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The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Danny Boyle & eating brains: 10 zombie movies worth resurrecting
There was a time there when you couldn't turn around without stumbling over zombies. Maybe they'd be fighting cockneys or Jane Austen heroines (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies; it's possible I am the only person in the world who quite liked it) or Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Pegg and Frost aside, the result wasn't always appetising. It's fair to say that most zombie movies are hardly worth consuming. But what are the ones worth making a feast of? Here are 10 worth revisiting. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live with Danai Gurira and Andrew Lincoln (Image: AMC) I Walked With a Zombie Jacques Tourneur, 1943 Producer Val Lewton's 1940s low-budget films - often made in conjunction with the director Jacques Tourneur - are a high point in horror cinema - literate, beautifully crafted nightmare movies that both shock and seduce. Despite the come-on of the title this one is a seduction; a dreamy, eerie reinvention of Jane Eyre that weaves voodoo lore into the story. It may be the most beautiful zombie movie; admittedly there isn't a lot of competition. Night of the Living Dead George Romero, 1968 The first zombie movie is generally regarded to be White Zombie, Victor Halperin's 1932 horror film starring Bela Lugosi as a zombie master and often read as an allegory for slavery. But it was George Romero's black and white shocker that really kickstarted the zombie genre as we know it today. Stark, brutal and shockingly nihilistic, it's a take on racial politics in 1960s America - with a black hero at its heart - that opened up the idea of the nightmare movie as a form of social commentary, as subsequently pursued by David Cronenberg, Wes Craven and Tobe Hooper. Romero's movie - and its two increasingly bleak sequels - is the foundation for all that followed. Shaun of the Dead (Image: free) Shaun of the Dead Edgar Wright, 2004 So dangerously overfamiliar now, it might be hard to recall just how fresh and funny this felt at the time. It posits the notion that we wouldn't notice the arrival of a zombie apocalypse because no one watches the news anymore. Presumably it would be all over Twitter now. And we'd assume it was fake news. Zombie Flesh Eaters Lucio Fulci, 1979 Inspired by George Romero, Italian exploitation cinema became rather taken with zombies during the 1970s and 1990s, usually with much, much more blood and gore (our cover star Rupert Everett even appeared in one, Cemetery Man). The apotheosis - or maybe its opposite - came with this gruesome film which was banned as a video nasty in the UK. It is often deeply unpleasant and yet there are moments of surrealist grandeur, most notably when Fulci has one of his zombies fight a shark. The result is one of the stupidest yet most memorable moments in the history of scary movies. Return of the Living Dead from 1984 (Image: free) Return of the Living Dead Dan O'Bannon, 1984 A kind of sequel to Romero's Night of the Living Dead, but played for gory laughs to a punk soundtrack. Combine a cemetery, a zombie-inducing gas, the brain-hungry undead and cartoon punks and the result is the apocalypse replayed as a cartoon. According to my TIme Out Film Guide (fifth edition, 1997), 'matters conclude, anti-dramatically, with the death of civilised life as we know it.' Snicker, snicker. One Cut of the Dead Shin'ichiro Ueda, 2019 This is a low-budget, high-idea Japanese zombie comedy. And the less you know about it going in the better. Let's just say it contains a 37-minute continuous shot and it's all very meta in the very best way. Who said zombie movies can't be smart? Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later (Image: unknown) 28 Days Later Danny Boyle, 2002 The first in the trilogy that continues with the release of 28 Years Later this month, 28 Days Later popularised the idea of the fast-moving zombie (they had already been seen in 1980 in Umberto Lenzi's Nightmare City, although there might be some dispute as to whether the affected hordes were actually zombies in that movie). But, really, what lingers in the memory is not the zombie sequences which are effective but not overwhelming. No, it's the early sequences in which CIllian Murphy, newly awakened from a coma, wanders around a deserted, demolished London; a vision straight out of a John Wyndham sci-fi novel. 28 Years Later is in cinemas on Thursday Read more The Girl With All the Gifts Colm McCarthy, 2016 Why did this not launch its Scottish director Colm McCarthy into the world of big budget movies? This fantastically staged film captures the gruesomeness and the world-building imagination to be found in M R Carey's original novel. (Like 28 Days Later, its reimagination of a post-apocalyptic London is rich and strange). Is there anything, the film asks, still human about its central character, the zombie child Melanie? It is a question zombie movies have seemed to grow bored of over the years (it's easier to just treat them as targets in video game-style films such as The Rezort). But it's the only one that matters. Train to Busan (Image: unknown) Train to Busan Yeon Sang-Ho, 2016 Easy pitch, this. Zombies on a train. This South Korean thriller is a Big Dipper of a movie, one that eschews the portentiousness of World War Z but isn't afraid of some cutting social satire on Korean society. But it works because it never forgets to scare and to thrill. Probably the most edge-of-the-seat movie in this list. Anna and the Apocalypse John McPhail, 2017 I can't be the only person who likes this, can I? Yes, it's a weird Scottish-set movie in which hardly any of the cast is Scottish. Yes, there's a big role for Paul (Dennis Pennis) Kaye. And he even gets to sing in it. (Oh, did I not mention it's a Christmas zombie comedy musical? No? Well, I have now.) But, even so, it's a lot of fun. The performances are always enthusiastic, even when they're not subtle, the choreography is neatly done and the songs - by Tommy Reilly and Roddy Hart - are well up to the mark. The result is High School Musical meets Zombieland. But, you know, filmed in Port Glasgow.
CBS News
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Zombies, Comicon, and tasty drinks
It's Friday, and as we do every week, if you're looking for something to do, we've got you covered! Living Dead Weekend It's Living Dead Weekend at the Monroeville Mall. Horror fans from around the world will flock to the site where Dawn of the Dead was filmed to celebrate all things zombie and filmmaker George Romero. You'll be able to hear stories, get autographs, and snap photos with the cast and crew from Romero's movies. It starts today and goes through Sunday. You can get the details on the Living Dead Weekend website right here. Three Rivers Comicon The Three Rivers Comicon is back at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, and there will be cosplay contests, vendors, exhibits, and panels with some of the best in the business. It lasts two days and starts tomorrow at 10 a.m. and goes until 7 p.m., then again on Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Kids 8 and under get in free, tickets for kids ages 9-14 are $5, and adult tickets start at $13. Get your tickets and a full rundown of events on their website at this link. Beers of the Burgh Festival Beer lovers, this one is for you! The Beers of the Burgh Festival is back at the Carrie Blast Furnaces in Swissvale on Saturday. More than 40 local breweries are taking part, and there will be live music, craft vendors, and food to go along with the brilliant brews. It goes from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. Check out more here. Fayette County Fiber Festival The Fayette County Fairgrounds are playing host to the third-annual Fiber Festival. It focuses on all things yarn and fiber. There will be live demonstrations, vendors, and of course, food! It goes from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, and it's free. See who will be there on their website! Anything On Wheels The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum hosts the always-popular Anything on Wheels car and truck show. The show will feature antique trolleys, classic cars, and as the name implies, anything else on wheels. It takes place on Saturday and Sunday - get the details at this link. Bellevue Un-Wined Sip, savor, and stroll your way through Bellevue like you never have before with "Bellevue Un-Wined." You can sip your way through 14 stops along Lincoln Avenue, featuring several different wines, a street market with artists, craft vendors, and more. The sips get started on Saturday at 5 p.m. and they go until 9 p.m. Bonafide Bellevue has all the information you need. Mister Rogers Family Day In Latrobe, the annual Mister Rogers Family Day wraps up on Saturday with a big downtown festival. It goes from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. You'll be able to visit Daniel Tiger, O the Owl, and meet Mister McFeely. There will be pony rides, barrel train rides, an obstacle course, a climbing wall, and a scavenger hunt. It's all free, and you can see the full schedule right here.
