Take a look at these Zombie Face Paintball Masks!

These are the £18 (~$30) made to order zombie face paintball masks for sale by eBayer corpseguy. Is he really undead? I'm not sure, but I've never heard of a zombie running an eBay store before, so that would be a first for me. They don't actually come with the helmet though, it's a just a latex mask you wear over an existing helmet to intimidate your foes. Because there's nothing more terrifying than a zombie with a gun. I'm kidding, there are tons of things more terrifying than a zombie with a gun, including, and not just limited to, a zombie with its teeth already buried in your f***ing neck. That's like, a REAL oh sh*t moment.

Keep going for a couple different styles, go to the auction page to see them all.

~geekologie.com

The Microbiology of Zombies By Dr Yvette Merga

Zombies come in a variety of forms these days; fast ones, slow ones, flesh-eating ones, scary ones and funny ones but whatever the type of zombie, they remain one of the most scary and successful “monsters” in popular culture. The model zombie is thought to originate long ago in the voodoo cultures of Haiti and West Africa, where the dead were said to have been ‘raised’ by sorcerers or witches using voodoo magic. Prior to that, they get a mention in the Mesopotamian poem from about the 18^th century BC, “Epic of Gilgamesh” in which a goddess proclaims she will “let the dead go up and eat the living, and the dead will outnumber the living”. Bearing in mind that the dead do actually outnumber the living by some 107 billion to 7 billion, this is some good science!

The original horror-movie zombies of George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” (in black and white!) and other classics such as Dawn and Day of the Dead are shambling, rotting beings that aspire only to eat the living (and provide cannon fodder for film-makers to try out new ways of splattering brains around!). Modern versions include zombies that run (e.g. Danny Boyle’s ‘28 days later’ and the recent World War Z film) and even telepathic zombies (Brian Keene’s “The Rising” novels), although most films and books tend to stick with the original slow-moving, groaning variety. Overall, zombies seem to be defined by the main “symptoms” of hunger for living human flesh, being dead-but-mobile and being generally quite scary. Transmission (‘zombification’) is usually via a zombie bite or contact with infected fluids (technically known as Goo).Now, as a horror fan and microbiologist I’ve often found myself wondering about the source of the various zombie plagues and thinking about how a zombie apocalypse might actually come about.

The vast majority of zombie stories are attributed to a mystery “infection”. Sometimes, thoughtful writers attribute an outbreak to a named infectious agent such as Resident Evil’s T-virus or Zombieland’s “Mad Zombie Disease”, while others are much more vague. However, are there any infectious agents out there that could actually create zombies? Could a zombie apocalypse really happen?

Possible candidates

One virus that quickly springs to mind is Rabies. Rabies is a type of infection known as a zoonosis, which means it can spread between animals and people. It’s a virus that spreads to humans when they are bitten or scratched by an infected animal, such as a dog (this sounds zombie-like!). It affects the central nervous system, causing anxiety, headaches, fever, muscle spasms, brain inflammation, fear of water and eventually death. In dogs, it is well known for causing them to aggressively bite humans (also like zombies!). There’s a very similar virus called Bat Lyssavirus that’s becoming more prevalent, with transmission occurring from bats to people via bites or scratches. So the idea of a zombie virus travelling from person to person via infective bites is not too unlikely. However, no virus on earth is capable of infecting and taking over a host as quickly as the ones seen in zombie films!

One type of organism rarely mentioned in zombie films/books is the parasite. As you may have read in previous SSA posts, parasites can range from teeny single-celled organisms to big tapeworms and flukes, and they have many interesting characteristics, one of which is mind control or behaviour modification. This is a relatively new area of research referred to by scientists as neuroparasitology.

The best-known example of a mind-altering parasite is probably the small, zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which stops rats being scared of cats so that they are more likely to get eaten; the brain-dwelling parasites are then spread to the cat where they multiply and are released as oocysts in the cat’s faeces. These same parasites have also been associated with neurological changes in humans that can manifest as personality disorders and increased rates of suicide. Other examples include the trematode (flatworm) Euhaplorchis californiensis, which changes the behaviour of its fish host, increasing the likelihood of its consumption by birds and the tiny crustacean Gammarus, which is attracted to light only when infected with the spiny-headed worm Polymorphus paradoxus, making it more likely to be eaten by predators, spreading its parasitic guests to other hosts.

Scientists have also shown that Toxoplasma gondii changes its host’s behaviour by “hijacking” its sexual arousal pathways, making the odour of cats suddenly seem very attractive to the rat – maybe it could do the same in zombified humans, making chasing and eating the living even more appealing! It is also thought that the immune response of a person infected with T. gondii directly affects their behaviour, and that T. gondii also damages the areas of the brain responsible for processing fear.

So, while these examples of parasite-induced suicidal behaviour are not strictly relevant when considering zombies, they do show us that it is possible for an organism to change the way a person might behave, causing them to do things they otherwise wouldn’t (like eating braaaaaains).

Another feature of most zombie infections is the quick spread of the disease – someone may be bitten by a zombie and change over to join the zombie ranks in a matter of seconds, making fighting off a potential apocalypse rather challenging. Luckily, there are no viruses, bacteria or parasites that could spread or have such an overwhelming effect on your body that quickly. Viruses tend to be the fastest-acting types of bug, but even these need at least a few hours to get into your cells and replicate into large enough numbers to actually make you ill; a stage known as the incubation period.

Of course, there is no organism around (nor anything else for that matter) that could actually re-animate the dead, let alone make them walk around and eat people, but it’s fun to pretend, and anyone wanting to see this in action should check out the 1980’s classic Re-animator, complete with green-glowing serum and re-animated cat!

For more information on the current worldwide rabies status, click here:

http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/Rabies/

~scousesciencealliance.co.uk

The Zombie Apocalypse Is Coming: Food4Patriots Warns You To Prepare

The zombie trend is real, and it does not appear to be going away any time soon, notes survivalist supplier Food4Patriots. Let’s take a look at how this trend has evolved, and what it has done to society and businesses.

History

Zombie lore has long been a part of the human experience. Several ancient religions have stories about zombies and people returning from the dead.

Pop culture experts, such as Pennsylvania State University professor Peter Dendle, date the modern rise of zombie popularity back to the 1968 movie Night of the Living Dead. George Romero’s low-budget horror flick reimagined zombies as a metaphor for modern consumerism, and began a new boom in zombie lore.

Politics

Interestingly, zombies are more popular when Republicans are in office. When the Carter administration took the White House, the popularity of zombies decreased significantly, Peter Dendle tells U-T San Diego. They resurged with the Reagan Administration and again during George W. Bush’s tenure.

Throughout the Obama administration, however, zombies have remained quite popular. AMC’s wildly popular television series The Walking Dead, based on a comic book series by Robert Kirkman is one of cable’s most popular shows. It recently ended its fourth season, and a fifth season is under production.

Why the continuing popularity of zombies?

Psychology

The psychology of zombie lore has evolved over the years. Romero’s zombies directly reflected society’s growing unease with the consumerism of the 50s and 60s. Reagan-era zombies dealt with fears of yuppies mindlessly conforming.

How about now? Food4Patriots has a theory. “We have a lot of customers who joke about stocking up for the zombie apocalypse,” they say, “But the truth is that they are unsure about the stability of modern society. They want to be able to protect themselves and their family from whatever comes next.”

 In The News

While it might sound a little crazy to fear actual zombies, real-life zombie tales have arisen in the news. The so-called “Miami Zombie Attack” caught the nation’s attention in 2012 when a young man attacked a man and ate part of his face.

31-year-old Rudy Eugene attacked 65-year-old transient Ronald Poppo for over 18 minutes. Eugene beat and stripped the victim, then began biting into his face and eating his flesh. Miami Police were forced to kill Eugene to end the attack. Infamously, the first shot Eugene took did not deter him from his gruesome feast.

While preliminary reports suggested the man was under the influence of a drug called bath salts, toxicology reports were inconclusive, and the reason for Eugene’s behavior is still unknown.

That did not stop people across the country from exclaiming that a zombie apocalypse must be near, Food4Patriots notes. Neither did a similar attack a few months later. While people joke about impending zombie hoards, they are also preparing.

Preparedness

The National Geographic Channel promotes its show Doomsday Preppers with the claim that over 3 million Americans believe that societal collapse is inevitable, and people must prepare. Preppers are driving a growing disaster preparedness industry.

Food4Patriots is one of many businesses helping people prepare for whatever disaster comes next- natural or zombie. They create long-term food survival solutions including heirloom seeds and prepackaged foods. Their high-quality survival food rations are rated to last for 25 years, and come packaged in secure, lightweight, waterproof storage totes.

They note that most people fear things far more likely than a zombie outbreak. Overabundance of genetically modified foods (GMOs), too much reliance on the energy grid, and government overreach are all reasons preppers cite for building their supplies.

“Zombies have taught us to prepare for the worst,” says Food4Patriots. “Although it is fiction, it shows the general public worst case scenarios, and that they need to be prepared for.”

The Centers for Disease Control uses this same reasoning for why they have joined the zombie preparedness bandwagon. They use the zombie possibility in a fun way, while actually encouraging people to make sure they are stocked up in case of emergency.

The CDC suggests that all households have the following items available at all times in case of natural or man-made disaster (or invading zombies):

Water—1 gallon per person per day

Food—Nonperishable food to last at least one week for each person

           

Medications—Make sure to always have on hand enough of the prescription and nonprescription medicines family member rely on to last for several days

            

Tools and Supplies—Such as utility knives, duct tapes, battery powered radio, camp stove, etc

            

Sanitation and Hygiene—Household bleach, soap, water treatment drops, etc.

            

Clothing and Bedding—At least one weather-appropriate change of clothes for each family member, and enough blankets and bedding to keep warm and prevent hypothermia

            

First Aid Supplies— The Red Cross suggests you have absorbent compresses, adhesive bandages, adhesive cloth tape, antibiotic ointment, antiseptic wipes, a breathing barrier for administering CPR, instant cold compresses, non-latex gloves, roller bandages, sterile gauze pads, scissors, and tweezers.

Zombies And You

While the threat of a zombie apocalypse may not actually be looming over modern society, the possibility has entered the American consciousness in a unique and lasting way. As you enjoy the zombie stories popular culture continues to tell, Food4Patriots reminds you to think about how your family is prepared for any disaster that may come.

~jenniferlynndavidson/business2community.com

Check out these zombie figures from Max Factory

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Report: Ebola Suspected In Europe: “Broken Through All Containment Efforts”

Though officials at the World Health Organization are feverishly working to stop the spread of the Ebola virus in what is now seven African nations, their efforts may be for naught. In Guinea, a hot spot for the deadly contagion, government health officials have said that the outbreak is nearly under control. Yet, Reuters reports that the government “planned to stop publicly releasing the death toll to avoid causing unnecessary panic.”

Despite the best efforts of emergency health workers it appears that virus may have crossed out of Africa into Europe.But panic may be in order.

The outbreak of Ebola Virus in seven west African countries has broken through all containment efforts and is spreading like wildfire.  According to Christian Relief groups working in Guinea and Liberia, the number of confirmed infections jumped 15% in just the last 24 hours. In addition, 40 illegal alien migrant workers from the outbreak area, who came ashore in Pisa, Italy, are showing signs of Ebola infection and are being isolated in Pisa Italy because of fever and “conjunctivitis” (bloody around the eyes).  According to the World Health Organization, this strain of Ebola is entirely new and although it is close to the Zaire strain, it is different, thus accounting for false-negative test results . . . . . for weeks!

Those false-negative results meant people who were actually infected with Ebola, were returned to their families and neighborhoods to recover from what they believed was the Flu or a case of food poisoning, only to spread the Ebola further. 

The result has been a complete loss of containment of this Ebola outbreak.  

With the likely arrival of Ebola in Pisa, Italy, the European continent is now at severe risk.

Italian officials deny the reports, but alternative media in the country suggests this is the reason for a complete lock down of a hospital in Pisa, where it is believed to have infected some 40 individuals. Other reports trickling in from various sources like social media indicate the virus may have also appeared about 50 miles from Pisa in Tuscany, Italy.

Alarmingly, a story that appeared about the outbreak on national news wires was reportedly removed by the Italian government for “national security reasons,” suggesting that there is more to the reports than Italian officials are willing to express to the public at this time.

Though they have denied that the Pisa hospital was locked down due to Ebola, they seem to be bracing for the possibility of a severe epidemic in Rome and Milan.

(Google Translation via Italy’s Vnews24)

And ‘mystery about forty hypothetical cases of Ebola registered in our country. The virus is particularly common on the African continent – the cases “official” were recorded in Senegal, Mali and Ghana - may have arrived in Italy “thank you” to the massive exodus of immigrants to our shores. A first “bell” d ‘alarm was launched by Lampedusa. According to a report appeared in the network (and immediately removed for reasons of “national security”), in fact, April 16 would be recorded on an epidemic ‘island, never confirmed nor refuted by our Ministry of Health.

A new ”SOS” about the spread of the virus’ Ebola in the Bel Paese is, this time, from Tuscany. Means of dissemination of the news shock is always the network: blogs, social networks, websites dedicated highlighted the “Curious Case of St. Flushing,” reception center site in Pisa, closed to the public due to the presence, all ‘inside of it, forty non-EU nationals which are to some strange symptoms. Capuzzi Sandra, Councillor for Social Policies of the Municipality of Pisa, he would have dismissed the alarmism of his countrymen, by classifying the health status of the refugees in the structure in these terms: “They have just a little bit fever, caused by stressful travel conditions under which the children were subjected. “

Fear, meanwhile, remains. The forty possible carriers of the virus’ Ebola have been subjected to all the tests required in high-risk situations. The Italian population, however, does not feel the climate of reassurance that high institutional positions and subjected try to transmit information through various channels, official and unofficial. The tension increases, although the Ministry of Health said that, in the unlikely event of an outbreak, Rome and Milan would be ready to face the ‘epidemic.

According to Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian relief group actively working with hospitals and health officials in Guinea and Liberia, what makes Ebola so dangerous is that it can be transmitted through human contact and may take weeks before symptoms appear:

The initial Ebola outbreak in Guinea is believed to have started when hunters came in contact with infected fruit bats. The Ebola virus is spread between humans through direct contact. Once infected, it can take up to 21 days for symptoms to appear, which include high fever, headaches, and fatigue. At that point, the infected person is contagious.

With details lacking and health officials opting to keep reports of infections from the public, it is impossible to know exactly how far the virus has spread.

As noted above, this new strain was not identified immediately, thus blood tests of people showing possible symptoms may have shown false-negatives even though those individuals may have been carrying the virus. Once returned to the general population and assuming they did not contract the virus, it is certainly possible that it was then transmitted to others.

If Ebola has taken hold in Italy, then we can expect more reported cases all over the continent in coming weeks, with the real possibility that the virus could make its way to U.S. shores via hundreds of international flights arriving on a daily basis.

It’s understandable that government officials do not want to overreact and cause panic, especially insofar as global air travel is concerned, because doing so would lead to a lock down of airports worldwide.

The panic would be unprecedented.

As noted by Tess Pennington of Ready Nutrition, even if the public became aware that a pandemic was in progress, many would remain in denial about such a prospect and would remain oblivious to the long-term repercussions. She notes that the effects of a pandemic could be swift and drastic, leading to societal upheaval :

Understanding that our lives will change drastically if the population is faced with a pandemic and being prepared for this can help you make better choices toward the well being of your family. Some changes could be:

• Shut downs of business commerce
• Breakdown of our basic infrastructure: communications, mass transportation, supply chains
• Payroll service interruptions
• Staffing shortages in hospitals and medical clinics
• Interruptions in public facilities – Schools, workplaces may close, and public gatherings such as sporting events or worship services may close temporarily.
• Government mandated voluntary or involuntary home quarantine.

(Source: Pandemic Preparedness)

Given the continued spread of the virus to numerous countries in Africa, and now possibly Europe, we urge readers to remain vigilant and have, at the very least, their basic essentials in place.

This virus is incurable and is believed to have a mortality rate of up to 85% of those infected.

If it is spreading outside of Africa, then it is only a matter of time – perhaps several weeks – before it becomes apparent in developing nations.

These posted probabilities are in no way authoritative, and should be considered a “best guess” only.

Probabilities of unchecked infection at this point, based upon a method of travel, times and frequencies of airline flights to various cities, also including certain assumed volumes of “mixed maritime” traffic between north Africa and southern Europe -  the Probability that Ebola will strike is:

63% in Italy within 8 days
44% in Spain within 15 days
77% in Riyadh/Saudi within 21 days
40% in Libya within 25 days
29% in the US within 28 days
37% in Egypt within 33 days

By the time we get to 35 days, it can be in 25 countries on 4 continents.

(Source: TRN)

In the United States, the CDC has issued a travel alert to airlines and set up emergency quarantine stations at domestic airports, though there are no specific guidelines in place at this time according to BD Live:

The US is well prepared to handle infected patients on its soil with 20 CDC quarantine stations in place at US airports that are designed to deal with anyone who has symptoms of a wide range of infectious illnesses, including Ebola, according to spokeswoman Christine Pearson. Despite the outbreak, there are no special requests or guidelines to airlines about Ebola, though the CDC has issued a travel alert, she said.

“The time it takes to travel from rural Guinea to anywhere in the US is more than enough time to incubate the virus and be symptomatic,”Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow Laurie Garrett said in New York.

If in the next month we see Ebola popping up in North America then we may have a serious problem on our hands.

~infowars.com

Ruthless Pictures and Dread Central Want YOU to Be a Part of the Zombie Apocalypse

So you've made (or are making) what you think is an incredible zombie-themed short film, but you're having a hard time getting the word out about it. Breaking into the film business isn't easy, but Jesse Baget's Ruthless Pictures and DC are about to kick open the door for you!

Listen up, indie filmmakers: Pre-production on the new anthology Zombieworld has officially begun.

Survivors across the world struggle to overcome horrifying circumstances when a pandemic brings about a zombie apocalypse.

Zombieworld (tentatively titled; subject to change) will be an anthology of blood, guts, and mayhem brought to life by a group of exciting new directors from around the world.

Commenting on the film, Ruthless Pictures producer Jesse Baget (currently in production on the company’s most recent project, Day of the Mummy) said, “As a fan of the zombie genre, I’m excited to be part of this film along with Dread Central. Zombieworld will showcase the unique the vision of young, up-and-coming filmmakers from around the world and inject fresh new blood into the genre.”

Here at Dread Central we've always been incredibly indie film-friendly so here's what's on tap for you guys... Zombieworld already has WORLDWIDE distribution from one of the horror genre's finest purveyors so we can guarantee that no matter what, you're gonna get the exposure and notoriety that you deserve. Zombieworld is without question the open door you have been looking for. That being said, here's how to enter.

Send us your entry via here with a private link or the actual HD file of your film. From there both Ruthless Pictures and Dread Central staff will watch the films and select the best of the best to be included in the project, and selected winners will also nab themselves $100 in the process. But what if your film is the best of the best? Well then, not only will you be included in the anthology, we'll also hand over to you a check for $500.

~dreadcentral.com

AN AMATEUR’S FIELD GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

Has anyone else noticed the newish zombie trend slowly permeating through our books, movies, and television? Perhaps, this is just a backlash from the fatigue we all have from sexy teenage vampires. My interest in zombies has never been particularly high, but I can’t help but notice some of the more recent offerings. These aren’t your run of the mill Romero zombie tales.

I am no expert (hence the amateur status given to this post), but I thought I would share my run-ins that have bucked my previously held opinion of zombie fare.* The creators have tried to upend the standard lore of zombies and produce something new. For me, it all began with The Returned, a recent French television series.

They aren’t mumbling, half-wits motivated solely for brains. No, the revenants of this small French town return as if nothing has happened even though some have been deceased for decades. They want to return to their normal lives, but with every new episode, stranger behavior and occurrences unfold. There are clearly secrets buried within the living, too. The Returned is a television adaptation of a 2004 French film called They Came Back (French: Les Revenants), which seethes with the uncanny and eerie. This slow burning film makes you feel completely off-kilter. The returned are not quite what the living expected and the business of what to do with this sudden inflation of undeceased residents is a perplexing burden. Let’s not mention all of the notsleeping and midnight meetups by the undead who seem to be planning something. Both of these zombie servings offer a different picture, which include complex emotions and simmering questions.

It’s often noted that the 2002 British thriller, 28 Days Later, was the zombie film that reignited interest in the living dead. It took me ages to finally see it (due to my aforementioned disinterest in zombies), but when I did, I was impressed. It definitely was akin to those 1968 zombies, but it did do something different–the zombies were not slow walking  groaners. They were fast and strong making the post-apocalypse landscape even more terrifying. But we’ve moved on a little from these serious creepfests…

The genre has seen its own comedic interpretations with the fantastic Shaun of the Dead (that bar scene with Queen playing always gets me) or the slapstick horror of the New Zealand zombie flick, Black Sheep, which centers around the genetically mutated sheep that have secretly been created on the outskirts of a family farm by scientists looking to birth savage carnivores instead of docile grazers. Has anyone else seen this? I feel like I’m the only one. Shall I tempt you with the trailer? Also, we cannot forget Zombieland, a film that sees gun-toting Woody Harrelson driven to find a Twinkie in a zombie-filled world.

But this new zombie is flashing its teeth in writing as well. Isaac Marion’s debut novel, Warm Bodies, is narrated by R who isn’t your mamma’s zombie. Marion is writing from a zombie point of view–something which often is not a feature. R spends his days very slowly walking around a former airport with his other zombie cohorts in post-apocalyptic Seattle. He is bored, can’t remember his name, and on a recent hunt for brains, he meets Julie, a member of the living. R has a deep inner monologue and can relive memories of those whose brains he’s devoured. As the book goes on, R starts to become more human-like. He can string more than a couple of syllables together and his body movements are less restricted. Warm Bodies has been labelled a zombie romance, which it is, but it was also enjoyable to read as a new take on the zombie genre. There is also a 2013 film adaptation that is fun to watch as R goes through his zombie existential crisis.

Of course, there is horror maestro Joe Hill’s short story, “Twittering from the Circus of the Dead.” Honestly, I was skeptical at first because the entire story is written in a succession of Tweets by a teenage girl on a road trip with her family, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a real joyride. The 140 character Oulipian constraint makes for some side-splitting moments. The whole time, the girl is tweeting her family’s car ride even when they make a wrong turn leading them to the Circus of the Dead–a circus manned by zombie entertainment. Even when her own brother is turned, she can’t help but be surly and she remains tweeting till the very undead end.

“TYME2WASTE He’s not very good at being a zombie. He isn’t even trying to walk slow. He’s really going after the ringmistress. 9:04 PM – 2 Mar from Tweetie“

“They’re coming to get you, Barbara!”

Zombie stories and resurrections have been around for centuries. The mindless brain-centric menace can trace its roots to West Africa and Haiti where many myths and stories shape our present day zombie. The mainstreaming of the word began in the late 1920s and exploded with the release of the 1932 Bela Lugosi picture, White Zombie, based on William Seabrook’s book (note: his Wikipedia page states, “[W]as an American Lost Generation occultist, explorer, traveller, cannibal, and journalist.” Maybe, one of the best entry openings on the site?).  

I proffer that zombies became more than just the living dead with Richard Matheson’s I am Legend. We can argue that the creatures are really more like vampires, but this is my blog, so I win. They’re zombies. In his 1954 novel, Matheson popularized the notion of a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by an unknown contagion. This is really a must-read even outside of the zombie wheelhouse. (Let’s all just agree to forgo the recent film adaptation for the sole reason that the filmmakers totally throw out the idea of what “I am Legend” means in the book). Matheson’s excellent book won’t be the last to elicit a dwindling world where war, disease, and other man-made epidemics will be our downfall.

Newer zombies are regularly shown as staying awake all night long. Their inability to sleep and their weary-eyed restlessness is often highlighted. Even in Karen Russell’s new novella, Sleep Donation, which is not strictly a zombie piece, compares the insomniacs to zombies. They are rendered insane by the sleeplessness and an epidemic is raging through the world. A cause is not given, but it is obviously a metaphor for society’s anxieties (also, commenting on the fact that with every progressing day, we are less likely to pull ourselves away from our various screen devices that have been show to interfere with sleep).

Even in the horror-comedy schlock fest, Jennifer’s Body, a bit of commentary is going on. Although, Jennifer is not explicitly labeled a zombie (more a demon), she comes back to life to wreak havoc on the high school boys who objectified her. It is a ridiculous and absurd film that is pretty great and it tries to tap into the portrayal of women in slasher flicks (the execution can be questioned at times, but still admirable, for lack of a better word). Roger Ebert wrote in his review, “As a movie about a flesh-eating cheerleader, it’s better than it has to be.” It is a suitable addition to a genre that is already highly saturated with male voices.

Supernatural works are often stand-ins for society’s very real fears and worries. Letting go and grief seem to be apparent themes in The Returned and They Came Back, and we are seeing it again in the new US television series Resurrection (based on the 2012 novel, The Returned, which has nothing to do with the two French works, but also deals with long-dead people returning to a small town. Read the Slate article to clear everything up). Also, in all three, the revenants are unable to sleep, denoting them as the other and keeping from the very human function that visits us every night. I have not read Jason Mott’s novel, but I’m curious if anyone else has an opinion on it.

Our new zombies are often having existential crises. They keep their heads high and ruminate on their fates. Sometimes the world is destroyed by a disease, but many times this is not the case. R doesn’t remember how he lost his sense of self. Did this new, distracted world just think itself into zombieism? Many iterations don’t sleep. They can be found walking aimlessly and unblinking with plenty of time to think. They seem harmless at first, but when more come, the true monster shows its face. They might not always be guttural, fleshy cannibalistic heaps anymore. As readers and watchers of these new zombies, we often become enthralled by this different approach to the genre. The stories are evolving with our own present world, for the good and the bad. Our anxieties are being manifested in post-apocalyptic worlds filled with modern creatures. No matter what, though, zombies are always a human creation. They are mutating and overcoming us until we must send in Brad Pitt to rid of us of our World War Z.

Now, I am off to watch Cockneys vs. Zombies to add to my zombie arsenal. Do you have any to add? They are certainly plenty of zombie films, but are there any more works of fiction that are just begging to be read? Does anyone else notice that many vampire books are written by women, but zombies seem to be the playing field of men?

~acidfreepulp.com