|
This collection examines 80 zombie movies that shaped
a horror subgenre and left us all with a mortal fear of flesh-eating
ghouls clawing their way out of the cold, dark earth. Zombiemania
takes an in-depth look at one of the most popular horror film
categories of all time. What is it that makes us so scared
of and yet so attracted to the living dead? Why is it that
shambling corpses with a taste for brains, or mindless automatons
controlled by a voodoo master, still retain such relentless
power? Illustrated with many photographs, some published here
for the first time, this is one guide that will leave you
with a restless urge to walk the night in search of living
flesh...
In
pretty much the same format as A
Vault of Horror by Keith Topping (and also
published by Telos) which I reviewed in 2004, comes Zombiemania
by Dr Arnold T Blumberg and Andrew Hershberger. Again the
publishers have neatly side-stepped possible conflict with
completists by using the subtitle 80 Movies To Die For.
Category
paragraphs for each listing include: Outbreak Location (the
setting); Synopsis; Necrology (the back-story and origins/descriptions
of the undead); Quotes (some memorable lines from the film);
Ruminations (some interesting facts); 6 Degrees of Necrophagia
(influences, links and background); Hey Look, It's The Guy
From The One With The Thing (actors and where they've been
seen before or since); Behind The Scenes (the people behind
the camera); Analysis (opinions); and DVD Notes (what versions
the film has been released in).
So very thorough then. However, the first question that occurred
to me was what constitutes a zombie movie? Is the true definition
someone who has been brought back from the dead? Or is it
only a lumbering, lurching, soulless, flesh-eater? My personal
view is the latter, but the writers here curiously opt for
the former. And that's were the problem lies: where do you
draw the line? For example, shouldn't Bride of Chucky
have been included, as Chucky is brought back to life using
a voodoo ritual? There are many other examples if you sit
and think about it.
By
the same standards some of the listed titles are not strictly
zombie films - at least in my opinion. In 28 Days Later
the people are affected by a virus; they are not animated
dead. The same applies to The
Omega Man, adapted from the classic Richard
Matheson novel, I Am Legend. Again, there are other
examples, but perhaps I'm simply nitpicking.
I did enjoy being reminded of films I'd long-since forgotten
about, such as the weirdness that is Shock Waves, the
craziness that is Astro Zombies and, as for Plan
9 From Outer Space (which could fit into any horror or
SF genre)... it's so bad it's good. Of
course, as anyone with the barest knowledge of horror will
tell you, the ultimate zombie movie remains Night of the
Living Dead - from 1968.
Zombiemania
works well as a casual read for horror addicts, such as myself,
so I'm certain this well-presented book will be snapped-up
(or should that be devoured?) by fans of George Romero and
the like.
Ty
Power
Buy
this item online
We
compare prices online so you get the cheapest
deal! Click on the logo of the desired store
below to purchase this item.
|
|
|
£12.99
(Amazon.co.uk) |
| |
|
|
|
£12.99
(Waterstones.com) |
| |
|
|
|
£12.99
(WHSmith.co.uk) |
| |
|
|
|
£12.99
(Countrybookshop.co.uk) |
All prices correct at time of going to press.
|
|
