The debate for Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride: Zombie Movie Or Not?, received 9 comments and 9 non-repeating votes. With 0 votes for and 9 votes against being a Zombie Movie, as far as this site is concerned, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride is NOT a Zombie Movie.
Stay tuned for next week’s debate: Rabid: Zombie Movie Or Not?
In Zombie 4: After Death, a group of scientist on an island form a community to research a local drug used by voodoo priests as a cure all for diseases like cancer and leukemia. After the voodoo priests daughter dies of leukemia in their care, he opens the door to hell and the dead spill forth to reap his revenge for the loss of his daughter. The island communities only survivor is the infant daughter of the head scientist who wears an amulet that it the key to the gates of hell. 20 years later, the daughter, Jenny, returns as a groupie for some mercenaries on R&R. While joyriding in a speed boat around the island, the hear the voices of the dead crying out just as they are running out of gas. Though terrified, they dock to look for gas. Upon docking their mood immediately lightens as if they are on spring break, not desperately searching for gas on an island that they mildly believe is inhabited by the living dead. One of the group sees someone in the jungle and runs off after him, without so much as a “Hey guys!” to warn them. Once he catches up to the person, he punches him and says, “Why are you running?” In the scuffle he is bitten by what turns out to be a zombie. Meanwhile another group of scientists has come to the island to research what happened to the last group of scientists on the island. They find a cave wherein they find a book entitled “The Book of Death” that they always refer to as “The Book of the Dead”. The book tells them not to say a certain 3 words because they would raise the dead. So one of them does it and is completely surprised when he is attacked by zombies and killed. The sole survivor of this group joins up with our group of mercenaries who are holed-up against the shambling dead in an abandoned hospital which is conveniently stocked with M-16s and grenades. The bulk of the movie takes place in this hospital as random appearances of zombies occur without rhyme or reason as our protagonists make ridiculous decisions that lead to their own death or undeath as it were.
Zombie 4: After Death is excessively bad. The acting isn’t great, basically on par with most soap operas, but looks even worse because of the cheesy English voice-overs. The basic problem with this movie it seems that it was written with a children’s cartoon kind of mentality, yet with a subject matter that is definitely not suitable for children. The way zombies seem to just jump off a table that it slightly out of frame whenever it is deemed that they should; the way all the zombies are clothed in dirty green or black gauze pajamas; the way that zombie got kicked and then, seconds later, jumps as if he is recoiling from the blow, all shows that a great lack of care went into making this movie.The zombies are pretty crappy looking in Zombie 4: After Death. They are all clad in these black or olive drab pajamas with a matching swatch of gauze drooped over their heads. The have this cheap looking gray and black face paint with maybe a hint of pink texture on the featured zombies. The main characters that turn into zombies don’t actually have to turn-in their clothing for the required zombie uniform though. Their make-up is a little better, with more emphasis on having an eye gouged out and a fresh drip of green blood out of their mouth at the beginning of each shot. The main characters gone zombie don’t actually look half bad.
The title Zombie 4: After Death is obviously an after market addition as the beginning credits tout it’s name as simply After Death. While the zombies look as bad as the ones in Zombi 3, the is absolutely no connection whatsoever with the earlier works of Lucio Fulci or Bruno Mattei.
Zombie 4: After Death would most likely go over real well as an easily derided party movie with beer…lots of beer. But, overall it is a completely crappy time marked by low production value, slow pacing, poorly choreographed action sequences, bad English overdubbing and a generally retarded sense of reason to the film. Unless you love BAD cinema, avoid it like the plague.
Issue 5 in the popular animated comic for Dead Space is online now! If you missed the first few episodes you can view them here: 1, 2, 3, and 4.
In Zombi 3, scientist working for the army run tests on a chemical called “Death One” which bring the dead back to life. When a terrorist tries to steal Death One, he unwittingly becomes exposed to it and is later captured, killed and cremated, which mutates the Death One virus and makes it airborne, infecting all manner of life with a zombie virus. In an effort to contain the virus, the army sends out bio-warfare outfitted soldiers to kill anything inside the infected area. 3 soldiers on R&R and a group of tourists are caught in the infected area trying to fight off the zombies and the army, just to survive.
The zombies in Zombi 3 are pretty bad, especially for 1988. They’re pretty much just slathered in a dark gray make-up with tons in blood and dirt added. It seems that the zombies were all issued uniform pajamas when they died, too. This film is completely gory, but very poorly done gore. More attention is paid to having a lot of blood and ooze and not so much realism to it.
There isn’t a whole lot of continuity to the zombies either. It’s always weird to see a zombie that supposedly just wants to eat your flesh taking the opportunity to punch and kick it’s victim rather than just go for the throat, literally, thus ending up fist fighting with a guy as if they were sparring. A lot of the zombies don’t require head shots to die, yet some of them don’t die from the body shot that kill others. I guess it just depends on what one of the directors was trying to convey in that particular scene. Who knows?
The fight scenes and any of the action scenes are super poorly choreographed. The realism just isn’t there and it ends up looking comical to the point of embarrassment. It doesn’t help that the acting is bottom of the barrel as well.
Zombi 3, in my opinion is really bad, but may go over well as an easily derided movie by your friends that are over to party with beer. The soundtrack alone is ridiculous and that’s only the beginning. If you’re looking for a serious zombie flick or even a humorous one, you might want to look elsewhere. If you’re a fan of the “so-bad-it’s-good” films, this might be your cup of tea. The history of this series is fairly interesting and can be easily researched on Wikipedia, but may warrant it’s own post on the ZRC at a later date.
Check out the above video for some actual gameplay footage of the upcoming Dead Rising: Chop Til’ You Drop Wii video game. It’s interesting to see how it’s coming along – obviously they are using the same targeting system from Resident Evil 4, and the motion controls seem to add to the gameplay experience. For all the flack the Wii gets for it’s graphics, I think they’re looking pretty good!
Calling all budding zombie movie directors! The Mitten Movie Project is looking for submissions to their yearly Zombie Film Night. The ZRC participated last year with help from friends Zombie Walk Detroit and we had a blast seeing our short up on the big screen! Below is the information they sent us regarding submissions for this year:
It’s time for the Mitten Movie Project’s ZOMBIE NIGHT. This year’s night of zombie shorts falls on November 4, 2008, 7:30 p.m. at a location TBD. The 2007 ZOMBIE NIGHT was a great success with over a dozen independent zombie shorts and trailers screening to undead enthusiasts.
The Mitten Movie Project is in search of anything Zombie – shorts, trailers, music videos, documentaries, video art pieces, etc. If it’s good, it will be screened! Only the best independent zombie shorts will be shown.
Please send a screener to:
Mitten Movie Project
715 E. Milwaukee
Detroit, MI 48202Also include the total running time and a log line or 50-word synopsis along with your submission.
Or hand-deliver your submission at Mitten Movie Project screening nights. The next one is Tuesday, September 2nd at 7:30 p.m. at the Royal Oak Main Art Theatre.
For more information, go to myspace. com/mittenmovieproject
There is no entry fee to be considered for ZOMBIE NIGHT. Accepted submissions will receive two complimentary guest tickets to the screening and an invitation to speak during the Q&A session at the end of the night.
Winners: Send us your addresses for shipping and we’ll get your prints sent out to you! Please contact us with the same e-mail address you entered the contest with for verification. Send to: nate@zombiereportingcenter.com
Thanks and congratulations!
Where do we draw the line on what is and what is not a zombie movie? We just can’t decide on our own, so every Monday we’ll post a new movie to be debated by, you, our readers and ask the question: Zombie Movie Or Not? Every Sunday we’ll post our findings and possibly strike that movie off our Zombie Movie List. The week should give you enough time to rent the movie if need be or you desire.
What every reader must keep in mind is that there are two basic types of zombie that every zombie movie based off of – the Voodoo Zombie and the Romero Zombie. The Voodoo Zombie, while not always raised by Voodoo necessarily, is basically a person, either undead or entranced, that is controlled by a person or entity for the purpose of completing tasks, often killing. Romero Zombies are basically mindless, flesh-eating undead whose bite will turn victims into zombies. Now, not all movies adhere to all of these rules, but if the basics are there, you got a zombie movie.
This weeks debate is over Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (2005) Starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.
IS: The Corpse Bride is the risen dead. The reanimated remains of the once living. That’s a zombie.
IS NOT: Being the risen dead doesn’t make her Undead. She doesn’t feed on flesh or do necessarily evil things at all. Not a Zombie Movie.
Now it’s up to you, reader. What do you think? Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride: Zombie Movie Or Not?
The debate for Mutant: Zombie Movie Or Not?, received 2 comments with 1 non-repeating vote. With 1 vote for and 0 votes against being a Zombie Movie, as far as this site is concerned, Mutant is UNDECIDED as a Zombie Movie.
Obviously, this is irregular, but the only vote came from the person whose idea it was to post it as a ZMON. So, to be fair to the movie and our readers, this will go UNDECIDED, along with They Came Back and Shock Waves.
ZMON fans, you have a homework assignment: Make a point to find these movies (Mutant, They Came Back and Shock Waves) and view them so we may get a clear concensus on their status as Zombie Movies! Each of these movies will be revisited in one month (9/22) starting with They Came Back, with Shock Waves the following week (9/29) and finally Mutant the week after (10/6).
Stay tuned for next week’s debate: Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride: Zombie Movie Or Not?
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