My so-called un-life
Films from the zombie's perspective or, at a push, where they are a sympathetic, leading protagonist who is fighting their baser urges. It is time to stick up for the rights of undead Americans and their decaying brethren worldwide.
There were a few precursors to this type of film but it really seems to have taken off from 2004 onwards, possibly because of the glut of recent zombie movies which has caused film-makers to cast around for another angle of attack.
Drawing the line is always going to be tricky here - Bud from Day of the Dead might count as could Big Daddy from Land of the Dead, but this seems to be part of Romero's exploration of the evolution of the zombie, re-learning lost tasks but, to my mind anyway, there seems to be a line lying between them and Fido. However, I'm open to being persuaded on this point.
See also: The vengeful dead, where the dead are returned with one thing on their mind (and it isn't cannibalism - the clues in the title) and they tend to be more compos mentis, where in this list they can often find themselves struggling with diminishing mental abilities and an increasing taste for human flesh. Also contagious violence films sometimes have a similar angle to this as they are infected, rather than being reanimated, so may try and hold off the effects of the virus as long as possible or try and cope with it (as in, for example, The Defiled (2010)).
Further reading: 12 Zombie Movies that Root for the Zombies:
http://io9.com/5943647/12-zombie-movies-that-root-for-the-zombies
Comments: As I don't have a Facebook account I cannot interact with the new comments system, so have switched it off. I will start a thread on the message board and link it in here shortly.
There were a few precursors to this type of film but it really seems to have taken off from 2004 onwards, possibly because of the glut of recent zombie movies which has caused film-makers to cast around for another angle of attack.
Drawing the line is always going to be tricky here - Bud from Day of the Dead might count as could Big Daddy from Land of the Dead, but this seems to be part of Romero's exploration of the evolution of the zombie, re-learning lost tasks but, to my mind anyway, there seems to be a line lying between them and Fido. However, I'm open to being persuaded on this point.
See also: The vengeful dead, where the dead are returned with one thing on their mind (and it isn't cannibalism - the clues in the title) and they tend to be more compos mentis, where in this list they can often find themselves struggling with diminishing mental abilities and an increasing taste for human flesh. Also contagious violence films sometimes have a similar angle to this as they are infected, rather than being reanimated, so may try and hold off the effects of the virus as long as possible or try and cope with it (as in, for example, The Defiled (2010)).
Further reading: 12 Zombie Movies that Root for the Zombies:
http://io9.com/5943647/12-zombie-movies-that-root-for-the-zombies
Comments: As I don't have a Facebook account I cannot interact with the new comments system, so have switched it off. I will start a thread on the message board and link it in here shortly.
List activity
2.6K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
91 titles
- DirectorYfke van BerckelaerStarsBrad CulverEsme AllenChris PayneThe musical Zombie Love tells the story of Dante, a 200 year old zombie, who falls in love with Claudia, a mortal girl, after he saves her from an attack by two grave robbers. Thinking that a zombie could never win her love, he changes his flesh-eating ways in order to win the girl of his dreams. The closer Dante gets to his desired love, the harder he finds it to maintain the facade, especially when his zombie friends encourage him to eat a teenage girl they have captured. What Dante doesn't know, however, is that Claudia is already in love with the zombie that saved her from the robbers and desperately tries to find him. This musical extravaganza, filled with singing, dancing, blood and gore, will have you laughing all the way to your grave!Here to provide a handy thumbnail graphic, the list begins below:
- DirectorFreddie FrancisStarsJoan CollinsPeter CushingRalph RichardsonFive strangers get lost in a crypt and, after meeting the mysterious Crypt Keeper, receive visions of how they will die.
- DirectorNello RossatiStarsDuilio Del PreteRenzo MontagnaniCochi PonzoniHorror/sex comedy about four zombies who are running a hotel and trying to eat their customers. In the end the quartet ends up in a shopping mall besieged by both the national guard and a horde of hungry zombies.
- DirectorBob BalabanStarsAndrew LoweryTraci LindDanny ZornA teenage boy comes back from the dead because he is determined to win the most beautiful girl in school.
- DirectorBrian YuznaStarsJ. Trevor EdmondMelinda ClarkeKent McCordHaving recently witnessed the horrific results of a top secret project to bring the dead back to life, a distraught youth performs the operation on his girlfriend after she's killed in a motorcycle accident.
- DirectorLawrence KleinStarsTodd PoudrierMichael James FaradieJason YaitanesA documentary crew films the daily routines of the Zombie denizens of Deadtown, USA, and the hunters who threaten their existence.
- DirectorAkihiko ShiotaStarsTsuyoshi KusanagiYûko TakeuchiYuriko IshidaWhen the dead come back to life, an inspector is sent to the town of Aso.
- DirectorChristophe DavidsonStarsJackson RockCristina RosatoStephanie BretonJonas, a kind-hearted zombie, is sick and tired of killing and eating people. So he decides to become a vegetarian and pursue his singer/songwriter aspirations. He he falls for a girl named Cheryl. Love has never stunk so bad.Watch on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSbHsUEp55Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SQcOUWqYEs - DirectorJames CudeStarsParker BeattyBrooke SmithJaz DavisonThe Undead live amoungst normal people of the world. They just want to be treated like the rest of civilization. Friends of the Undead (FOC-U) is an organization to help stop discrimination and unfair treatment of Zombies!Watch on Vimeo (a 7 minute version but uploaded by the director so I don't know if this is a director's cut or IMDB have the time wrong):
http://vimeo.com/43147632 - DirectorEd BrissonStarsToren AtkinsonJames McBurneyShira BlusteinTwo minimum wage employees discover that their boss has not only killed them, but has brought them back from the dead to exploit them for free labour.
- DirectorMatthias DinterStarsTino MewesManuel CortezThomas SchmiederThree not-so-cool school friends decide to try a old voodoo ritual. Later, they die in a car accident, but live on as zombies. But being a zombie has advantages, too...aka Night of the Living Dorks
- DirectorDavid GebroeStarsTracy CooganGraham SibleyTonya CornelisseZombie Honeymoon is a gore-soaked exploration of how far the boundaries of true love can be pushed without reaching a breaking point.
- DirectorRobin CampilloStarsGéraldine PailhasJonathan ZaccaïFrédéric PierrotThe lives of the residents of a small French town are changed when thousands of the recently dead inexplicably come back to life and try to integrate themselves into society that has changed for them.
- DirectorKôji ShiraishiKazuhiro YokoyamaStarsAyaka MaedaMoe KarasawaYoshiyuki MorishitaThe unimaginable happens. Sayuri is pronounced 'dead' by her doctor, but her body continues to function. Her wounds begin to fester and her body begins to rot. Her once loving mother, father and sister are repulsed as their home starts reeking of decomposing flesh. Unable to bear it any longer, they corner Sayuri holding a can of gasoline.... She flees for her life, but is snatched away by a strange man who runs a freak show, where Sayuri is forced to exhibit her putrefied body and dance before an audience of men dressed in black. Isolated in the desolate hills, Sayuri thinks she has escaped them, but she's wrong....
- DirectorStephen BradleyStarsSamantha MumbaDavid LeonTadhg MurphyA boy declares his love for his girlfriend, only to die the same night. He is brought back to life by his mother as a flesh-craving zombie, who sires more teen undead while trying to control his, er, appetite for his beloved.Similar to My Boyfriend's Back.
- DirectorRyan GrahamStarsSteve ThomasMichelle TroutScott GrahamAn 80's rock star, a corporate lackey, and an evil mother-in-law all die bizarre deaths. But when the dead suddenly start coming back to life, these three zombies find that picking up where they left off isn't as easy as they'd hoped.
- DirectorLarry BainCraig OlejnikStarsCraig OlejnikLarry BainSarah Bergeest StillSit down for an exclusive interview with Ted the zombie. At an early age Ted learned of his talent for sending grown men running and screaming like little girls. He quickly catapulted to fame and fortune with starring roles in such classic horror films as Night Of The Un-Dead, Night Of The Almost Dead, Sorta Dead But Kinda Not, and Sorta Dead 2. If You're brave enough, sit down, shut up, and listen to the words of a real life killer...
- DirectorNick PoppyStarsEd HelmsAnne HarrisAnne HarrisMeet Glen. Glen (Ed Helms of The Daily Show) likes to read, do crosswords, and play basketball. He's on the lookout for a girlfriend. Oh, and one other thing-Glen is a Zombie-American. This educational documentary will help audiences understand the challenges zombies face in our society. As a plea for tolerance, it aims to clear up many of the terrible stereotypes and misconceptions we have about zombies. It is the filmmaker's hope that this film will help people understand that zombies are just like everybody else...if everybody else is a walking, talking, rotting corpse.Available to watch online:
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/2907/zombieamerican-chapter-one-from-ed-helms
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/3730/zombie-american-chapter-2-from-ed-helms
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/4424/zombie-american-chapter-3-from-ed-helms - DirectorW.D. Sherman OlsonStarsBruce BartelsTom GiffeySteve SparksThe story of a zombie whose love will never die.
- DirectorJoe DanteStarsThea GillJon TenneyTerry David MulliganA hotshot White House speech writer deals with the publicity nightmare of his life when recently deceased soldiers return from beyond the grave.
- DirectorMarc FrattoStarsJenny GreemanJoseph DeVitoYarusha JimenezMeet Angela. She is the perfect neighbor. She is quiet, young, pretty and keeps to herself. But Angela is different. Very different... She is dead.aka Zombies Anonymous
A competent enough attempt at a serious take on the subject (a lot of the other films are comedies) but the crude hackjob that passed off as editing[1] resulted in the last 15-20 minutes of the film making no sense at all. If you track down a version that is longer than 91 minutes then you might want to consider giving this a spin, otherwise don't bother.
[1] http://www.schnittberichte.com/report.php?ID=895131 - DirectorAndrew CurrieStarsKesun LoderBilly ConnollyCarrie-Anne MossIn an Earthly world resembling the 1950s, a cloud of space radiation has shrouded the planet, resulting in the dead becoming zombies that desire live human flesh. A company called Zomcon has been able to control the zombie population. Zombies can be temporarily neutralized by being shot, but can only be permanently neutralized by their brain being destroyed. Their ultimate disposal is through cremation, or burial, the latter which requires decapitation with the head being buried separately from the body. Conversely, Zomcon has created the domestication collar, when activated and placed on a zombie makes the zombie controllable, and thus an eternally productive creature within society. Because all dead initially become zombies, the elderly are viewed negatively and suspectly. And all people, adult or child, learn to shoot to kill to protect society. Zomcon is the go to organization for all things zombie. In the town of Willard, the Robinsons - father Bill (Dylan Baker), mother Helen (Carrie-Anne Moss), and adolescent son Timmy (Kesun Loder) - are one family who don't own a zombie as a domestic, since Bill is afraid of zombies, as, when he was a child, he had to shoot his own zombie father, who tried to eat him. Bill has thus become fascinated with funerals to see zombies put away permanently. But Helen feels pressured to get a zombie when Zomcon's new head of security in Willard, the officious Jonathan Bottoms (Henry Czerny), moves into the neighborhood with his family. Never having had to deal with a zombie directly, Timmy is initially wary of their zombie. But as a lonely child who has no friends and is often bullied, Timmy eventually befriends their zombie, who he names Fido (Sir Billy Connolly), as he treats the zombie much like a faithful pet dog. Timmy protects Fido at all cost, even after Fido, due to no fault of its own, is implicated in some deaths, which creates a mini-wave of loose zombies unknown to Zomcon. But Fido may play a larger role within the family as a companion for Helen, who is largely neglected by Bill, since he sees human affection as ultimately resulting in such difficult issues as what happened between him and his own father. With Timmy and Helen treating Fido with kindness, Fido, in turn, may prove that not all zombies, even when without their domestication collar, are out to kill anyone and everyone in their path.In which the zombie "Fido" (played by Billy Connolly in one of his best big screen performances) is one of the main characters who, whilst essentially brain dead and cannibalistic, manages to perform the role of Lassie, Skippy or Flipper.
- DirectorPatrice DinhutStarsJohn BillingsleyDean CainColleen CampAfter he's bitten by a scorpion carrying a zombie virus, a tough soldier survives the infection, becoming only half zombie. Once back in the US, he finds himself fighting his former comrades in arms, all of whom are turning into zombies!
- DirectorGrace LeeStarsAustin BasisJane Edith WilsonAl VicentePic documents the daily lives of a small community of the living deceased who make their home in Los Angeles.
- DirectorMatthew KohnenStarsMatthew DavisJulianna RobinsonMichael Grant TerryTurning the zombie film on its head, this film is an oddball comedy from the perspective of the brain munching monsters themselves.A nice twist, as the zombies imagine they are actually super-soldiers while everyone else are the infected, so a bit of a nod to the contagious violence films too, with their fast "zombies".