The in-production zombie(ish) film R.I.P.D. (Rest In Peace Department) got some unwanted attention yesterday when a local Boston priest condemned the film’s crew for shooting outside of his church on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Here’s what the up-tight unhappy priest had to say:

“I think it’s offensive,” he said. “We’re having prayer services where people can sit and process the events of 9/11, and this [movie] is the antithesis of that. It’s work, it’s violence and it’s putting money ahead of the values that we should be about on that day.”

I’m sure he didn’t complain when they paid to shoot there. Anyways- R.I.P.D. is based off the Dark Horse comic series of the same name, check it out here and read the complete story concerning angry priests and movie stars here.

Sure, Dead Heat is by no means a typical zombie film, but it is worth a view and a laugh. So come on, enjoy Joe Piscopo’s only role in a zombie film! September brings us a batch of new releases. Old and new, good and bad, Blu-Ray and DVD and full of gore and schlock! Check out these upcoming releases- out on September 20th is Dead Heat on Blu-Ray/DVD, the re-release of the much overlooked 1985 film The Stuff on DVD, and the only new film in the bunch, 2011′s  Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption on DVD (Blu-Ray out October 18th). Also, out on September 27th is another great Blue Underground re-issue with Lucio Fulci’s The House by the Cemetary on Blu-Ray/DVD!

Tallahasee.com’s Mark Hinson (who seems to have written a few zombie related articles!) shares with us his favorite zombie films in his new article Don’t eat your brains out: Watch 10 great zombie flicks. Hinson start’s his article by saying…

“One of my favorite movie-going experiences arrived at the dawn of the ’80s during a screening of Zombie, an Italian classic for connoisseurs of schlock-shock cinema.”

That gave me hope that he actually enjoys zombie films, unlike a lot of writers who just use zombie-centric fluff articles to attract readers, and while I disagree with him on a few things, he does seem to truly enjoy zombie films, covering films from across what has become a very genre within genre, well… genre. Sure, some people disagree that 28 Days Later is a zombie film, which it is and deserves to be included, and much more so than his inclusion of The Last Man on Earth, but I do have to disagree with Hinton with his inclusion of Shock Waves. Yes, it is a zombie film and while I do consider it to be a better film than fellow ZRC film reviewer Jef Porkins (read his review here), I would never list it in the top tens films, let alone the top 50 films of the zombie genre. Also, where is The Return of the Living Dead!?! All in all, it’s a nice, light read about something we all love…zombies! To read his full article and list, click here and please comment with your opinions and what you feel should be in a top ten zombie film list in our comment’s section below.

Blue Underground, one of ZRC’s favorite purveyors of horror and underground films, is set to release Lucio Fulci’s epic 1979 zombie masterpiece, aptly titled Zombie (aka Zombi 2), as a 2-Disc Ultimate Edition Blu-Ray on October 25th. This version, which retails for $29.98 is a 2K High Definition transfer from the film’s original camera negative and includes these special features:

Disc 1 Extras:

-Audio Commentary with Star Ian McCulloch and Diabolik Magazine Editor Jason J. Slater
-Theatrical Trailers
-TV Spots
-Radio Spots
-Poster & Still Gallery
-Guillermo del Toro Intro

Disc 2 Extras:

-Zombie Wasteland – Interviews with Stars Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson & Al Cliver, and Actor/Stuntman Ottaviano Dell’Acqua
-Flesh Eaters on Film – Interview with Co-Producer Fabrizio De Angelis
-Deadtime Stories – Interviews with Co-Writers Elisa Briganti and (Uncredited) Dardano Sacchetti
-World of the Dead – Interviews with Cinematographer Sergio Salvati and Production & Costume Designer Walter Patriarca
-Zombi Italiano – Interviews with Special Make-Up Effects Artists Gianetto De Rossi & Maurizio Trani and Special Effects Artist Gino De Rossi
-Notes on a Headstone – Interview with Composer Fabio Frizzi
-All in the Family – Interview with Antonella Fulci
-Zombie Lover – Award-Winning Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro talks about one of his favorite films

The ZRC cannot recommend this film enough and is looking forward to seeing what will probably be the best transfer of this film to ever hit “video”.

The latest issue of Rue Morgue, # 108 (JAN/FEB 2011), is chocked full of zombie goodness! Be sure to check out lots of articles and reviews including news about the Melbourne Underground Film Festival  (MUFF) director’s house being raided by the police over a copy of Bruce LaBruce’s latest zombie film, L.A. Zombie and a great comparison of zombies films around the world, including Colin, La Horde and AAAH! Zombies. Plus tons of reviews of new zombie anthologies, the zombie comic Zombies vs. Cheerleaders and game reviews of Dead Space 2 and Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare. OUT NOW!

New figures for the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides premiered during a preview for the American International Toy Fair in New York this week and feature zombie figures. These 4″ figures, when placed under a black light, reveal a “zombie” version of the character. I use quotations because apparently some scribbles painting on makes them a “zombie” (Oh! I did it again!). I’m guessing that this zombie look has something to do with the upcoming film, but I’m not really know since I’m not a fan of this series. You can see more of the figures here. Anyway, if you want a shitty looking toy, buy these! I wouldn’t though.

Resident Evil: Afterlife is in stores today! Available on Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray 3D and DVD.  Special Features: PS3 Wallpaper Theme, movieIQ™+sync and BD-Live, Undead Vision: Picture-in-Picture, Filmmaker Commentary, Deleted & Extended Scenes, Outtakes, Back Under the Umbrella: Directing Afterlife, Band of Survivors: Casting Afterlife, Undead Dimension: Resident Evil in 3D, Fighting Back: The Action of Afterlife, Vision of the Apocalypse:, The Design of Afterlife, New Blood: The Undead of Afterlife, Pwning the Undead: Gamers of the Afterlife

The fourth installment of the hugely successful Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil: Afterlife is again based on the wildly popular video game series, and will this time be presented in 3-D. In a world ravaged by a virus infection, turning its victims into the Undead, Alice (Milla Jovovich), continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead takes them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of Undead – and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap.

Thanks George for the link!