Orange Brigade, meet Second Lieutenant J. LaRose! While many of you are no doubt aware of his rather messy demise in Saw III (disembowelment does have its drawbacks), rest assured that the LT is in fine shape and more than ready to take on the ever-growing threat to the human race. You don’t even have to take my word for it, just a glimpse into J’s varied talents and wide range of experience is enough to convince anyone. He can glare a hole in a brick wall in one moment and charm even the hardest of hearts with a winning smile in the next. Coming from a solid background of horror movies, television and short films, J is more than adequately equipped to face the horror in the days that lay ahead. It doesn’t even have to be mentioned that J LaRose is related to a certain Special Forces Commander, but we mentioned it anyway.
J LaRose is currently operating from an undisclosed location, and we are eagerly waiting and hoping to hear more from him soon. We’re very sure he won’t end up like poor Troy again, at least not any time soon.
Normally we’re all about the undead, but so many of our ZSC commanders have been busy working on awesome projects of their own, we just have to share. Today we’re proud to announce the release of Orange Brigade Commander R.C. Murphy’s novel, Enslaved.
There aren’t man-eating corpses in this book, but it isn’t fluffy like Commander RC’s zombie bunnies, either. Take a look:
The gods are flawed . . . and they make awful parents.
Deryck knows first-hand the cruelty of the gods. Three thousand years after his birth, he is still trapped, forced to service humans as an Incubus—unable to choose who he sleeps with, and living a life completely devoid of love. There is no out for him. No hope. Or so he thought.
Shayla McIntire spent five years getting her life back on track after the accident claiming her husband’s life. She is content to a nice, boring, subdued life free of the abuse she suffered before. Her friends are worried. They want her to find the man of her dreams and move on.
Little do they know, the Powers That Be have decided the man of Shayla’s dreams for her. There’s just one hitch, he’s enslaved to the gods and it will take power she doesn’t know she has to free him. Deryck isn’t the only one hoping Shayla will free him, though.
Click on the cover to grab your copy of Enslaved today!
Blue Brigade’s Second Lieutenant Jim Burleson brings a unique expertise to the Zombie Survival Crew. Not only has he been referred to as “the man behind the plan of Albuquerque’s first MAJOR Comic Convention,” Jim is smart, organized, and quick to act when action is needed. Actor, producer, stuntman… he’s seen it all from many different angles and knows how to get in and out before anyone even knows he was there. Currently stationed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jim has become a well-known fixture in his state of residence and we at the Zombie Survival Crew are confident that the Southwestern zones will be under his watchful eye when the dead begin to rise.
Starting off as a stunt performer in the crime thriller The Keeper in 2009, it wasn’t long before Jim introduced himself to the world as producer and host of the television series Cage Fighta.Continuing on to work both behind and in front of the camera, Jim has been spotted on the television series In Plain Sight, and also in the recently-released motion picture The Avengers. And it certainly can’t be mere coincidence that he appeared onscreen with fellow Commander Sean Patrick Flanery in the action thriller Deadly Impact.
Coming soon:
Currently in post-production is the film Stars, and be sure to keep one watchful eye on the New Mexico horizon for the indie filmThe Cowgirls.
For more information about our fearless leaders, please check out our previous field reports!
Rated: Not Rated (Extreme Violence and Gore)
Starring: Michael Fuith, Theo Trebs, and Anna Graczyk
Before anyone dives into this film feet first, be aware that it is not in English. There are subtitles. If that prevents you from watching any decent film, you need to brush up on your reading skills and suck it up. More often than not, it is worth the extra effort. Is Rammbock (2010) worth it? Let’s find out.
Synopsis: Michael heads to Berlin to talk with his recent ex-girlfriend with a plan to win her back. But something isn’t right with the city. It is too quiet and Gabi is nowhere to be found. Before he can find her, hell breaks loose in the form of ravenous zombies—quick, dangerous—swarming the apartment complex Gabi lives in. Michael finds himself relying on a young man, Harper, and the complex tenants to help him survive and locate his missing girlfriend.
Rammbock starts off a little slow, building the tension to the first reveal of a new, frightening zombie breed. They’re red-faced, veins bulging under their discolored skin. Foam flows from their mouths. They scream and run as though possessed by demons. In other words, they’re not to be trifled with. The virus that creates them works quickly. Those infected do not die. Instead, an adrenaline rush triggers the change. In theory, if an infected person can remain calm for long enough, their immune system will attack and destroy the virus. It is only a theory; no one can stay calm in the middle of a zombie attack for very long.
The way the virus works was supplied through an age-old zombie film trope—the news feed. It is understandable in the case of Rammbock; the film is just about an hour long. There isn’t enough time to demonstrate the full effect and possibilities of the virus. However, I wish someone would think of a more original way to convey vital information from the government to the people. Use carrier pigeons for all I care, just find another way that doesn’t make the audience begin to zone out after a while.
Mixed with the horror of watching these people trapped inside an apartment complex is a lot of very interesting questions about human nature. Who can you trust? Once you realize there is an outbreak, everyone, even your lovers and family become a threat. One scratch, one bite and they’re chowing down on your face. What is the right way to escape? Several times in the film, suicide is mentioned as an option to be free of the painful truth—there is no way out alive. Or is there? Bravery is walking forward, no matter what frightening thing you face. A handful of the characters are extremely brave, almost to a fault. And the final question is: Would you sacrifice yourself to kill your infected lover, sparing yourself the loss and them the indignity of living as a monster? As one of the monsters, I have to say life as a zombie isn’t half bad. To each their own, though.
Overall I’m giving Rammbock three and a half gnawed-on legs out of five. This is a film that will make you seriously stop and think, “Am I ready to face whatever odds, whatever horrors, in order to live?” Well, are you?
Red Brigade, salute your Second Lieutenant, the lovely Viviana Chavez! She’s always there, always watching and always ready to lend a helping hand… even when you can’t see her. Undercover operatives are vital to the survival of any organization, and Viviana’s extensive behind-the-curtain experience makes her the perfect candidate for the most top secret of missions. From wardrobe to art department, casting coordinator to producer, Viviana has tried her hand at almost all aspects of the industry before stepping into acting.
Viviana hails from Atlanta, Georgia and earned her stripes at zombie preparedness as Miranda Morales on The Walking Dead, To the eye that knows no better, she is a hard-working television actress with a brilliant smile and a loving, gentle personality. After the Morales family separated from the Atlanta survivors in The Walking Dead, Viviana moved on to appear in the television series Necessary Roughness and Showtime’s Emmy-winning series Homeland. She has also been spotted in the made-for-television film A Cross to Bear and Hallmark Hall of Fame’s Firelight. In 2012 she worked on several episodes of the TV comedy Bethany, and also appeared in fellow ZSC Commander Anthony Guajardo‘s short film Arose the Coward.
Viviana with fellow commanders Anthony Guajardo and Addy Miller.
Viviana has also been known to venture into the convention circuit, appearing at Wizard World and other public events. Whether these appearances are simply opportunities to meet fans and her fellow actors, or part of undercover missions or recruitment work with the Zombie Survival Crew is anyone’s guess.
Rating: PG-13 (Zombie violence and some adult language)
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich, Rob Corddry
Another zombie film has hit the theaters, which means a day pass for yours truly to get out of the Zombie Survival Crew command center’s detention room for a couple hours. What is the latest zombie flick to hit the big screen? An adaptation of Isaac Marion’s novel Warm Bodies.
Boy meets girl. Boy eats girl’s boyfriend’s brain and absorbs his memories. Boy falls in love with girl and saves her from having her entrails spread over the ground. Girl begs her hard-ass father not to kill her undead love. Sounds romantic, huh? Not if you care about a little thing called necrophilia.
I had a hard time with the premise of Warm Bodies from the start. Not just because of my standing as one of the shambling undead. Zombies are, and have been for decades, soulless reanimated corpses who only want one thing—to feast on the flesh of the living. Going into the theater (hidden under a large Hello Kitty blanket), I knew I wasn’t the target audience for the film. The previews and trailers showed fresh-faced kids traversing the zombie apocalypse and surviving on the strength of their love. Call me jaded, but a gun goes a lot further to keep one safe from being eaten than doe-eyed heroic zombies.
The saving grace for the film is the smart, witty performance from Nicholas Hoult. He took what could have been dead (no pun intended) jokes and made them work with a well-timed glance or shrug. His counterpart, Teresa Palmer, started out the film strong-willed and capable of defending herself, however, as the movie progressed she became whiny, cried more than should be allowed in a zombie movie—even one billed as a teenage chick-flick—and could not keep up with the performance of her co-star. The production company did their best to make Palmer into a blonde Kristin Stewart—which is no surprise since the distributor for the film is responsible for releasing Twilight. Is it too much to ask for a young actress to thrive on her own merits? In a time when Hollywood is all about chasing trends and beating them over the head until their brains ooze across the floor . . . no. The film’s producers wanted a young woman with looks similar to someone who has been proven popular and shoved her in a role written to be dependent on a boy. And when things get too rough for her, she breaks down, cries, and then does some of the stupidest things ever witnessed in a post-apocalyptic film.
Congratulations, you replaced sparkly vampires with shambling corpses. Or did they?
The undead in Warm Bodies are vastly different from traditional zombies. The corpses, as they’re called, retain more of their humanity and are capable of minimal speech. They also move far too fluidly to be truly dead. The minimalistic effects makeup on the corpses made it difficult to tell who was dead and who was alive. I’m not saying they needed to have huge chunks of flesh falling off, but something more than pale skin and visible veins would have been nice. Again, the corpses were awfully similar to vampires.
Warm Bodies was fun to watch for the humor—most of it from R, the main corpse character. There are some cringe-worthy performances; a lot of repeated and unnecessary lines, and John Malkovich’s normal brilliance is buried under teen angst and daddy issues. As one of my undead companions said, it is a chick-flick worthy of a night-in with friends and your beverage of choice.
Overall, I’m going to give Warm Bodies three and a half gnawed-off fingers out of five. It had potential, but fell flat under the pressure to fit the current the teen movie trend of cute and heart-warming monsters instead of standing on its own merits.
I’d like to give a shout out to the Fresno Zombie Society for inviting me out to hang with them for the film’s screening. You guys sure know how to make sure a dead guy has a fun night out.
Yellow Brigade CommanderJinxie Ghas another new book out that’s also loaded with vampyres, werewolves, and the gods. Why? Because it’s the sequel to The Dracove. I give you Gods & Vampyres.
This paranormal read picks up right where The Dracove left off, with a kidnapped Kylie, pissed off vampyres yelling at each other, and the entrance of a major player.
War is on the horizon…
Jinxie is gearing up for her 5-day FREE eBook event!
January 30th through February 1st, you will be able to download Gods & Vampyres for FREE. What’s even better? From February 2nd through February 3rd, The Dracove will be FREE again.
You can get the first two books in the Prophecy series for FREE this week and this week ONLY.
Kylie O’Rourke has unwittingly walked into the path of two vampyres—one who wants to use her as a sacrifice, and one who only wishes to win her heart. As she is pulled into their clandestine world, she learns more about her history and the reason behind her horrible nightmares.
Master vampyre Cianán searches for the one woman who could take his immortality to the next level—godhood. But, when he finds his Chosen One, his progeny Grantlund stumbles onto the Master’s plan . . . again. As if losing his first sacrifice to the bastard wasn’t enough, the Fates were to torment him with a second time.
The act never changes, only its players over thousands of years.
When Kylie is taken for use as a sacrifice in an ancient ritual, Grantlund races to save her life, but he has to wait for that perfect moment or all will be lost. Not only does he have to go up against his former Master, Cianán, one of the oldest and most powerful vampyres on Earth, but now the gods are involved, and Cianán has a very prominent one in his corner.
Grant will do anything to stop Cianán from destroying his lover and this world, but what price is he willing to pay? Death at the hands of the woman he loves?
An epic battle is about to begin, and not even the gods know who will come out the victor.
Click on the images for direct links to the books. This promotion has already started, so share, share, share, folks! Word of mouth is an author’s best advertising!
Jinxie plans to work hard to get the next Prophecy series book out—Gemini – Book III of the Prophecy series. She says it needs some editing, and perhaps some dissection, where a novella may come of it.
Also, don’t forget to check the Just Ink Press website for Special Content.
Today, we have The Walking Dead, Being Human, Warm Bodies, and World War Z for you, as well as natural disasters, databases to keep yourself updated and out of harm’s way, and a nationwide earthquake drill. Will you participate?
The third installment of the Emmy award-winning zombie fest series, The Walking Dead, features an |array of exciting and intriguing new characters. Among them is seasoned British actor David Morrissey as The Governor. Debashine Thangevelo found out how he feels about depicting the villainous comic book character…
I DON’T think David Morrissey imagined he would bag the role of The Governor – an immensely popular character with fans of The Walking Dead comic books – when he visited his friend in Los Angeles.
Having been a zombie for Romero, I can tell you first-hand that a lot goes into playing one of the undead. Oh, how I wish I would have had someone of the caliber of Warm Bodies‘ Rob Corddry to guide me through it all.
Starring Nicholas Hoult, Rob Corddry, Teresa Palmer, and John Malkovich, Warm Bodies follows an existentially tormented zombie named “R” (Hoult) who begins an unlikely friendship with the girlfriend of one of his victims (Palmer). It’s based on the book by Isaac Marion.
We’ve unveiled a lot of surprises here at Zombie Survival Crew moving into our third year and …we’re not done yet!
ZSC Command is very excited to unveil the new Rooker line of gear in honor of our Special Forces commander extraordinaire, the one and only Michael Rooker! There are several new t-shirt designs to choose from and if you’re ready to join the Rooker Army, there’s even a set of official ZSC dog tags!
And in case you missed our earlier reveals here’s a recap of what else is newly available on the site:
Check out the ZSC Reedus line. Inspired by the work of Blue Brigade commander Norman Reedus, a portion of sales of all Reedus line gear is going to development and disaster response charities (primarily Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders, unless there is an immediate disaster response need unfolding when we make our quarterly contributions).
Check out Blindsided by the Walking Dead, Green Brigade Commander IronE Singleton’s autobiography. This harrowing tale of struggle and survival takes you from the street corners of one of Atlanta’s worst public housing projects to alleyways filled with zombies from The Walking Dead. IronE’s autobiography was co-written by our Commander-in-Chief Juliette Terzieff.
Orange Brigade, meet Second Lieutenant J. LaRose! While many of you are no doubt aware of his rather messy demise in Saw III (disembowelment does have its drawbacks), rest assured that the LT is in fine shape and more than ready to take on the ever-growing threat to the human race. You don’t even have to take my word for it, just a glimpse into J’s varied talents and wide range of experience is enough to convince anyone. He can glare a hole in a brick wall in one moment and charm even the hardest of hearts with a winning smile in the next. Coming from a solid background of horror movies, television and short films, J is more than adequately equipped to face the horror in the days that lay ahead. It doesn’t even have to be mentioned that J LaRose is related to a certain Special Forces Commander, but we mentioned it anyway.
J. LaRose hails from Chicago, making his first appearances on various television series, including Mortal Kombat: Conquest, Sheena, In Search of, and short films Butterfly Dreams and The Crown of Rust. In 2006 he made his big screen debut as the unfortunately disemboweled Troy in Saw III (spoiler alert), and from there moved on to Repo! The Genetic Opera and the horror films The Tenant, Insidious and The Tortured. J has also been involved in many projects coming up in the near future. J recently completed the hilariously viral Rockabilly Zombie Weekend as well as the films Wind Walkers and the short film Amazing Grace. Currently in pre-production, we’re also keeping a sharp eye on The Legacy of Avril Kyte.
Rated: Not Rated (Extreme Violence and Gore)
Rammbock starts off a little slow, building the tension to the first reveal of a new, frightening zombie breed. They’re red-faced, veins bulging under their discolored skin. Foam flows from their mouths. They scream and run as though possessed by demons. In other words, they’re not to be trifled with. The virus that creates them works quickly. Those infected do not die. Instead, an adrenaline rush triggers the change. In theory, if an infected person can remain calm for long enough, their immune system will attack and destroy the virus. It is only a theory; no one can stay calm in the middle of a zombie attack for very long.
The way the virus works was supplied through an age-old zombie film trope—the news feed. It is understandable in the case of Rammbock; the film is just about an hour long. There isn’t enough time to demonstrate the full effect and possibilities of the virus. However, I wish someone would think of a more original way to convey vital information from the government to the people. Use carrier pigeons for all I care, just find another way that doesn’t make the audience begin to zone out after a while.
I had a hard time with the premise of Warm Bodies from the start. Not just because of my standing as one of the shambling undead. Zombies are, and have been for decades, soulless reanimated corpses who only want one thing—to feast on the flesh of the living. Going into the theater (hidden under a large Hello Kitty blanket), I knew I wasn’t the target audience for the film. The previews and trailers showed fresh-faced kids traversing the zombie apocalypse and surviving on the strength of their love. Call me jaded, but a gun goes a lot further to keep one safe from being eaten than doe-eyed heroic zombies.
Today, we have The Walking Dead, Being Human, Warm Bodies, and World War Z for you, as well as natural disasters, databases to keep yourself updated and out of harm’s way, and a nationwide earthquake drill. Will you participate?
The third installment of the Emmy award-winning zombie fest series, The Walking Dead, features an |array of exciting and intriguing new characters. Among them is seasoned British actor David Morrissey as The Governor. Debashine Thangevelo found out how he feels about depicting the villainous comic book character…
