Zombie Evolution Essay

Steven Duarte dissects the evolution of the Zombie in modern pop culture, specifically as it relates to movies, in a recent article written for Human Trend.  In addition to providing an accurate historical account of zombie movies, the article outlines the importance of keeping the genre alive for future generations.

Zombie Cherub Moleskine Sketch

Skineart.com sez:

“What if zombies got into heaven, how different could it be?”

UPDATE: Fremont Walk a success

The “Red, White, and Dead” event in Fremont, CA, WA drew in over 5,000 zombiephiles to break the Guiness world record of “Largest Zombie Walk”.  See The Ballard News Tribune for details and pictures.

Zombie Walk at Fremont Outdoor Movies (Seattle)

Fremont Outdoor Movies in Seattle is hoping to capture the Guiness Book of World Records‘ title of “Largest Zombie Walk in The World” this Friday, July 3rd.  Over 4,000 zombiephiles will gather for a night of undead mayhem, as the walk is just part of the fun.  Have your picture taken at the post-apocalyptic photo booth, and learn Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” dance.  Just don’t forget to dress up!  Oh, and it’s a charity gig – make sure to bring a canned good to the show!

Zombie Haiku

Encourage the zombie poet in you to come out by reading the entries to Topless Robot’s Zombie Haiku challenge.  Some of these entries are priceless:

Because I love you
That’s why you have to let me
EAT YOUR BRAAAAIIIINS!

Yum yum in my tum
I love brains they tastes so good
Brains I love I hungry

Although the contest is officially closed, you can still post your own zombie-related Haiku poem.

Take the Zombie Survival Quiz

How will you fare when the big outbreak hits ?  Find out now by taking News and Entertainment’s Zombie Survival Quiz.

Clearly, I would not last very long:

Cardiovascular paper makes you look like a zombie

Paris-based photographer Laurent Champoussin designed these cool-looking paper models of cardiovascular veins. When applied to the skin, it looks like a zombie actually chewed through to the core.  The paper is meant to be a work of art based on the écorché model, so don’t expect to find these on the market.  Still, I so want this for next Halloween!

[via Street Anatomy]

Teenagers create and star in zombie flick

According to the New York Post:

Thanks to three determined teachers and some pals in the entertainment business, about 40 eighth-graders from Queens have turned into a pack of raging, bloodthirsty ghouls — or future movie stars. Take your pick.  The project, a 30-minute horror flick called ‘School of the Dead,’ stars 13- and 14-year-old students from IS 145 in Jackson Heights.”

Tommy Wirkola on “Dead Snow”

Beth Accomando of KBPS talks to Tommy Wirkola, director and writer of the norwegian film “Dead Snow“, about ideas for the movie, working with zombies, and future development plans.  The movie had a limited release in North America starting June 19, 2009.

“Undead and Unwelcome” at #14

The Hastings Star Gazette reports that…

“Author MaryJanice Davidson’s newest book, ‘Undead and Unwelcome’ recently reached number 14 on the New York Times Best-Seller list. It’s the highest any of Davidson’s books has ever climbed on the list.”

ARhrrrr – An Augmented Reality Zombie Game

Students at the Georgia Tech Augmented Environments Lab have created another innovative user interface that could see the light of day in engineering and science fields.

In this prototype game “ARhrrr“, the player uses a mobile camera phone to navigate through a real two-dimensional map. The beauty of this product is that computer-generated elements are added to the scene being filmed by the camera.  This means that zombies are digitally added to the map, and the player interacts with the map via the different customized buttons in the camera.

To win the game, the player must destroy the zombies with rainbow-coloured Skittles.  Yes, you read right… Skittles.  How cool is that ?

Play Zombie or Solider in ZombieMan

Zombie Man is yet another Zombie flash mini-game hosted on UK’s premier free gaming site, “Your Arcade“. The premise is the same – you are a solider who must destroy as many zombies as you can.  One bite, however, and you turn into a zombie, where you must infect as many soldiers as possible. This cat-and-mouse game continues, as the number of soldiers and zombies increases with each level.  The controls are intuitive and easy to use, and the soundtrack makes you feel like you are playing a real arcade game.

Oh, and there’s a ZombieMan 2 game when you’re done with this one…

Vampire Compendium

Paranormal Insight has a lengthy (but informative) article on the Vampire in modern culture.  The expose lists the most common types of vampires that can be found around the world, and provides an account of vampires in pop culture and science.  The article even gives you advice on how to protect yourself from an imminent vampire attack.

Lego Zombie Game at Fyrebug

Ok, so maybe it’s not exactly licensed by The Lego Group, but this Lego Zombie game on Fyrebug should provide a few hours of zombie carnage.

Shriekfest 2009 now accepting nominations (Los Angeles, CA)

The Los Angeles Shriekfest Horror Film Festival 2009 is now accepting film nominations in the horror, science fiction, and fantasy genres.  The festival, to be held October 1-4, 2009, is an international festival and screenplay competition dedicated to getting filmmakers and screenwriters the recognition they deserve.

Last year’s festival was a great success – you can find a list of all 2008 finalists here.  This year, the film screenings will take place in the beautiful Chaplin Theatre.

If you have a film to nominate for the festival, you can print the entry form, and submit it before Tuesday, June 30, 2009.

Active Vampire Lifestyle

Are you a vampire, and starting to feel the centuries getting you down ?  Luckily, there are ways to change your lifestyle so you feel like you’re only 100 years old.  Yahoo! Shine gives us 5 ways we can make our undead life more satisfying.

Undead Couple Gets Married

Brad Nicola and Lisa Morgan exchanged vows on Monday in Florida, dressed as their favourite undead characters: Beetlejuice and a vampire.  The couple happily tied the knot in costume, and encouraged the guests to dress up as well.  Even the bridesmaids were dressed up.

“Morgan’s daughters, Emily, 9, and Lindsay, 12, drew fake scratches across their faces. ‘We’re dead bridesmaids,’ Lindsay explained.”

You can read all about it and see the pictures in the St. Petersburg Times.

Undead Knitting Patterns by Amigurumi

Needle Noodles is selling the patterns to knit these cute little undead characters.    The knitting kit (available for sale on Etsy for only $5 USD) contains everything you need to knit all four characters, including illustrations, hints, and tips.

“The Left And The Living Dead” on The American Prospect

Zombie Movies by Decade

I don’t normally subscribe to their point of view, but the leftist American magazine “The American Prospect” has an excellent article that explains how the American People can actually benefit from a zombie invasion, at least politically.

“While one can certainly use zombies to express all kinds of ideas, I would argue that at heart, the genre is a progressive one. It’s true that fighting off the zombie horde requires plentiful firearms, no doubt pleasing Second Amendment advocates. And in a zombie movie, government tends to be either ineffectual or completely absent.”

And all this time, I thought the Government was already run by zombies…

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_left_and_the_living_dead

Baby Zombie T-Shirts for Sale

Cafe Press has a great selection of Zombie-themed children’s T-shirts for sale.  Make sure your kids live vicariously through you by letting the world know how they feel about zombies.  They also have over 600 styles of sweatshirts for adults.