Wednesday, June 22, 2005

A quick zombie primer

For those not caught up on their zombie lore (KPMD, I'm looking at you), there are a couple of great resources on the internet:

-Homepage of the Dead focuses mainly on Romero's films.
-All Things Zombie covers, well, all things zombie.

And then there's this:


Chart created by Groucho at DVDTalk

Between the chart and those two sites (and their myriad of links elsewhere), you should have all of the information necessary to carry on an intelligent zombie conversation at your next cocktail party.

13 comments:

jasdye said...

i'm wondering if you're a zombie fan largely because it can be traced back to one series, one man - although the archetypes are as old as death itself (mummies, rising of the dead upon Jesus' death, frankenstein's monster, jesse helms), whereas vamps are all over the map stylistically (bram stroker's, nosferatu, buffy, van helsing, from dusk til dawn, lost boys).

Micah said...

I wouldn't say that is the sole reason, but there is something cool about one man largely popularizing a genre. It's just that those films are quality. And really, most of the things in the zombie universe can be traced back to Romero (the homages in Shaun of the Dead, the references in Brian Keene's books, the Resident Evil video games, etc.). Not that I think he's infalliable - he's certainly made some non-zombie clunkers. Simply put, Shaun aside, he makes the best zombie movies.

jasdye said...

finally, all those years of taking pop-psychoanalysis classes and watching dr. phil have paid off.

i got you pegged, micah; i got you pegged.

Micah said...

So, it has nothing to do with my mother, then? Whew.

To paraphrase Freud, sometimes a zombie's just a zombie.

jasdye said...

dang! i missed the most obvious explanation.

it's not your mother, baby! it's a man. (you oedipus!)

jasdye said...

that's ok shamrock, i can't spell nietzche either.

specifically, it was about fighting against that will-to-power mentality.

the genesis project is star trek iv, i think. the one where spock comes back to life as an old, ugly guy with big ears.

Micah said...

Shamrock - Maybe I'll have Batman Week...when the next movie's released.

KPMD - You're most welcome. And there's much worse things that you could do with your time (uh, cold calling Squeal, maybe).

jasdye - I'll let you in on a well-known secret: Shamrock can't spell worth a damn. Never could.

Micah said...

Well, then do I have surprise for you. Squeal...COME ON DOWN!

KPMD, this is your life...

Micah said...

And she's bringing a bowl of Bethany's Mush-Mush-Ma-Ga-Ga.

jasdye said...

Is your Crush of the Week going to be a zombie, too? What kind of requirements would she need to fill to fit the theme of the week.

Would Florida Recount lady fit the descriptors? She was kinda hot - for a zombie.

Panthergirl said...

Loved Shaun of the Dead! Only had to close my eyes once (my daughter warned me as it was coming up).

Micah said...

jasdye - You'll see the Crush shortly. And no, it won't be a zombie. As much as I dig zombies, I just don't find them sexually arousing. In the book I'm currently reading (City of the Dead), there's a minor character that has sex with this female zombie (she's tied to a table, if you're wondering). Ugh. Luckily, the author doesn't go into much detail.

panthergirl - I'm sure I know what scene you are talking about. I showed the movie to my family and forgot to warn them. The look of disgust on my brother-in-law's face...

jasdye said...

1) you always remember those scenes when you're in a mixed group, especially if that group consists of fam or church folk.

2) you're a lame for that micah. it wasn't a spoiler-alert, for me, as i won't be watching it.

ha ha.

on to the vastly superior, van helsing.