Take a look and let us know your thoughts below!
To celebrate the release of IT this weekend we have a special featurette to wet your gory desires. Take a look and let us know your thoughts below!
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I love zombie stories. There, I admitted it and I feel no shame. I know the sub-genre has suffered a great backlash, even as it remains hugely popular in modern entertainment. I, however, am an unabashed fan. I’ve published several zombie tales myself, and recently Apex Publications released a new edition of my first zombie novella Asylum, which features a brand new short story “Lunatics Running the Asylum.” As part of my promotional extravaganza I thought I would list some of my favorite zombie films and books. Movies Night of the Living Dead & Dawn of the Dead (originals) Romero proved himself the master of the modern zombie tale, and it is hard to pick just one of his films as my favorite. These first two films I think showcase his storytelling power at its finest. Night may seem tame by today’s standards, but at the time it was made the film was daring and shocking and original. Even the casting of a black protagonist was bold for the era. The film almost single-handedly invented the modern zombie, taking it away from the Haitian voodoo tradition. The follow-up, Dawn, I thought was the first of his films to go full-fledged with the social commentary, satirizing American’s consumer culture. I think Romero really set the standard with these two films that all other zombie films after strive to live up to. Dawn of the Dead (remake) & 28 Days Later These are two examples of what became known as “fast zombies,” creatures that not only had an insatiable hunger for human flesh but could move with lightning speed, making them even more formidable monsters. Dawn, being a remake of a classic, had a lot to prove, but it played it smart. The film took the basic concept of the original and introduced new characters and scenarios into the mix. 28 Days Later was an “infected” story, one that presented zombies not as the undead but as merely diseased, and it told a story that was as much about the atrocities of which the human animal is capable as it was the monsters themselves. The Returned & Maggie Here we have two movies that take a very original approach to the zombie story. They treat zombieism as a medical condition, a sickness that kills slowly so that the person infected suffers and knows exactly what is going to happen to him or her. In both cases, the films deal with the effects of such a condition would have on a family, what one may or may not be willing to do in order to save a loved one. The results are stories with a more emotional bent, that tug at the heart strings and get you invested in the characters. Books World War Z by Max Brooks This is probably my favorite zombie novel. What I think sets this one apart is the structure, the approach. He took what could have been a very straight-forward zombie tale and elevated it to another level. Looking back at the war against the undead through what is essentially an oral history was ingenious and put this book at the top of my list. Book of the Dead edited by John Skipp & Craig Spector This anthology looks at a world where George Romero’s vision really happened, different authors telling stories from around the world, giving their own interpretations of how they think folks would react to a zombie apocalypse. The collection features stand-out tales by Stephen King, Phillip Nutman, Joe Lansdale, and Robert McCammon to name a few. The Rising by Brian Keene This book delivers a unique take on the zombie, presenting not a mindless, shambling undead creature, but demons entering our world through the bodies of the dead, wearing the corpses like suits. The book is clever and exciting and gives new life to the subgenre. Now the films and books I’ve listed here merely scratch the surface, tip of the proverbial iceberg as it were. The market is full of zombie stories, and while not all of it is good, there are plenty of quality tales out there to keep us all entertained. I’m proud to be a part of that tradition. Mark Allan Gunnells loves to tell stories. He has since he was a kid, penning one-page tales that were Twilight Zone knockoffs. He likes to think he has gotten a little better since then. He loves reader feedback, and above all he loves telling stories. He lives in Greer, SC, with his husband Craig A. Metcalf.
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FeaturesFun and entertaining selection of features Including Top 10's, Greatest Moments in Cinema and Interviews Archives
June 2023
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