, but expected nothing from it. I have heard that the movie is pretty good in the beginning, but the 2nd half ("the action movie part") sucks balls. I will probably rent it on DVD one day. Nonetheless I found the first two versions pretty good.

Speaking of Zombies going mainstream: I don't think that it becomes mainstream, but rather it has become so with 28 days later already, and will probably fade away again. I mean, how many zombie movies will Hollywood crank out, before it gets old? It's the same old story: someone lands a succesful surprise independent-movie (28 days later), sequels are following (28 months, 28 years), other producers want to get a piece of it (Land of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead/Remake), then parodies (Shaun of the Dead, Night of the Living Dorks), then cheap cash-ins(I don't even know any), and finally oblivion and the next fad (e.g. sci-fi, kung-fu, knights,...).

The good thing: then it is time for independent productions again, with love for detail, charme and humour.

Oooo...sci-fi kung-fu knights....that movie sounds awesome.

You're right though, zombies are riding a wave of popularity, but I don't think it will crash like any other fad. It may fade a little, but I think the zombie is now a solid staple in horror.

As to if the current general horror bonanza will crash or not, who knows.

Kriz wrote:

Oooo...sci-fi kung-fu knights....that movie sounds awesome.

You're right though, zombies are riding a wave of popularity, but I don't think it will crash like any other fad. It may fade a little, but I think the zombie is now a solid staple in horror.

As to if the current general horror bonanza will crash or not, who knows.

Sci-fi kung fu knights sounds suspiciously like Power Rangers to me. Bleah!

Zombies seem to be as popular this decade as vampires were in the '90s, and I agree that says something important about the cultural zeitgeist, but I'm not sure what. Maybe in the '90s, greed and consumerism were bad enough to be compared to blood-drinking, but now rampant consumerism has become so destructive as to be compared to flesh-eating. Also, vampires are often seen as sexy, while zombies are just disgusting, so maybe there is an element of revulsion that is new. Maybe the difference ties into increased awareness of what mankind is doing to the environment?

Shellhead wrote:

Kriz wrote:

Oooo...sci-fi kung-fu knights....that movie sounds awesome.

You're right though, zombies are riding a wave of popularity, but I don't think it will crash like any other fad. It may fade a little, but I think the zombie is now a solid staple in horror.

As to if the current general horror bonanza will crash or not, who knows.

Sci-fi kung fu knights sounds suspiciously like Power Rangers to me. Bleah!

Zombies seem to be as popular this decade as vampires were in the '90s, and I agree that says something important about the cultural zeitgeist, but I'm not sure what. Maybe in the '90s, greed and consumerism were bad enough to be compared to blood-drinking, but now rampant consumerism has become so destructive as to be compared to flesh-eating. Also, vampires are often seen as sexy, while zombies are just disgusting, so maybe there is an element of revulsion that is new. Maybe the difference ties into increased awareness of what mankind is doing to the environment?

Your time table seems about right. I remember White Wolf's "Vampire the Masquerade" and Wizard's "Jyhad" both being big hits.

I also remember Fox giving the green light to a show based on the White Wolf property. And you couldn't escape Anne Rice and Lestat.

But now I'm curious about the monster in the 80s. My initial gut reaction was the werewolf. 1981 gave us both An American Werewolf in London and the Howling. Fox released a show in 87' called Werewolf. But everytime I think of horror in the 80s, I keep coming back to the slasher film. Krueger, Vorhees, and Myers seemed to dominate the 80s horror landscape.

There have been dozens of zombie films released over the last several years. Many of these are low budget shit and I am amazed at how many have been made. I love zombies - I have been known to behave like one for days on end. What I don't like is this tail end of the rush by Hollywood to completley butcher one of the most recognizable stories that have come up in any genre and just throw all of the crap that is selling them tickets to other movies.

I haven't seen this film but I've heard it's pretty bad. I just hope that the planned film for WWZ doesn't get a healthy serving of hollywood crap as well. Just imagine a 2 hour love story with the backdrop of zombie infestation. The lovers manage to bring the world together so that they can open up a Starbucks where everyone can convene and sort out our problems to prevent this in the future. Yay.

Oh yeah in the process they themselves develop the cure while having their first fight over who gets to sleep with the axe.

The new Romero film promises to be good.

yeah couldn't agree more on I am Legend. Looked like fun being the only man left alive in NY. drive fast, shoot shit, work out, then hide in the tub overnight. When he went down into the cellar the last thing I expected was the state of the art lab. Absolute bollocks.

Million Dollar Mimring wrote:
Your time table seems about right. I remember White Wolf's "Vampire the Masquerade" and Wizard's "Jyhad" both being big hits.

I also remember Fox giving the green light to a show based on the White Wolf property. And you couldn't escape Anne Rice and Lestat.

But now I'm curious about the monster in the 80s. My initial gut reaction was the werewolf. 1981 gave us both An American Werewolf in London and the Howling. Fox released a show in 87' called Werewolf. But everytime I think of horror in the 80s, I keep coming back to the slasher film. Krueger, Vorhees, and Myers seemed to dominate the 80s horror landscape.[/quote]

Maybe vampires were big in the '90s because everybody was obsessing about AIDS? Look at the metaphor, the seductive creature of the night who transforms you irrevocably into a sexy monster.

I think that you're right about the '80s and the slashers. Not sure about the cultural significance, except that was about the time when the Baby Boomers had clearly morphed from rebellious hippies into greedy yuppies. Maybe the selfishness of the '70s led to a more ruthless and anti-social level of greed by the '80s. Look at the movie Wall Street, where Charlie Sheen looks in the mirror and asks "Who am I?" and compare that with masked slashers like Jason or Michael Myers.

Shellhead, I like your analysis of horror trends comparing with social trends...

Not only are zombies even more parasitic by eating flesh and leaving nothing sexy behind, they severely outnumber the good guys. Evil is taking over, and nothing can stop it.

Maybe the next decade will just see a Scanners-type movie resurgence, where everyone's heads are just exploding because of the state of society and the world.

You guys totally need to check out

The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror

by David J. Skal...he discusses exactly what you guys are talking about, how horror is very much a cultural barometer of attitudes, concepts, and worldviews.

With zombies, I think there is definitely that whole consumer thing going on...but it's really much more than that. Part of the appeal of zombies is this almost Marxist idea of eliminating consumers who are not also producers...and then there's also this transposition of violent mutiliation/bodily destruction fantasies onto a palette free of guilt or moral responsibility (I mean, it's already dead, so it's OK for me to decapitate it with a shovel...right?). Then there's also the apocalyptic thing going on, which is kind of coming back in vogue now for the first time since the Cold War (sorry, I don't count Y2K).

I actually think zombies, taken to be the post-Romero/non-Haitian variety, are one of the more complex monster ideas and I really think that they're really a very modern idea in a way- there's no gothicism or folklore connected to them (despite films like THE BEYOND or CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD) and really they're quite a nihilistic, anti-humanist phenomenon.

I just watched RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION last night...yeah, I know it's crap but I couldn't resist a $1 rental...plus it's a zombie movie, a postapocalyptic movie, and it's got Milla Jovovich kicking ass throughout. Total garbage, and another good example at how Hollywood just doesn't get zombies at all- they're practically scenery in this one, placeholders to maintain a tenuous link to the video games and to provide a couple of horror moments.

To totally flip the whole discussion back to the "traditional" zombie and back to better films...I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE was on TCM last night...it's one of the most beautiful films ever made...see it if you get a chance.

I love looking at what most call B-culture. I look for meaning in horror, crime, western, and comic books.

I'll have to check out the book that Barnes is recommending.

Michael Barnes wrote:

To totally flip the whole discussion back to the "traditional" zombie and back to better films...I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE was on TCM last night...it's one of the most beautiful films ever made...see it if you get a chance.

I actually watched that on TCM night before last, as well as the end of Cat People and a biography on the dude who made them (Check IMDB.....Val Lewton, thats right...). It was pretty amazing for a movie from the 40s, having some very genuinely creepy moments. The Val Lewton RKO box set is something I always wanted to pick up, but never have because of cash problems.

I stayed up as late as I could, they were playing all his stuff late into the morning. I'm lucky to have caught it, as I don't have cable and was over at my Mom's house. I love the Romero-style flesh eaters more than anything, but some of the old school films have an art and a creepiness to them that succeed in their own right.

Yes, I worship Val Lewton...you really owe it to yourself as a fan of horror to check out the films he did at RKO- they were _all_ great, very ahead of their time and still the best example of how low budget horror doesn't have to resign itself to cheap shocks and exploitation (not that there's anything wrong with that). The films he did with Jacques Tourneur in particular (CAT PEOPLE, CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, and LEOPARD MAN) are astonishing...Robert Wise (who went on to do THE HAUNTING, WEST SIDE STORY, and THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL) worked with Lewton as well and did some really nice work. The Lewton box set is one of my "rescue from fire" items- it's magnificent, the films are immortal, timeless, and among the best pieces of horror filmmaking ever made.