Friday, June 26, 2009

Z is for Zombie

Zombie Jamboree
Zombies, the undead ghouls found in Caribbean folklore and classic horror films are back and this time, they are haunting some very fun popular fiction and humor books.

Max Brooks (son of Mel) offers two excellent additions to the genre: The Zombie Survival Guide : Complete Protection from the Living Dead and World War Z : an Oral History of the Zombie War. Both of these parodies are funny and full of jabs at zombie-like behavior in politics and popular culture.

In Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet tries to wipe out a zombie menace. Love it or loathe it (Austen fans will probably avoid it), this mashup of Austen's Regency classic has many charms.

Zombies On Film
Try Planet Terror, the zombie film spoof Shaun of the Dead, and of course, there's George Romero's classic horror film trio Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dawn of the Dead (1978), and Day of the Dead (1985). If you have missed Romero's classics, grab your pillows, huddle up and as invitation, watch the trailer for the first film...