Tag: Zombies

Zombie Town (2007)

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Zombie Town is a low budget zombie movie, but that doesn’t mean its bad. The acting is actually pretty good and the special effects were better than I would have expected. At least for a low budget film.

There was also plenty of gore and a decent level of violence, which is always appreciated, including the slug bursters:

Slug Burster

Yes, I think the special effects guy liked the movie aliens. The scenes where the bursters are coming out of the bodies totally took me back to the first Alien movie.

Zombie Town has some slow spots here and there, but it is also true to itself, which wins it a few points. I know some zombie purists beat this movie up because of the slugs being the origin of the zombies, but I honestly don’t know what the difference between a slug or some invisible germ being the root cause.

My personal favorite line is when Jake and Randy pull up to the old folks home and everyone is running out. Jake’s “This can’t be good line,” followed up by the decision to go in and see what’s happening is just perfect zombie movie logic.

Zombie Town Scoring

Zombie Town scores a 65/100, putting it at the upper end of the Rainy Day Movie segment. Save it for a dreary day and enjoy.

See all Zombie Movies here.

Diary of the Dead (2007)

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Diary of the Dead is the fifth George Romero movie in the series. It takes a slightly different, first person look at the Zombie Apocalypse, through the eyes of a small group of college students who get caught up in the biting while they were trying to make a movie for college credit.

The movie starts off a bit slow. We are twenty minutes in before our students encounter their first zombie. The survivors are fleeing town in an RV when they encounter a state trooper. The driver panics and floors it, driving over several other “people”.

No Hospitals During the ZA!!!

This segues into the next phase of the movie. The RV driver feels guilty, because she thinks she killed people, and tries to kill herself. Her friends then take her to the worst possible place to go during the Zombie Apocalypse, and drive her to the hospital.

The survivors now realize the apocalypse is really happening, but for some reason the cameraman thinks that staying behind to power his camera is a reasonable decision here.

There is a little too much focus on the “first person” filming aspect of the movie. It would have been better if the movie focused more on the zombie action and not so much on the interpersonal relationships between the survivors.

I have to be honest though, if this movie was made by anyone other than George Romera, I’d probably be slightly less critical. It’s just that the first person shooting style doesn’t really change the fact that there wasn’t good zombie action until forty or so minutes in.

I did like the bad *ss deaf Amish guy, and his exit was fairly epic.

Diary of the Dead

Overall, Diary of the Dead is a Rainy Day Movie. It has some slow section, and some silly actions taken by the survivors, but if you save it for a dreary day its a good way to spend a hour and a half.

Diary of the Dead scored a 58/100. The things that cost it points were the slow start, lack of zombie hordes, and the first person camera stick wears thin after a while.

Night of the Living Dead Movies In Order:

See all Zombie Movies here.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

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Night of the Living Dead is the movie that started it all. We owe George A. Romero so much for starting the Zombie Film genre. He started a billion dollar industry with less than a $120,000 dollar investment.

Its been several years since I watched Night of the Living Dead, and I was actually surprised how well it holds up to the years. The action starts quickly with Barbra, played by the lovely Judith O’Dea, visiting a cemetery with her brother. She is quickly attacked by the undead. While her brother falls to the first zombie, Barbra flees in her vehicle.

Barbra finds a farmhouse not too far away, where she meets Ben, played by Duane Jones. While Barbra struggles to cope with what is going on, Ben has already come to grips with the fact that the dead are hungry.

The characters are well rounded, and each of them has their own struggles and motivations. In the end, this is really the heart of every zombie movie, how do the survivors deal with the undead, and with each other?

George A. Romero really does an amazing job at showing the conflict inherent in any human interaction, and then how stress magnifies those emotions. Every writer and director who is thinking of making a Zombie Movie should watch this classic movie.

If you haven’t seen Night of the Living Dead, its is a much watch, and scores a 100/100. It is Worth Your Time.

Night of the Living Dead Movies In Order:

See all Zombie Movies here.

Night of the Comet (1984)

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Night of the Comet is the movie that made me fall in love with the zombie genre. It has a great story revolving around two gorgeous sisters who are luckily inside when the Comet turns everyone who was exposed into the undead.

Night of the Comet
Night of the Comet

The two sisters, Regina Belmont played by Catherine Mary Stewart and Samantha Belmont played by Kelli Maroney have advantages. Their father was in the army and the girls know how to handle some military grade weapons. Those types of skills come in handy when the Zombies start to bite.

The sisters meet up with Hector Gomez played by Robert Beltran before deciding to send out a broadcast to other survivors from a nearby radio station.

As luck would have it, the people who come looking for them have ulterior motives. They need the blood of survivors to try and save themselves.

Night of the Comet Scoring

The movie is over twenty years old, and yet it has held up really well. The first twenty times I’ve watched this movie it scored a 100/100. Close to forty years later and it still holds up, earning an 85/100.

If you haven’t watched Night of the Comet, you have to put it on your short list now.

See all Zombie Movies here.

28 Days Later (2002)

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28 Days Later is a must watch addition to the genre. As the original “Fast” zombie movie it started a new sub category of Zombie Movie that is still going strong today.

The main character, Jim, is played by Cillian Murphy of Peaky Blinders fame. Jim wakes up in the hospital but something is wrong, there are no staff or patients around. Jim wanders outside to find that London looks deserted. At least until he make his way into a church, and discovers the town isn’t as deserted as it appears.

The dead slowly wake up from whatever state of hibernation they are in, and Jim’s journey is nearly ended right there. If it weren’t for Selena, played by Naomie Harris, Jim would have died on the street, swarmed by fast moving biters.

Scoring

If you somehow missed 28 Days Later, you need to watch it now. It scored a 100/100, making it Worth Your Time. 28 Days Later not only changed the Zombie Movie genre forever, but did so with amazing visuals, nail biting action, and the perfect ending that hinted at things to come.

Of course, if you watch 28 Days Later you may as well make it a mini film festival and enjoy 28 Weeks Later as well.

Walking through deserted London.
Deserted London

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Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

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Shaun Of The Dead is one of those movies that gets better every time you watch it. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have genuine chemistry that either reminds you of your best friend or makes you wish it did.

The movie seems like its about a guy dealing with everyday life. At least until he realizes that the Zombies have risen. Then it turns into an epic journey about winning back his girl and coming to terms with his mother.

Go

Shaun of the Dead Scoring

Overall, this movie is a solid 81/100 and I watch it at least once a year. Grab a pint, invite your best friend over, and wait for it to blow over.

See all Zombie Movies here.