I’ll admit, I went into this movie fully expecting the name to be the most entertaining part. Aaah! Zombies!! (2007) was originally released under the name Wasting Away and usually when a movie goes from a darn good name to a slapstick one, it bodes ill. Not the case here, folks.
This film makes no bones about it, from the get go you realize it is going to be campy. Campy and well acted. The opening sequence is straight out of a 1950’s era nightmare: Government doctors practicing potentially dangerous experiments on soldiers and all with a catchy tune to liven everything up while things get good and undead. Because of how well this sequence works, I didn’t mind in the least that the footage was in black and white (with select colorization). It just seemed to… work.
I’ve got to hand it to the filmmakers (not an actual hand. I lost one of mine months ago…) they made some very, very smart decisions. One of them being highlighting the way the zombies perceive the world by putting everything in color. It is such a vast difference that you sit up and take notice the first time it happens. Shifting between color and black/white also leads to some comical moments when we’re bounced back and forth between points of view.
Another moment of brilliance, albeit immature brilliance, is the string of disgusting food jokes throughout the flick. Yeah, I know its stupid for a zombie to get grossed out by food jokes, but there were a few stomach-churning concoctions devoured that forced me to look away for a moment, and not to grab a snack, either. Nacho cheese and chocolate? Puke me a river.
There was a moment while watching that I forgot to take notes. (Yes, even zombies need notes to write reviews off of.) My last coherent note is, have the duct tape handy. Aaah! Zombies!! will make you split your sides open laughing, and that is the best part. Hardcore zombie movies are all well and good, but sometimes we need to sit down and simply laugh. This is the film to get your laughs with. I give this movie a shiny gold brain sticker.
Season two of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” kicked off with a groan, lurch, and the bang that made viewers jump off their couches. For a show that went through more than a few growing pains during filming of the current season, TWD creators are proving that despite the changes, they are still striving to deliver one of the best-made programs on television. And the proof isn’t in backroom antics; the numbers for the season premiere alone are amazing–7.3 million viewers tuned in to catch the flesh-munching goodness, shattering previous records for a basic cable TV show.
The first episode was light on the bloodshed, but heavy on character focus. We got a serious look at the women who provide the backbone of the survivors. You’ve got the widow finally finding her footing in life after the death of her abusive husband. There’s the woman who has lost everything and everyone she loves and wants nothing more than a way out. And, of course, we have the once-thought widow who is reunited with her husband, but not until after sleeping with his best friend.
There’s a saying, “Behind every great man, there’s a great woman.” We were shown in season one that the women handle more than their share of the work in camp. Since leaving the camp, that work has translated to emotional support, and basically the three have become a collective “mommy”–a mommy with a gun and short temper, apparently. The best thing the creators did with that first episode was hit the women where it hurt–their children. One child goes missing in the middle of a zombie attack, and the other…well, remember that bang mentioned before? It wasn’t a happy moment for our survivors.
Episode two carried on with the deep look at the women in camp. Almost instantly, Laurie knew something was wrong. It’s always been a little creepy when a mother does that; how despite distance, she knows her family is in danger. Too many times it has happened in real life to be simply a story mechanism. This story line is really putting the focus on Laurie and when she tells Rick his place is by her side with their son, you knew he’d sit, stay, and do what she wanted.
We’re also introduced to a new group of survivors out on the farm. You don’t take notice of their women until after the men have all taken off to do what men do, risk their necks without a solid plan. But when Maggie decides to make her presence felt, it is a solid blow that snags your attention. As we put it while discussing the episode, Maggie is the face of girl power in The Walking Dead, no doubt.
On this show, the women are a symbol of hope, while the men try to be realists…to a fault. Survivors of any disaster need hope in order to keep putting one foot in front of another. Without it, they’d be like the corpses in the cars on the freeway, laying there waiting for a slow death. Now we just have to wait and see if that hope can survive the horrific situations thrown their way by fate.
Predictions of the pending troubles state that at the height of the zombie uprising, the undead will overrun major cities. They will run us out of our houses and, in effect, take over our lives as we know it. Staying in the city would be impossible. Heck, some would say it would be suicidal. Your only chance to ensure your family’s safety is to get out.
The ZSC has escape routes being mapped, along with bases for crew members to gather in safety. However, it is essential that you know how to live in the wilderness should you be unable to reach a secure building or ZSC stronghold. These skills will also come in handy should you find yourself ousted from your home after a natural disaster. Shelters fill up quickly, its best to be prepared.
First thing’s first, you’ll need to scout possible camping sites outside of your city. Find one or two choices in each direction, preferably on the same route you will have to take to reach the nearest Safe Haven provided by the ZSC, or Rescue Agencies. An ideal campsite will be near to water and with plenty of trees around it to provide shelter and firewood. Pick a place a distance from the road. This will not only give you privacy, but also warning if someone or something unwanted approaches your camp. Zombies aren’t exactly quiet tromping through a forest.
Below we’ve included a list of supplies you should consider in addition to what you have in your Go Bags, which should include things like toilet paper, matches, medications, toiletries, clothing, etc…
Tent: tent fly, poles, stakes and ropes. Take a practice run in your back yard after purchasing the tent so you know how to set it up. This will be useful if you are forced to make camp in the dark. Tents are sized by the number of average-sized adults that can lie down across the bottom of the tent. Like sardines. Pick a tent that is one or two people larger than the number you plan to have sleep in there. Make that number even bigger if you plan to put your luggage in the tent with you.
Hammer/Hatchet: To drive tent stakes. We suggest a sturdy hatchet, which will do double duty to cut wood into kindling for fires.
Sleeping Bags: Bags are rated by the highest and lowest temperatures sleepers inside can withstand. Look for a temperature range that fits in the area you live in. Make sure that the lowest temperature rating of the sleeping bag coincides with the lowest average temperature of where you will be camping or lower, just to be safe.
Pillows: Comfort is key. If you have a sore neck/back you can’t run from the undead. A small travel pillow will roll up in your sleeping bag to reduce packing space.
Tarp: A billion and one uses. They can keep your supplies dry. Be fashioned into a privacy shade for bathing and changing. A tarp can even be used to set up an emergency tent should yours meet with an accident. We really like multipurpose items such as these.
Light Sources: For the first couple of weeks, flashlights that run on batteries will suffice. However, if you are forced to camp for long periods of time you will need either a lantern that runs on fuel, or to find a flashlight that doesn’t run on batteries.
Ice Chest: Obviously, carrying perishable food for too long is not an option. An ice chest is good for storing your food if you have a large group to feed. (Please note that it will not keep an animal from breaking into your food stores. Food will need to be raised off the ground to prevent bears and the like from stealing it. Also, keep your camp free of food smells. Pack everything, even garbage, away after meals.)
Water Jugs: At some point in the preparation process, you all will tire of us harping about water. The fact is, without water you’re going to die and then come back, forcing one of us to put your zombie self down. We don’t want that. Pack a few gallons of water in your camping kit and save the bottles. They can be refilled with purified/boiled water.
A Grill: You don’t need to pack an entire barbecue or gas stove in order to be able to cook. Grab just the grill off your barbecue. When you set up camp, make a pit of rocks with a diameter roughly the size of the grill (the grill should rest on top of the pit without falling into the flames). Ta-da! You can cook, purify water, and stay warm without having to figure out just how you’re going to carry that bulky camp stove.
Pots and Pans: Yes, we are aware that these items are heavy. Consider the long run, though. It is impossible to tell when, if ever, you will be able to reenter the city again if it is lost to the undead. Look at Atlanta in “The Walking Dead”. So make room for at least one good, large cooking pot and a cast-iron skillet. If you pack carefully, both should fit in the ice chest with your food, limiting what you have to carry.
Cooking Utensils: You should already have a knife in your Go Bag, but in addition, pack tongs, a spatula, a large spoon, and a can opener. Go for the heavy-duty, can handle an elephant standing on them type of utensils. Being on the run is hell on equipment. Plus, a sturdy spoon could end up a weapon in a pinch.
Aluminum Foil: Oh how we love thee, foil. Let me count the ways… Sounds weird to write poetry for the silver stuff, but it will make cooking in the outdoors so much easier. Got hard vegetables (squash, potatoes, etc…), wrap them in foil and put them down on the hot coals while you cook what meat you have on the grill. Fish is impossible to cook on a grill without losing some. Solution? Foil! You get the point? Foil has other uses. Rumor is one of the commanders has made cannon charges with foil… we do not suggest trying this at home without expert assistance.
Eating Utensils: This includes plates, cups, and silverware (spork!). Make sure everything is, again, heavy duty and easy to sanitize.
Soap: Lets face it, you need soap. Without it you risk courting a number of nasty diseases that could be killed by a simple scrub and rinse (of your cooking materials as well as yourself).
Zip-loc bags: These multipurpose items not only help you organize the items in your Go Bag, but they also allow you to portion foods before storing them. This way you can stash next week’s dried fruit rations somewhere safe without worry.
Towels: A stack of towels should keep you for a while. They can be used for personal hygiene, cleaning, heck even as a pillow or a blanket if need be. Cut a large towel into smaller squares to make dishrags and potholders.
These are just the basics to keep you going for a little while. It is better to be prepared for the worst than to be caught with your pants down, right?
We stayed in touch with Zombification Specialist Billy Tackett after our interview with him earlier this year, and now Billy is one of our Special Forces operatives. Back in February he hinted that there were some fun projects in his future, but didn’t want to jinx himself. Now we’re finally getting a sneak peek at what’s kept him up to his eyeballs in rotting flesh for the last few months.
Billy has taken his iconic Zombie Sam image and turned it on it’s head, creating Dead, White, & Blue Comics, a graphic novel centered around Zombie Sam and his Fightin’ Yanks. The artwork harkens back to older comic book styles while delivering on the grotesque and twisted humor. Hope y’all have a strong stomach for this one.
From billytackett.com, “During World War 2 Sam & His Fightin’ Yanks were a comic book sensation. Every red-blooded American kid followed their monthly adventures in Red White & Blue Comics, never knowing that their favorite Star-Spangled heroes were actually based on real live super powered beings! During the final days of the Great War something began to go terribly wrong. Sam and his partners Fannie and the Sarge began to turn into horrific, cannibalistic monsters! They were taken out of service and put into suspended animation.
Fast forward to the day after tomorrow: The evil that Sam & His Fightin’ Yanks battled decades before has returned with a vengeance! Every man, woman and child on Earth are in danger. Our only hope lies in the monsters we once called heroes…”
The creative plot and use of existing zombie pop culture references has us really looking forward to Dead, White, & Blue Comic’s release. Billy has a 14-page teaser up on his website right now. Crawl on over and get a taste of what is to come from this amazing artist.
Sometimes you just have to pack up your bags and run away to join the circus. But, seeing as I have a new-found fear of clowns thanks to my little incident in July, I decided to run away to join the crew at a haunted house instead.
The Grove boasts over 20 acres of fright-filled fun… and delivers on that hands down. Screams, shrieks, and yelps can be hear throughout the property’s three main haunted attractions: The Hollows haunted forest, Shadows Keep haunted hayride, and Bad Manor haunted house. In addition, the owners have added a few new twists and turns in the form of a ghoulish theatre troupe performing on the fire-lit midway, and the newest attraction opening this week; a zombie shooting gallery.
Visions of Land of the Dead type mischief danced in my head as I sat down with Tanamin Clark, one of the managers at The Grove, to get the scoop on what exactly would happen in their zombie shooting gallery.
For a few years the folks at The Grove have been toying with the shooting gallery idea after seeing something similar at another haunted house. “It looked like a lot of fun,” he commented. With that basic premise, they ran with it, trying out various ideas. One scenario had patrons racing to “kill” the zombies before they reached a bell in order to win, but in the end Tanamin and his crew realized the fun didn’t come in winning anything, but in simply shooting zombies.
I’ve got to agree with him there.
So how exactly are they bringing the zombie shooting gallery to life? Actors will be dressed in padded costumes, helmets, and masks designed to imitate the ravenous undead. The Grove will provide the paintball guns and patrons may purchase anywhere from 10 to 20 paintballs. The zombies are trained to attack patrons as they shoot away. We discussed for a long while how this sort of attraction tied in perfectly to the current zombie trend in popular video games. Who wouldn’t want to take the fantasy and make it reality for a little while? After all, that’s what we here at the Zombie Survival Crew are preparing for. It’s great target practice.
For now, they are starting with a small number of zombies and minimal equipment. However, the managers fully expect to expand on the shooting gallery, probably before the last weekend of the month, the busiest days out at The Grove.
Come on out, test your skill in the zombie shooting gallery. And if you’re brave enough, come find me inside the haunted house. Unlike the zombies, I won’t bite… maybe.
Somehow, someway, you’ve found yourself neck deep in the Zombie Survival Crew website. Don’t worry, this is a good thing. Whether you wandered in off the street after meeting us at a convention, or had a well-meaning friend slip the link onto your Twitter/Facebook page, you are welcome and encouraged to participate and browse around the site.
You may be asking yourself, why do I need to be prepared for the zombie apocalypse? We ask, why aren’t you already? The survival skills imparted on this website will not only help you escape being eaten by a reanimated corpse, but also ensure you are capable of surviving any number of natural or man-made disasters such as flooding, tornadoes, or even a full-scale riot in your home town. You can never be too prepared, a motto we take to heart.
There is a softer, though far from cuddly side to the ZSC. When we aren’t scouring the globe for new recruits, your commanders let their hair down and get to know site members better. We introduce fans of the zombie, horror, and sci-fi genres to movies, television shows, and art they may not have been aware of before. There are also numerous contest opportunities coming up in the near future. (Our prize room is getting somewhat cluttered…)
The ZSC also does it part to help those in need when disaster DOES strike. When we can, we help our celebrity commanders pass on information and aid relief efforts the world-over.
So how do you become an official member of the Zombie Survival Crew? Our registration page is easy, straight forward, and FREE. Once you’ve signed up and confirmed via email, you will be randomly slated into one of our Brigades. Each brigade has a commander and a certain set of skills they are to master in order to help the ZSC as a whole continue to move forward with our efforts. From there on out, how much you want to participate is purely up to you. If you wish to sit back and absorb information posted by the command team, go for it. Feel like you have something to say? We encourage members post their thoughts on the articles posted. Or, if you are an artist, writer, or filmmaker, we’d like for you to contribute articles, stories, art, or videos.
Get it? Got it? If not, feel free to ask us whatever questions you have about the site. We don’t bite, honest! The Command team is here not only to teach you how to survive, but to help you.
In exactly seven days, fans of The Walking Dead will gather around their televisions to watch the season two premier on AMC. It’s no small secret that your Zombie Survival Crew commanders have been not-too-patiently waiting for the new season of the show. We’ve kept our eyes out for any news or tidbits from the set and all that did was create a burning need to see what lies in store for our favorite band of survivors.
Our wait is almost at an end.
To celebrate the upcoming premier of The Walking Dead, the ZSC wants to know what your favorite moments were from season one of the show. We’d also like to hear what you think will happen to Rick, Shane, Lori, Glenn, T-Dog, Daryl, and all the others in season 2. Every crew member that posts a comment will be entered in a drawing, the prize: an official ZSC t-shirt signed by cast members of The Walking Dead.
Neat, huh?
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Here’s what you have to do to win:
~ Log in to ZombieSurvivalCrew.com (if you are not a member, please sign up. It’s FREE and easy.)
~ Post a comment on this article telling us your favorite moment of TWD season 1 and predictions for season 2 before October 16th.
The Prize:
~ One (1) random commenter will be picked to win a ZSC shirt signed by the cast of The Walking Dead.
Rules:
~ One (1) entry per site member.
~ Entries must be posted on the website by 11:59 PM PST on 10-16-2011.
~ Entries containing foul language will be disqualified.
~ Entrants must be registered members of zombiesurvivalcrew.com.
Don’t forget to tune into AMC on October 16th at 9PM ET to catch the second season premiere of The Walking Dead!
October’s bony knuckles are rapping on our front door. Hundreds of thousands of people will be lining up, eager to have the wits scared out of them at local haunted houses. TV stations are running horror movie marathons designed to make sure you lose sleep at night.
And the Zombie Survival Crew has a few events in store for its members to make sure that y’all are ready to face your fears.
Don’t miss the chance to meet your ZSC commanders face-to-face in Florida:
Halloween weekend we have not one, but two events for crew members to participate in. We fully encourage your to gear up and take place in the 2011 Halloween Zombie Event, a live-action scenario where you can chose between playing a zombie or a survivor. This is the perfect opportunity to test your skills in a safe manner before the Zombiepocalypse catches you unprepared. Go to their website to find a participating city near you.
For crew members unable to make it to the live-action 2011 Halloween Zombie Event, don’t worry. Commanders LK and RC have been wracking their brains (mmm… brains…) and developed an online version of the event. For more information, read here and keep an eye on this site for rules, regulations, and suggested role-play strategies for the online 2011 Halloween Zombie Apocalypse.
We’ve been talking about the three day zombie extravaganza called the 2011 Halloween Zombie Event and how you can participate in person. If you missed the video teaser about it, check it out here. The command of the Zombie Survival Crew is excited about the opportunity to test our brigades strengths in a mock zombiepocalypse and look forward to fielding all of the reports during the event to keep all our members up to date with how everyone is faring. But when Joseph Tremblay first approached us about partnering with him to support the event, the Oracle (Purple Brigade Commander, LK Gardner-Griffie) posed the question: “But what about those who don’t have enough people close by to play in person or those who are unable to do so? Do we deny them the opportunity to participate?” She then followed it with the suggestion of going back to the ZSC roots and hosting an online portion of the event. And we’re finally ready to reveal what Orange Brigade Commander, RC Murphy has cooked up. So, take it away RC!!!
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This is the moment we have been preparing for. The undead have vacated their graves and are on the hunt… for us. They will not stop. Very little can destroy them. You are the last line of defense for mankind. Now is not the time to realize you aren’t ready for the Zombie Apocalypse.
On October 29th through October 31st, the world as you know it will come to an end. Your city, Grizzly City, is under attack by hordes of hungry, newly-risen zombies. Survivors must band together to fight them off and escape to safety outside of the infested city.
If you think you are up for the challenge, join us on Twitter for a 3-day Role-play scenario that puts you in the first 72 hours of the Zombie Apocalypse. To join you must first decide if you want to be a Survivor or a Zombie. Once you’ve decided, apply the appropriate Twibbon image to your avatar (we will be revealing the twibbons soon). With your designation in place all you have to do is use the official Halloween Zombie Apocalypse hashtag in your tweets, #HZA11. Follow the hashtag via Twitter’s search function to immerse yourself in the action.
Each day of play will last a full 24 hours. The action will unfold thusly in conjunction with the live events hosted by the 2011 Halloween Zombie Apocalypse site.
Day 1 – Zombie Outbreak: The first zombie sightings are reported in the city. In response, the Survivors begin to execute their escape plans, utilizing information broadcasted on TV.
Day 2 – Survival: The Survivors band together and establish safe zones within the city while the Zombies dog them at every turn. These attacks breed more undead, increasing the size of the attacking hordes.
Day 3 – Fight to the End: The city is overrun. Survivors are attacked more and more frequently. The only way to survive is to abandon the city. They flee or succumb to the zombies.
We understand that most participants will be unable to take part during all 72 hours of the #HZA11 Twitter event. Should you need to leave the role-play for any amount of time, switch out your Survivor or Zombie Twibbon image with the Idle image. This conveys to other participants that you are unable to interact or fight, but will return to play at some point.
The city, Grizzly City, has been divided into sectors. Participants may utilize these sectors while setting up their Safe Havens, planning raids for supplies, or arranging a location to battle a Zombie opponent. The hashtag for each sector will look like this – #HZA11S4.
Below is the map we will be using throughout the event. Study it well. Preparation may be your best defense when the zombies are on the hunt. More information on how to play is posted here. (Click the map to make it larger.)
by A. Zombie
